I’ll never forget the Sunday morning when little Emma, one of our youngest members at CityLight Church, asked me why God made fish before people. Her question came after our children’s ministry lesson on creation, and honestly, it stopped me in my tracks.
We often rush through Genesis 1:20 on our way to humanity’s creation, but this verse holds profound truths about God’s intentional design and provision. The waters teeming with life weren’t an afterthought or random occurrence.
They reveal a Creator who delights in abundance, diversity, and preparing a world that would sustain every living thing that came after. This verse invites us into God’s creative heart and shows us something beautiful about His character.
Verses On Genesis 1:20
Theme: God Commands the Waters to Produce Abundant Life, Demonstrating His Creative Power and Deliberate Preparation for a World Designed to Sustain All Living Creatures
“And God said, ‘Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.’”
— Genesis 1:20, New International Version (NIV)
“And God said, ‘Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.’”
— Genesis 1:20, English Standard Version (ESV)
“So God said, ‘Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.’”
— Genesis 1:20, New King James Version (NKJV)
“Then God said, ‘Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.’”
— Genesis 1:20, New Living Translation (NLT)
“Then God said, ‘Let the water swarm with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.’”
— Genesis 1:20, Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
Meaning of Genesis 1:20 Bible Verse
This marks the fifth day of creation, where God fills the waters and skies with life. What strikes me about this moment is the word “teem.” It’s not just about creating a few fish or birds. God commands overwhelming abundance.
The Hebrew word used here suggests swarming, multiplying, filling every available space with vitality.
At CityLight Church, we recently did a series on creation care, and Genesis 1:20 became our anchor. One of our marine biologists, Sarah, shared how the ocean contains an estimated 2.2 million species, many we haven’t even discovered yet.
That’s the kind of abundance God spoke into existence. It wasn’t minimalist. It was extravagant.
The timing matters too. God created these creatures on day five, after establishing the waters and gathering them into seas on day three.
He prepared the environment first. The fish didn’t arrive and then wonder where they’d live. Their home was ready, designed specifically to sustain them. This shows us God’s methodical, caring approach to creation.
What really gets me is that God spoke these creatures into being through His word. “Let the waters teem” wasn’t a suggestion or a hope. It was a command that nature obeyed instantly. The creative power in God’s voice transformed empty waters into thriving ecosystems teeming with diversity.
The inclusion of birds in this verse creates an interesting connection. Both fish and birds navigate three-dimensional space, one in water and one in air.
They represent freedom of movement in realms humans can’t naturally inhabit without help. God was creating mystery and wonder alongside functionality.
This verse also reveals God’s delight in variety. He didn’t create one type of fish or one species of bird. The text implies countless kinds, each unique, each serving different purposes in the ecosystem He was building. Diversity wasn’t a compromise; it was the intention.
I’ve counseled couples at CityLight struggling with infertility, and we’ve spent time in Genesis 1:20 together. The command to “teem” and multiply reflects God’s original design for life to reproduce and flourish.
While we live in a fallen world where that doesn’t always happen as we hope, this verse reminds us that fruitfulness and multiplication are close to God’s heart.
Explaining the Context of Genesis 1:20
Genesis 1:20 sits right in the middle of the creation week, representing a shift from forming the environment to filling it with life. Days one through three involved separation and formation: light from darkness, waters from sky, land from sea. Now God transitions to population.
The historical context places this verse in what scholars call the “primeval history” of Genesis, chapters 1 through 11. These chapters aren’t just ancient Near Eastern cosmology.
They’re theological statements about who God is and what He values. Moses likely composed Genesis during the wilderness wandering, reminding Israel that their God was the Creator of everything.
The literary structure of Genesis 1 follows a beautiful pattern. Days one and four both deal with light. Days two and five both involve the waters and sky. Days three and six both focus on land. Genesis 1:20 parallels day two when God separated the waters, now He fills those same waters with life.
Ancient audiences hearing this would have understood it as revolutionary. Surrounding cultures believed sea creatures were chaotic forces or even deities.
Egypt worshiped crocodiles. Mesopotamian myths featured sea monsters as threats to divine order. But Genesis 1:20 declares these creatures are simply God’s creations, under His authority, serving His purposes.
The immediate context shows God working systematically. He doesn’t rush.
Each day builds on previous days. By day five, the stage is set: light exists, atmosphere is established, land has emerged, vegetation provides food. Now He introduces the first animate creatures, beings with nephesh, the breath of life.
This verse assumes that God’s spoken word carries creative power. Throughout Genesis 1, we see the formula: “And God said… and it was so.”
Language isn’t just communication for God; it’s the means of creation itself. This becomes crucial for understanding John 1:1 later, where Jesus is identified as the Word.
