--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first command given by God when Adam…" description: "\"The first command given by God when Adam and Eve were pitched out of the Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis is, \"Be fruitful and multiply, and subdu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33f/john-shelby-spong-1488_adam_the-first-command-given-by-god-when-adam_611785.jpg" --- # The first command given by God when Adam and Eve were… ![“The first command given by God when Adam and Eve were pitched out of the Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis is, "Be fruitful and multiply, and subdue the Earth." We've been trying to do that for a long time, and now the Earth is fighting back. I'm not sure that we're going to survive as a…” quote by John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33f/john-shelby-spong-1488_adam_the-first-command-given-by-god-when-adam_611785.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33f/john-shelby-spong-1488_adam_the-first-command-given-by-god-when-adam_611785.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33f/john-shelby-spong-1488_adam_the-first-command-given-by-god-when-adam_611785.jpg) > “The first command given by God when Adam and Eve were pitched out of the Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis is, "Be fruitful and multiply, and subdue the Earth." We've been trying to do that for a long time, and now the Earth is fighting back. I'm not sure that we're going to survive as a species.” [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The directive to expand and dominate nature has led humanity to overexploit the planet, causing ecological backlash and existential risk. **In simple terms:** Humanity’s drive to dominate nature harms Earth. Key Takeaway Rebalance growth with stewardship. Themes environment ethics survival technology humanity Mood concerned urgent reflective Type ethical warning philosophical When to use this quote - climate policy - urban planning - resource management - education - activism Key Concepts sustainability ecology anthropocentrism responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How can we redefine progress without exploitation? - What responsibilities do we have to future generations? A Different Perspective The quote overlooks cultural and religious variations in interpreting stewardship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adam/) [Adam and eve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adam-and-eve/) [Adam Eve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adam-eve-361408/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Book Genesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-genesis-671921/) [Book of genesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book-of-genesis/) [Command](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/command/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Eden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eden/) [Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting/) [Fighting back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting-back/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garden/) [Garden of eden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garden-of-eden/) [Genesis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genesis/) [Genesis Fruitful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genesis-fruitful-4966793/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Not sure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-sure/) [Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species/) [Subdue Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subdue-earth-1117780/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) ## Related quotes > [“There is an important insight contained in the book of Genesis, concerning the loss of eros when the body takes over. Adam and Eve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/there-is-an-important-insight-contained-in-the-book-of-genesis/) [Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/) > [It is important to insist on the historical truthfulness of the narrative of the fall of Adam and Eve. Just as the account of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-grudem/it-is-important-to-insist-on-the-historical-truthfulness-of-the/) [Wayne Grudem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-grudem/) > [The book of Genesis tells us that God created man and woman entrusting them with the task of filling the earth and subduing it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/the-book-of-genesis-tells-us-that-god-created-man-and-woman/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“What kind of cultures, societies and political structures would have emerged in a world where several different human species coexisted? How, for example, would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/what-kind-of-cultures-societies-and-political-structures-would-have/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [“Begin in Genesis with the well-loved story of Noah, derived from the Babylonian myth of Uta-Napisthim and known from the older mythologies of several…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/begin-in-genesis-with-the-well-loved-story-of-noah-derived-from-the/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [There's far more truth in the Book of Genesis than in the quantum theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/there-s-far-more-truth-in-the-book-of-genesis-than-in-the-quantum/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [“At Ge 1:1 God used a matrix of sevens: (1) Seven words. (2) 28 letters (28 ÷ 4 = 7). (3) First three words…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ben-zehabe/at-ge-1-1-god-used-a-matrix-of-sevens-1-seven-words-2-28-letters-28-4/) [Michael Ben Zehabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ben-zehabe/) > [“More recently, Britt Beemer, of America’s Research Group, found that: One in six said their pastor said something to make them believe that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-ham/more-recently-britt-beemer-of-america-s-research-group-found-that-one/) [Ken Ham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-ham/) > [“No book in the world today comes to us in the particular way that the Bible comes to us, exactly where we are, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/no-book-in-the-world-today-comes-to-us-in-the-particular-way-that-the/) [D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-martyn-lloyd-jones/) > [Creation stories, so central in the religions of the Middle East, play a surprisingly marginal part in Greek myth. The Greeks had nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-macgregor/creation-stories-so-central-in-the-religions-of-the-middle-east-play/) [Neil MacGregor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-macgregor/) > [For the pre-Darwinian age had come to be regarded as a Dark Age in which men still believed that the book of Genesis was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/for-the-pre-darwinian-age-had-come-to-be-regarded-as-a-dark-age-in/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [The women are, of course, the biggest single group of oppressed people in the world and, if we are to believe the Book of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/the-women-are-of-course-the-biggest-single-group-of-oppressed-people/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [To the artist, the Book of Genesis is an account of six days in which God suggested some really good ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/to-the-artist-the-book-of-genesis-is-an-account-of-six-days-in-which/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [When the first list was being drawn up in the rock and roll book of Genesis, it would have been: In the beginning, God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-wakeman/when-the-first-list-was-being-drawn-up-in-the-rock-and-roll-book-of/) [Rick Wakeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-wakeman/) > [A Creator must exist. The Big Bang ripples and subsequent scientific findings are clearly pointing to an ex nihilo creation consistent with the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-f-schaefer-iii/a-creator-must-exist-the-big-bang-ripples-and-subsequent-scientific/) [Henry F. Schaefer, III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-f-schaefer-iii/) ## More by John Shelby Spong > [The way that I see Christianity is that its role is to enhance the life of every person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-way-that-i-see-christianity-is-that-its-role-is-to-enhance-the/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Sins of Scripture