Subject: EXPLAIN REPLENISH |
Bible Note: Tim, thanks for your fine word study of the Hebrew term translated "replenish" in Genesis 1:28 (and elsewhere) in the KJV .... This translation, coupled with the common definition of "replenish" as meaning "to replace or refill" has lent a measure of confusion to what really is a simple command, "to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth." Contemporary English is quirky enough, but it is quirkier still when we are dealing with its usage in 1611. Even today the word "replenish," in addition to meaning replace or refill, can and does also mean simply "to fill with persons or animals." (Webster's Collegiate Dictionary). The same dictionary gives an archaic meaning of "to supply fully; to perfect." It is the prefex "re" (again) that throws us. A rough analogy could be cited in the words "flammable" and "inflammable" -- both mean the same thing. In fact, you will always see "flammable" in bold letters on trucks hauling gasoline, never "inflammable" lest the intended warning be misunderstood. --Hank |