Genesis 9:1

Hebrew Bible

1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. 3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. As I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.

Exodus 1:7

Hebrew Bible

5 All the people who were directly descended from Jacob numbered 70. But Joseph was already in Egypt, 6 and in time Joseph and his brothers and all that generation died. 7 The Israelites, however, were fruitful, increased greatly, multiplied, and became extremely strong, so that the land was filled with them. 8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power over Egypt. 9 He said to his people, “Look at the Israelite people, more numerous and stronger than we are!

 Notes and References

"... Exodus 1:7 states a key theme for the book: “the Israelites were fruitful and prolific; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.” The parallels between 1:7 (and 1:9, 10, 12, 20) and Genesis 1:28 indicate that the growth of the people of God in Egypt is a key fulfillment of a divine creational purpose, not simply a divine historical promise (Genesis 17:2-6; 48:4).38 This text specifies a microcosmic fulfillment of God’s macrocosmic design for a creation filled with life. Israel is here seen as God’s starting point for realizing the divine intention for all creation. Moreover, the growth passages in Exodus 1 are a witness to God’s ongoing work of creation and blessing, that flowing, rhythmic, nondramatic divine activity. The reticence to speak of God at this point (God is not mentioned until 1:17) is testimony to a behind-the-scenes kind of divine activity in which God works in and through creatures to accomplish the divine purposes. The Egyptians, who have experienced (if not yet known) God’s work as creator, are included among these creatures, for it is in their land and through their hospitality that this growth occurs (recognized also in Deuteronomy 26:5; Psalm 105:24; Acts 7:17-22) ..."

Fretheim, Terence E. God and World in the Old Testament: A Relational Theology of Creation (p. 160) Abingdon Press, 2005

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