43. Verse 22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas; and let birds be multiplied upon the earth.

Everything that has life in it from the Lord is fruitful and multiplies without limit. This does not happen during a person's lifetime, but in the next life it does so to an astonishing extent. In the Word 'to be fruitful' has reference to matters of love, while 'to multiply' has reference to matters of faith. The fruit of love contains the seed by which it multiplies itself to so great an extent. The Lord' s blessing also means, in the Word, fruitfulness and multiplication, for they are the outcome of that blessing.

Verse 23 And there was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.

5295. 'And let them store up grain' means at the same time every good of truth. This is clear from the meaning of 'storing up' as collecting at the same time and preserving; and from the meaning of 'grain' as natural good, dealt with in 3580, in this case the good of truth present in the natural. For the good of truth is truth present in will and action. The reason 'grain' means good is that in the spiritual sense 'the field' is the Church, and therefore everything connected with the field - such as seed, sower, harvest, standing crop, grain, and also the head or tip of the grain, besides specifically wheat, barley, and much else - describes something to do with the Church. And everything to do with the Church has a connection with goodness and truth.