# Is “Be fruitful and multiply” in the Bible?

> Yes. “Be fruitful and multiply” is in the Bible, at Genesis 1:28.

Source: https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/be-fruitful-and-multiply
By Andrew Kittridge · November 9, 2026

God says it to the first man and woman.

## The verse

> God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it, and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every living thing that crawls on the earth.”
>
> — [Genesis 1:28](https://www.lumin.faith/read/genesis/1#28) (Lumin Translation)

These exact words are in 7 verses of the Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible.

## What it means there

The verse calls it a blessing. God says the same to the sea creatures and birds (Genesis 1:22) and to Noah and his sons after the flood (Genesis 9:1).

## Also in the Bible

> God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let the birds become numerous on the earth.”
>
> — [Genesis 1:22](https://www.lumin.faith/read/genesis/1#22) (Lumin Translation)

> God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.
>
> — [Genesis 9:1](https://www.lumin.faith/read/genesis/9#1) (Lumin Translation)

## Common questions

### Is “Be fruitful and multiply” in the Bible?

Yes. “Be fruitful and multiply” is in the Bible, at Genesis 1:28. These exact words are in 7 verses of the Lumin Translation, a modern English Bible. God says it to the first man and woman.

### Where in the Bible is “Be fruitful and multiply”?

In Genesis 1:28, and also Genesis 1:22 and Genesis 9:1. In the Lumin Translation, Genesis 1:28 reads: “God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and subdue it, and rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every living thing that crawls on the earth.””

### Who said “Be fruitful and multiply”?

God says it to the first man and woman.

### What does “Be fruitful and multiply” mean in the Bible?

The verse calls it a blessing. God says the same to the sea creatures and birds (Genesis 1:22) and to Noah and his sons after the flood (Genesis 9:1).

## More

- [Is “A drop in the bucket” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/a-drop-in-the-bucket.md)
- [Is “Fallen from grace” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/fallen-from-grace.md)
- [Is “Give us this day our daily bread” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/give-us-this-day-our-daily-bread.md)
- [Is “In the twinkling of an eye” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/in-the-twinkling-of-an-eye.md)
- [Is “The last shall be first” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/the-last-shall-be-first.md)
- [Is “Love covers a multitude of sins” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/love-covers-a-multitude-of-sins.md)
- [Is “The meek shall inherit the earth” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/the-meek-shall-inherit-the-earth.md)
- [Is “Physician, heal thyself” in the Bible?](https://www.lumin.faith/is-it-in-the-bible/physician-heal-thyself.md)
- [Check any word or a whole song](https://www.lumin.faith/bible-verse-checker)