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if humanity is given dominion, what does that imply about our responsibility towards the earth?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Genesis 1:26-28

“26 God said, “Let’s make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.””

This passage is from the opening chapter of the Bible, Genesis, which presents an ancient Israelite understanding of creation. It describes God's creation of humanity on the sixth day, uniquely made in God's 'image' and given a specific role within the created world.

How does understanding 'dominion' as stewardship rather than exploitation shape our approach to global ecological challenges?

Then — the setting

This passage was written in ancient Israel, likely during or after the Babylonian exile (6th-5th centuries BCE), reflecting a priestly perspective on creation. For this ancient agricultural society, 'dominion' and 'subdue' would have carried connotations of bringing order, cultivating, and managing a wild and often challenging environment for human flourishing, rather than unbridled exploitation. It established humanity's unique role and responsibility within a divinely ordered cosmos, placing them as God's representatives on Earth.

Across the Testaments

In the Old Testament, 'dominion' is often framed within a covenantal relationship with God, where human prosperity is linked to obedience and care for the land. Prophets often speak of the land suffering due to human injustice. The New Testament, while not explicitly re-explaining Genesis 1, deepens the understanding of human responsibility through Jesus's teachings on love, service, and stewardship. Jesus's identification with the marginalized and his holistic vision of God's kingdom suggest that proper 'dominion' is exercised not through domination, but through selfless care, extending even to the non-human creation as part of God's good world. The cosmic scope of salvation in passages like Colossians 1 suggests a redemption that encompasses all creation, implying that humanity's original role as caretakers is ultimately fulfilled in Christ.

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Psalm 8:4-8
This psalm echoes Genesis 1, marveling at humanity's elevated status and dominion within creation, yet also humbling us before God.
Genesis 2:15
This verse from the second creation account describes humanity's role in the Garden of Eden as 'to work it and to keep it,' suggesting care and maintenance.
Romans 8:19-22
Paul speaks of creation groaning and waiting for humanity's redemption, linking our spiritual state to the well-being of the natural world.

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