The placement before humanity’s creation on day six demonstrates that God prepared a functioning world before bringing humans onto the scene. We weren’t left to figure out survival on our own.
The oceans were already full of fish, the skies already hosted birds. Provision preceded our presence.
Explaining the 3 Key Parts of Genesis 1:20
1. “And God said”
This phrase appears throughout Genesis 1, establishing that creation happens through divine speech. God doesn’t manipulate pre-existing matter through physical effort. He speaks, and reality responds. The power in His words is absolute. At CityLight, we teach that this same creative power is available through prayer when aligned with God’s will.
2. “Let the water teem with living creatures”
The Hebrew word for “teem” (sharats) means to swarm or multiply abundantly. It suggests overwhelming numbers, not scarcity. God wasn’t creating endangered species from the start. He commanded an explosive life.
This abundance reflects His generous nature and shows us that He isn’t stingy with blessings. The specificity about “living creatures” distinguishes these beings from vegetation created on day three.
These possess nephesh, the animating force that makes them fundamentally different from plants.
3. “and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky”
The inclusion of birds alongside sea creatures creates a poetic balance. Both inhabit the spaces between earth and the heavens, occupying realms humans can’t naturally access. The phrase “vault of the sky” (or “expanse” in some translations) refers back to day two’s separation of waters. These birds would fly in that space God created between the waters below and waters above.
It demonstrates God’s attention to detail, ensuring every realm He formed would be inhabited and purposeful.
5 Lessons to Learn from Genesis 1:20
1. God Delights in Abundance, Not Scarcity
The command for waters to “teem” reveals God’s generous heart. He could have created just enough fish to sustain the ecosystem, but instead, He commanded overwhelming abundance. This challenges our scarcity mindset. God isn’t rationing blessings.
At CityLight, we’ve learned this principle through our food pantry ministry. When we trust God’s abundance, we consistently have enough to share.
2. God Prepares Before He Introduces
Notice that fish received a habitat before they were created. The waters were established on day three; the fish came on day five. God doesn’t bring us into situations without preparation. This comforts me when counseling young adults anxious about their futures. God’s pattern is preparation first, then participation.
3. Diversity Reflects Divine Creativity
God didn’t create one type of fish. He commanded varieties beyond counting. Each species reflects a different aspect of His creativity. This teaches us that unity doesn’t require uniformity. At CityLight, our congregation includes people from seventeen different countries. That diversity isn’t a problem to solve; it’s a reflection of God’s creative heart.
4. God’s Word Carries Creative Power
When God speaks, creation responds. His word doesn’t return void. This isn’t just ancient history; it’s ongoing reality. The same God who spoke fish into existence speaks purpose into our lives. I’ve watched this truth transform people at CityLight who finally believe God’s word about them carries more weight than their past failures.
5. Creation Was Designed to Flourish
The command to teem implies multiplication and growth. God built reproduction into creation’s DNA. Life was meant to expand, not just survive. This principle applies to churches, families, and personal spiritual growth. Stagnation isn’t God’s design; flourishing is. When CityLight stopped focusing on maintenance and embraced multiplication, everything changed.
10 Related Genesis 1:20 Bible Verses
1. Psalm 104:24-25, ESV
“O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.”
This psalm celebrates the diversity Genesis 1:20 initiated. The psalmist marvels at God’s wisdom in creating such variety, echoing that original command for waters to teem with life.
2. Job 12:7-9, NIV
“But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?”
Job reminds us that creation itself testifies to God’s handiwork. The very creatures God spoke into existence on day five point us back to their Creator.
3. Psalm 148:7-10, NLT
“Praise the Lord from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths, fire and hail, snow and clouds, wind and weather that obey him, mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, wild animals and all livestock, small scurrying animals and birds.”
This passage calls all creation, including the sea creatures and birds from Genesis 1:20, to praise God. They fulfill their purpose simply by existing as God designed them.
4. Jonah 1:17, NKJV
“Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.”
God’s sovereignty over the creatures He created is evident here. The fish that swallowed Jonah obeyed God’s purpose, demonstrating that creation remains under divine authority.
5. Matthew 6:26, CSB
“Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they?”
Jesus uses the birds God created to teach about divine provision. If God feeds creatures without souls, how much more will He care for His image-bearers?
6. Matthew 10:29, NASB
“Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.”
This shows God’s intimate involvement with even the smallest creatures from day five of creation. Nothing escapes His notice or care.
7. Leviticus 11:9-10, ESV
“These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat. But anything in the seas or the rivers that does not have fins and scales, of the swarming creatures in the waters and of the living creatures that are in the waters, is detestable to you.”
