And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Parallel translations
- WEB To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;” and it was so.
- KJV And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
- NKJV Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so.
- NASB and to every animal of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.
- NLT And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God gives green plants to the animals for food, and it is so. The Creator's provision extends to every living creature.
Overview
God appoints green vegetation as food for the beasts, birds, and creeping things, extending his care to all that has life. The closing 'it was so' confirms that God's gracious provision is fully accomplished. This universal sustaining of life reflects the truth that God opens his hand and satisfies the desire of every living thing (Psalm 145:16).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ps 104:14He makes the grass grow for the livestock and provides crops for man to cultivate, bringing forth food from the earth:
- Ps 145:15–16The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in season.
- Ps 147:9He provides food for the animals, and for the young ravens when they call.
- Job 40:15Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you. He feeds on grass like an ox.
- Job 40:20The hills yield him their produce, while all the beasts of the field play nearby.
- Job 38:39–41Can you hunt the prey for a lioness or satisfy the hunger of young lions
- Gen 9:3Everything that lives and moves will be food for you; just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you all things.
- Job 39:4Their young ones thrive and grow up in the open field; they leave and do not return.
- Job 39:8He roams the mountains for pasture, searching for any green thing.
- Job 39:30His young ones feast on blood; and where the slain are, there he is.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Lay
The single best free starting point for Genesis 1–11 — clear, visual, and faithful to the literary design.
Pastoral
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 1:30 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.