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 birds of the heavens, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
Man was made last of all, yet this was both honor and favor: honor, because creation advanced from less to more perfect; favor, because the palace had to be finished and furnished before its master arrived. He beheld the whole creation ready for his contemplation and use.
AI summary
Commenting on Genesis 1:26-28
This blessing is the very source from which all mankind flows. We are fruitful or barren as God imparts His power or withholds it; He could have filled the earth Himself, but willed that we should proceed from one fountain, that our desire for mutual concord might be greater. Mark well: God addresses this command to those joined in lawful marriage, not to brute promiscuity.
AI summary
The human race in every country and age descends from this first pair, all one species and family despite their varieties. What power in God's word: He spoke and all things stood fast. His wisdom appears not only in creation's regular progress but in its perfect adaptation to its end.
AI summary