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NASB | Genesis 1:28 God blessed them; and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 1:28 And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth." |
Bible Question: When God told Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply in Genesis 1:28, did that mean they had sex in the garden of Eden? (It doesn't say that Adam layed with his wife until Chapter 4.) |
Bible Answer: Hi, Paula... Welcome to the forum! That is an interesting question. Most interesting questions have been asked many times. So Bible students have been thinking about this since Moses penned the Pentateuch. I think that the words in Genesis 4 -- euphemism for intercourse -- tended to be one used concerning intercourse that resulted in pregnancy. Of course, this would not necessarily mean that Adam and Eve did not have intercourse prior to the Fall. If so, none of that would have been productive for the conceiving of a child. Indeed, Eve asserts that her birthing of Able was due to God's specific intervention (Genesis 4). Of course, we understand that if Eve had conceived a child while in their innocence before the Fall, that would have created a number of issues for everyone involved (no pun intended). Some Jewish scholars with whom I am familiar thought that the birth of Able was as long as twenty years after our first Parents were expelled from the Garden. That reasoning is beyond my ability to remember. Consequently it might be entirely speculative. On the other hand, we must realize that the Fall may have been an event that closely followed Eve's creation. I have even heard -- but I do not recall where -- that Martin Luther and John Calvin thought that the Fall took place no later than nine hours after Adam was given Eve. If that is the case, it might not have given them sufficient time to explore the physical aspect of their relationship. Rather than having your question being fully satisfied, I would do what I do on particulars of the Bible that cannot be definitely answered: (1) hang on to the question until you've had an opportunity to deal with it in the context of Christian scholarly debate; (2) don't say yes or no until you are certain (lest you violate Deuteronomy 4:2 and suffer the consequences of Revelation 22:18-19). In Him, Doc |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Gen 1:28 | Author | ||
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chad williams | ||
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jedai | ||
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Natason | ||
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MAMAMETAL | ||
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Ed O. | ||
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Paula O. | ||
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DocTrinsograce | ||
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PaulusSecundus | ||
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DocTrinsograce |