Re: After their kind

Bill Hamilton (hamilton@predator.cs.gmr.com)
Tue, 16 Jul 1996 13:50:32 -0400

Terry M. Gray wrote:

>It's not clear to me from the Genesis text that the language used there has
>any thing to do with reproduction or fixity of species (or genus or
>family), but rather it has to do with the diversity of each major grouping,
>i.e. God created all the different kinds of each major grouping described.

(I jumpewd into this thread late and didn't peruse the archives first.
Please forgive any redundancy)

I have similar concerns. Gen 1:11 says, Then God said, "Let the earth
sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit
after their kind, with seed in them, on the earth"; and it was so. (NASB).

Since seed is mentioned, there is some justification for claiming that
reproduction (after their kind) is implied. But "after their kind" could
also mean "according to the specification I have in mind". IOW, that the
plants (and later animals and man) being created each reflect a specific
set of characteristics that God wants to include in creation. He
determined that there should be such a thing as a peach tree, which would
have certain characteristics, and he mde the peach tree according to the
plan (according to its kind).

Denis or anyone else with some Hebrew background: does the Hebrew give us
any clues regarding whether reproduction is implied by the phrase "after
their kind"?

Bill Hamilton | Chassis & Vehicle Systems
GM R&D Center | Warren, MI 48090-9055
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