thinking bible.

You asked

given environmental crises, how can humanity's charge to 'subdue' be reinterpreted ethically?

The passage, plainly, with room to sit with it.

Genesis 1:28

God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

This passage is from the first creation account in the book of Genesis, part of the foundational stories of the Hebrew Bible. It describes God creating humanity, blessing them, and giving them instructions for their role in the created world, immediately after their creation.

How might humanity's capacity for ingenuity and organization be channeled towards healing and sustaining the natural world, rather than simply dominating it?

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

  • Genesis 2:15

    This verse shows humans placed in the Garden of Eden 'to work it and to keep it,' suggesting care alongside cultivation.

  • Psalm 8:5-8

    This psalm echoes humanity's exalted position and dominion over creation, reflecting on God's gift.

  • Romans 8:19-22

    This New Testament passage speaks of creation groaning and longing for liberation, connecting humanity's fate to the earth's.

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