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
After the Great Flood, God spoke to Noah and his sons to reestablish humanity's role in the world, as described in the early chapters of Genesis. This verse specifically declares that animals would fear and dread humans, granting people dominion over them as part of God's covenant, which included the new permission to eat meat. It echoes the original creation mandate in Genesis 1, but adapts it to the post-Flood reality where sin and judgment had reshaped the earth.
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