Genesis 1:28

[William]

“And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.” KJV

The above sounds like a stage in an ongoing project.

replenish = fill (in this case - the earth) up again. To restore (a stock or supply) to a former level or condition.

[This implies that humans once used to be plentiful and something happened which diminished the Human stock.]
___________
Re Genesis 1:28

QFB: After this is accomplished, what then?

[Miles]

[Replying to Miles in post #9]

Not sure what "instruction" you're referring to

Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: etc...

I don't see it going out with a doomsday bang, but a grasping, hungry whimper; fighting each other for a last mouthful of grass.

So, not even any hope in scientific discoveries diverting doom?

Nope. As I see it the problem is beyond the purview of science, and pretty much locked in with the greed and selfishness of human nature.

.

[JehovahsWitness]

FILL OR RE-FILL?


The Hebrew word male does not carry the meaning of again/repeat.



The king James translation uses replenish in it's archaic sense which historically did not in 1611 mean re-fill but fill completely.


https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/replenish#h1


RELAX, REFRESH, RELEASE

The prefix re- meaning again, does stems from old latin but by the time the bible was translated into English it did not exculsively mean again. This has carried through to modern words such as relax, refresh or release all of which have the "prefix" but none of which carry the sense of repetition.



Further reading: What Does ‘Replenish the Earth’ Mean?
https://answersingenesis.org/bible-ques ... arth-mean/





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[JehovahsWitness]

Re Genesis 1:28

QFB: After this is accomplished, what then?

I don't know. In any case the bible doesnt say.

[theophile]

Another example of Greek/Roman [Christian] mistranslation of Hebrew language.

It's more a misunderstanding based on archaic English that was correct at the time. The Latin of Jerome's Vulgate reads et replete terram, "and fill the Earth."

So - any thoughts on the OPQ?

As I read it, the verse is God's commandment to humanity to fill the brand new and empty Earth with people.

In addition to my curmudgeonly naysaying, what I do read out of that verse is that Genesis 1:27-30 isn't referring to the creation of a man and a woman, but men and women. God created a whole humanity in the first creation account, not just one of each.

Sectors of Judaism have it that the garden story is metaphor and understand things along the same lines as you have expressed.

Re filling the earth and subduing it;

QFB: After this is accomplished, what then?

Then we move on to the heavens, and the great deep beyond. And fill them with life as well.

[William]

[Replying to theophile in post #14]

Then we move on to the heavens, and the great deep beyond. And fill them with life as well.

So why didn't the bible say that? Why did it stop at just the Earth?

[theophile]

[Replying to theophile in post #14]

Then we move on to the heavens, and the great deep beyond. And fill them with life as well.

So why didn't the bible say that? Why did it stop at just the Earth?

Because filling and subduing the earth is historic enough of a task and the writers probably couldn't imagine us venturing out into the heavens (we are, after all, 'adam', or children of the earth). But the logical extension to the heavens and great deep beyond is clear enough I think. And what is also clear is that God's scope, versus adam's, is the entire universe. So why would we stop if we could continue being of service?

[William]

[Replying to theophile in post #16]

Because filling and subduing the earth is historic enough of a task and the writers probably couldn't imagine us venturing out into the heavens (we are, after all, 'adam', or children of the earth). But the logical extension to the heavens and great deep beyond is clear enough I think. And what is also clear is that YHWH's scope, versus adam's, is the entire universe. So why would we stop if we could continue being of service?

Of what service to YHWH are we in relation to the Universe?

Our bodies are hardly designed for such Galactic exploits, but what is there to do re the Universe except to mine it for raw product and shape that product into devices which will essentially help with that?

For example;
Are we expected to transform [subdue] the Galaxy we are located within, into some vast AI machine?

[theophile]

[Replying to theophile in post #16]

Because filling and subduing the earth is historic enough of a task and the writers probably couldn't imagine us venturing out into the heavens (we are, after all, 'adam', or children of the earth). But the logical extension to the heavens and great deep beyond is clear enough I think. And what is also clear is that YHWH's scope, versus adam's, is the entire universe. So why would we stop if we could continue being of service?

Of what service to YHWH are we in relation to the Universe?

Our bodies are hardly designed for such Galactic exploits, but what is there to do re the Universe except to mine it for raw product and shape that product into devices which will essentially help with that?

For example;
Are we expected to transform [subdue] the Galaxy we are located within, into some vast AI machine?

We are to help make the universe a place full of life, just as we are the earth. We are to transform the barren emptiness of space into a place where all kinds of life can flourish and be. And sure, including artificial.

A perpetual Sabbath or day of rest if you will.

(I don't know why you are bringing such a capitalistic / exploitative view to all this. That's not what it means to fill the earth and subdue it I don't think. As if the image of God in Genesis 1 is a self-serving human being...)

[theophile]

Of what service to YHWH are we in relation to the Universe?

To answer your question in a roundabout way, I would want to change the question...

The more appropriate question to me is not what service we are to Yahweh but rather what relation. Along this line, I view Yahweh as a physical being in the spirit of God, no different from Christ. The only difference is that Christ is more precisely a human being who achieves this union, versus it is unclear what type of being Yahweh is to begin with, except being very physical in form.

Which means, conceptually they are the same, Yahweh and Christ (they are physical beings in the spirit of God); and physical beings (such as human beings), are the ground and condition of their possibility... The point being, we are all potential Yahwehs / Christs, and there is no Yahweh / Christ without us. Or no work done in heaven or on earth.

[William]

theophile: So why would we stop if we could continue being of service?

William: Of what service to YHWH are we in relation to the Universe?

[Replying to theophile in post #19]

The more appropriate question to me is not what service we are to Yahweh but rather what relation. Along this line, I view Yahweh as a physical being in the spirit of God, no different from Christ. The only difference is that Christ is more precisely a human being who achieves this union, versus it is unclear what type of being Yahweh is to begin with, except being very physical in form.

Which means, conceptually they are the same, Yahweh and Christ (they are physical beings in the spirit of God); and physical beings (such as human beings), are the ground and condition of their possibility... The point being, we are all potential Yahwehs / Christs, and there is no Yahweh / Christ without us. Or no work done in heaven or on earth.

Caution is advised in that regard as we could be consigning ourselves [and thus YVHV as us] to an epoch of an eternity of imprisonment within the confines of timespace, making use of our machinery to do so...trapping ourselves with the main simulation and any other simulations we create within the main...how is that going to be a good thing for the YVHV-US?

Why would YVHV create a trap for YVHV?

William: Our bodies are hardly designed for such Galactic exploits, but what is there to do re the Universe except to mine it for raw product and shape that product into devices which will essentially help with that?

I don't know why you are bringing such a capitalistic / exploitative view to all this.

Even dropping the motivation capitalism brings, we would still do those things - we would have to, as how else are we going to get out there and transform something otherwise useless into something useful?