Genesis 1:28 "replenish the earth" - a mistake?

[brandplucked]

Genesis 1:28 - Replenish or Fill?

In Genesis chapter one verse 28 there is a word that is frequently attacked in the King James Holy Bible. God told Adam and Eve: "Be fruitful, and multiply, and REPLENISH the earth, and subdue it."

Bible agnostics (i.e. they don't know which readings are right and they invariably do not believe that ANY Bible in ANY language is the complete, inspired and 100% true words of God) like to criticize the King James Bible for saying "replenish the earth", thinking that this expression implies that there was a previous race of men or even angels on the earth before Adam was created, in spite of the fact that Adam is called "the first man" in 1 Corinthians 15:45 and Jesus said: "Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife...?" (Matthew 19:4.) and "But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female" (Mark 10:6).

There were no races of men or angels living on the earth before Adam.


If one would just take the time to look in any dictionary like Webster's Seventh New Collegiate Dictionary they would learn that the first definition of the word "replenish" is "to fill with persons or animals, to stock". The second definition is "to fill again". Adam was simply being told to fill or stock the earth with people, not to fill it again. A little knowledge about our own English language will go a long way in clearing up many of these alleged "errors" in the Book of books.


Merrian Webster Online Dictionary
Main Entry: re

[JerryNumbers]

I recall coming up on that word replenish many years back. I could hardly wait until Sunday morning to talk with my pastor about this word. Which I did and he explained it much like the 1st part of your explanation. Never doubted that Adam was the 1st man created by God.

1Co 15:45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit

The evidence is in the Bible, that is for those who chose to believe and will not let the old devil blind them to God's plain truths.