And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
Every animal on earth will be afraid of you and filled with dread - every beast on land, every bird in the sky, every creature that moves on the ground, and every fish in the sea. I am putting all of them under your control.
God is telling humanity that all animals will now naturally fear people and that humans have been given authority over the animal kingdom.
📚 Historical Context
This verse comes right after Noah and his family left the ark following the great flood. God is establishing a new relationship between humans and animals in the post-flood world. Before the flood, the relationship between humans and animals may have been more harmonious, but now God institutes a fear-based dynamic as part of the new order.
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