God’s later dietary laws acknowledge the variety of creatures He created, establishing distinctions that would help Israel maintain holiness and health.
8. Nehemiah 9:6, NIV
“You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry hosts, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.”
This verse connects creation with worship, recognizing that everything God made, including sea creatures, owes its existence to Him alone.
9. Revelation 5:13, NLT
“And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.’”
The ultimate destiny of all creation, including creatures from Genesis 1:20, is to bring glory to God. Even sea creatures participate in cosmic worship.
10. Habakkuk 1:14, NKJV
“Why do You make men like fish of the sea, like creeping things that have no ruler over them?”
The prophet uses sea creatures as a metaphor, showing how familiar these creatures were to ancient audiences and how they understood the teeming abundance God commanded.
How This Verse Points to Christ
Genesis 1:20 reveals a God who speaks life into existence through His word, pointing us directly to Jesus, the Word made flesh. John 1:3 declares that “through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” The fish swimming in ancient seas came into being through Christ’s creative word.
When Jesus walked the earth, He demonstrated authority over the very creatures His word had created. He told Peter where to cast his nets for a miraculous catch. He multiplied fish to feed thousands. He provided a coin from a fish’s mouth to pay the temple tax. These weren’t random miracles; they were the Creator interacting with His creation.
The abundance commanded in Genesis 1:20 foreshadows the abundant life Jesus promises in John 10:10. God’s pattern has always been overflow, not scarcity. Just as He commanded waters to teem with life, Jesus offers life that teems with meaning, purpose, and spiritual vitality.
Christ transforms the principle of multiplication from Genesis 1:20 into spiritual reality. Just as fish reproduce and fill the seas, believers reproduce spiritually through discipleship, filling the earth with God’s kingdom. At CityLight, we’ve seen this principle work when we invest in people who then invest in others.
The temporary nature of physical life gives way to eternal life through Christ. Those first fish eventually died, but Jesus offers life that never ends. He’s the fulfillment of creation’s promise, the One who makes all things new, including us.
Closing Reflection
Genesis 1:20 isn’t just ancient history; it’s living theology that shapes how we see God today. The Creator who commanded waters to teem with life still speaks abundance into our circumstances. His word still carries creative power. His preparation still precedes our participation.
When I look at the ocean now, I see more than water. I see evidence of a God who delights in extravagant diversity, who values life in all its forms, who prepares environments before introducing inhabitants. These aren’t just nice ideas; they’re patterns we can trust in our own lives.
The fish and birds of Genesis 1:20 have been swimming and flying for thousands of years, fulfilling the purpose God spoke over them. They teach us that obedience to God’s word leads to flourishing. They remind us that we’re part of something bigger than ourselves, a creation that declares God’s glory simply by existing as He designed.
At CityLight Church, Genesis 1:20 has become more than a verse we read during creation studies. It’s become a lens through which we see God’s character. When Sarah talks about undiscovered ocean species, we worship the God of abundance. When Emma asks questions about why God made fish first, we see His methodical care. When we struggle with scarcity mindsets, we return to waters that teem with life.
This verse invites us to trust the God who speaks worlds into existence, who prepares before He introduces, who commands abundance instead of scarcity. That same God knows your name and has prepared good works for you to walk in. Just as the waters teemed with life at His command, your life can overflow with the purposes He’s spoken over you.
Say This Prayer
Heavenly Father,
You spoke, and waters that were empty suddenly teemed with life. Your word carries power we can barely comprehend. Help us trust that same creative voice speaking into our circumstances today. When we face empty spaces in our lives, remind us that You specialize in filling voids with abundant purpose.
Thank You for preparing environments before bringing us into new seasons. Just as You established the seas before creating fish, You’ve gone before us to prepare the way. Give us patience to wait for Your perfect timing instead of rushing ahead into situations You haven’t prepared yet.
Open our eyes to see the extravagant diversity around us as evidence of Your creative heart. Help us celebrate differences instead of fearing them, knowing that variety reflects Your infinite imagination. May CityLight Church mirror the teeming abundance You commanded in Genesis 1:20, becoming a place where life multiplies and people flourish.
We confess our scarcity mindsets that question whether You have enough provision, enough grace, enough purpose for us. Replace those lies with truth from Your word. You commanded the waters to teem, not to barely survive. You designed creation to flourish, not just maintain.
Thank You for Jesus, the Word through whom everything was made, including us. Transform us into people who believe Your word about us more than our doubts about ourselves. Let our lives teem with the fruit of Your Spirit, overflowing to bless others the way You always intended.
Through Christ, who makes all things new, Amen.
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