And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

GENESIS 1:29KJV
Know the Bible

Genesis 1:29 (KJV)

What does Genesis 1:29 mean?

Genesis 1:29 describes God telling humans that He has provided every seed-bearing plant and every fruit tree with seeds as food for them. This verse shows that, at creation, people were given all kinds of plants and fruits to eat.

In this scene, God (the Creator) is speaking directly to the first humans after making them. The verse emphasizes that everything growing on the earth with seeds—both herbs and fruit trees—was meant to be their food. This sets up the original diet for humanity and highlights God’s provision and care for human needs.

The Hebrew behind Genesis 1:29

  • "Herb" (עֵשֶׂב, ʿēśeb) refers to any kind of green plant, not just culinary herbs, but all vegetation that grows from the ground and produces seeds. This makes clear that a wide variety of plants were included, not just a few specific types.
  • "Seed" (זֶרַע, zeraʿ) and "bearing" (זָרַע, zāraʿ) both focus on the idea of plants that reproduce through seeds. The repetition stresses that these are living, self-renewing sources of food, not just one-time gifts.
  • "Meat" (אָכְלָה, okhlah) in the Hebrew does not mean animal flesh, but simply "food" or "something to eat." This clarifies that the original diet described here is entirely plant-based.

Why Genesis 1:29 matters

  • Genesis 1:29 clears up the common misunderstanding that "meat" in this verse means animal flesh; in the original language, it simply means "food."
  • The verse highlights God’s intention that humans were to rely on the earth’s natural produce for sustenance, showing a relationship of provision and trust.
  • This statement connects to the broader creation narrative, where everything God made is described as "good," and humans are given a role that is in harmony with the rest of creation.

Where else these words appear

“Behold” Hebrew H2009 · used in 16 verses

  • Genesis 6:17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
  • Genesis 50:5 My father made me swear, saying, Lo, I die: in my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me. Now therefore let me go up, I pray thee, and bury my father, and I will come again.
  • 1 Chronicles 11:25 Behold, he was honourable among the thirty, but attained not to the first three: and David set him over his guard.

“meat” Hebrew H402 · used in 18 verses

  • Genesis 1:30 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.
  • Leviticus 25:6 And the sabbath of the land shall be meat for you; for thee, and for thy servant, and for thy maid, and for thy hired servant, and for thy stranger that sojourneth with thee,
  • Ezekiel 29:5 And I will leave thee thrown into the wilderness, thee and all the fish of thy rivers: thou shalt fall upon the open fields; thou shalt not be brought together, nor gathered: I have given thee for meat to the beasts of the field and to the fowls of the heaven.

“herb” Hebrew H6212 · used in 32 verses

  • Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
  • Deuteronomy 11:15 And I will send grass in thy fields for thy cattle, that thou mayest eat and be full.
  • Psalms 105:35 And did eat up all the herbs in their land, and devoured the fruit of their ground.

“bearing” Hebrew H2232 · used in 54 verses

  • Genesis 1:11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
  • Deuteronomy 21:4 And the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer unto a rough valley, which is neither eared nor sown, and shall strike off the heifer's neck there in the valley:
  • Isaiah 32:20 Blessed are ye that sow beside all waters, that send forth thither the feet of the ox and the ass.