The Bible

 

Genesis 1:11

Study

       

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.

Commentary

 

Fill

  
The Milkmaid by Johannes Vermeer

Being "filled" means being endowed with a spiritual quality. When the material in question is good -- water, food, people who represent good things, etc. -- it means getting a desire for good and an understanding of truth from the Lord. When the material is bad -- dust, flies, emotions like despair or terror, etc. -- it means being overwhelmed and enslaved by the desire for evil and the false, twisted logic that supports it. There are a number of references in the Bible to "filling the hand," which has a specific meaning and is dealt with separately.

Commentary

 

Cattle

  
Cattle in a pasture.

Animals in the Bible generally refer to spiritual activity, the things we actually do on a spiritual level. "Cattle," as typically used in the Bible, mean a collection of domesticated animals owned by one person or group (including other animals along with cows). It makes sense, then, that cattle would represent the spiritual activities we "own" and have "domesticated."

What are the good things we like to see in ourselves and encourage? What true ideas do we keep in mind, ponder, and use in our decision-making? These can come in great varieties and from many different sources, just as a variety of animals could be part of "cattle," but the key is that we own them, care for them and use them.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 415, 3786, 4105, 4106, 4391, 4440)