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.

'Herb bearing seed,' as mentioned in Genesis 1:29, signifies truth in terms of its use. (Arcana Coelestia 57) Every herb in the Bible signifies some type of knowledge.

'Green herbs,' as mentioned in Genesis 1:30, mean food for the natural man.

'Eating the herb of the field,' as mentioned in Genesis 3:18, signifies that a person should live as a beast.

'Herb of the field' signifies spiritual truth.

(Ссылки: Arcana Coelestia 7626)