is an interesting title; most people don't put sins and scripture together in the same title. It jars people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-sins-of-scripture-is-an-interesting-title-most-people-don-t-put/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [“When a human life is open to all that humanity can be, humanity and divinity flow together as one. It was and is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/when-a-human-life-is-open-to-all-that-humanity-can-be-humanity-and/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [I don't see Jesus as rescuing the fallen; I see Jesus as expanding the potential of life. The primary reason the old idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-don-t-see-jesus-as-rescuing-the-fallen-i-see-jesus-as-expanding-the/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Bible interprets life from its particular perspective; it does not record in a factual way the human journey through history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-bible-interprets-life-from-its-particular-perspective-it-does-not/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [My basis of morality is this: does this action enhance life, or does it denigrate life? Does it build up or does it tear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/my-basis-of-morality-is-this-does-this-action-enhance-life-or-does-it/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [I want the traditional family upheld, but I don't want it upheld to the detriment of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-want-the-traditional-family-upheld-but-i-don-t-want-it-upheld-to/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [We live in a very pluralistic society today. There are Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, atheists, Roman Catholics, Evangelical Christians, and Christians like me. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/we-live-in-a-very-pluralistic-society-today-there-are-buddhists/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Bible was written between 3,000 and 2,000 years ago, and it's filled with the knowledge that people had in that period of time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-bible-was-written-between-3-000-and-2-000-years-ago-and-it-s/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [We are in a survival mentality, and that's hard-wired into our humanity, because we are the winners of an evolutionary struggle of millions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/we-are-in-a-survival-mentality-and-that-s-hard-wired-into-our/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [Some people think prayer stops bullets or rockets or land mines. It doesn't. That's magic, that's not God. Sometimes, you're just in the wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/some-people-think-prayer-stops-bullets-or-rockets-or-land-mines-it/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [The Hebrew scriptures say it's okay to enslave anybody except your fellow Jews. It says you should enslave only your neighbors. I say to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-hebrew-scriptures-say-it-s-okay-to-enslave-anybody-except-your/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [ I know Jerry \[Falwell\] fairly well, and he's probably not bright enough to recognize all of the implications of what he said. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-know-jerry-falwell-fairly-well-and-he-s-probably-not-bright-enough/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [Benedict XVI kept saying that homosexuals are deviant. They're not deviant. They're deviant only if you say that anyone who is different from me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/benedict-xvi-kept-saying-that-homosexuals-are-deviant-they-re-not/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) > [ I find it fascinating that Paul \[the apostol\], writing to the Galatians, responds to the question, "What does it mean to live in Christ?"… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/i-find-it-fascinating-that-paul-the-apostol-writing-to-the-galatians/) [John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) [Explore all 236 John Shelby Spong quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/) ## More Adam quotes > [Women rule the world. It's not really worth fighting because they know what they're doing. Ask Napoleon. Ask Adam. Ask Richard Burton or Richie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-bon-jovi/women-rule-the-world-it-s-not-really-worth-fighting-because-they-know/) [Jon Bon Jovi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-bon-jovi/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) [Daniel K Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-k-judd/) > [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Adam Clayton Powell's entire political career has to be looked at in the entire context of the American history and the history of, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/adam-clayton-powell-s-entire-political-career-has-to-be-looked-at-in/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [“Adam could imagine what he looked like: a debauched nerd.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-cullinan/adam-could-imagine-what-he-looked-like-a-debauched-nerd/) [Heidi Cullinan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heidi-cullinan/) > [Adam Berenson knows how to compose, organize an ensemble, do musical research, play solo and trio piano, write for musical journals, and enlist others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bley/adam-berenson-knows-how-to-compose-organize-an-ensemble-do-musical/) [Paul Bley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bley/) > [“Finally, someone had seen him. And what had he done? Let her get away. Undermined by his disgusting human anatomy. It had just been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/finally-someone-had-seen-him-and-what-had-he-done-let-her-get-away/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [“I’d think there are degrees of greatness,” Adam said. “I don’t think so,” said Samuel. “That would be like saying there is a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-d-think-there-are-degrees-of-greatness-adam-said-i-don-t-think-so/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [An ineffably holy God, who has the utmost abhorrence of sin, was never invented by any of Adam's descendents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-w-pink/an-ineffably-holy-god-who-has-the-utmost-abhorrence-of-sin-was-never/) [Arthur W. Pink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-w-pink/) > [“think Adam is looking to break Kenji’s neck at this point.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/think-adam-is-looking-to-break-kenji-s-neck-at-this-point/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“Adam's lips are set in a grime line. I can't tell if he's about to cry or about to punch the guard. For his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/adam-s-lips-are-set-in-a-grime-line-i-can-t-tell-if-he-s-about-to-cry/) [Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/) > [And as regards Adam and Eve we must maintain that before the fall they were virgins in Paradise: but after they sinned, and were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/and-as-regards-adam-and-eve-we-must-maintain-that-before-the-fall/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [Adam became so proud that he wished to become God and died for his pride; the Son of God humbled Himself unto death, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-of-kronstadt/adam-became-so-proud-that-he-wished-to-become-god-and-died-for-his/) [John of Kronstadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-of-kronstadt/) > [Oh, Adam was a gardener, and God who made him sees That half a proper gardener's work is done upon his knees, So when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/oh-adam-was-a-gardener-and-god-who-made-him-sees-that-half-a-proper/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [“Barışı elde etmek için çabalayan her adam olağanüstü bir adamdır!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/bar-elde-etmek-i-in-abalayan-her-adam-ola-an-st-bir-adamd-r/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) [Browse all 1,360 Adam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adam/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The first command given by God when Adam and Eve were pitched out of the Garden of Eden in the Book of Genesis is, \"Be fruitful and multiply, and subdue the Earth.\" We've been trying to do that for a long time, and now the Earth is fighting back. 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