What is the meaning of the word ‘subdue’ in Genesis 1:28?

This text is from a letter written by David Gooding in 2012.

You ask about the meaning of the word 'subdue' in Genesis 1:28. As I understand it, the fact that God himself planted a garden in Eden suggests that the rest of the world was not necessarily a garden. In putting man into the garden of Eden, God gave him an example of what could be done with earth. Of course, it would mean a great deal of hard work and subduing of the world outside the garden, in order to make it produce similar features to what Adam had been given in the garden itself.

The very term 'subdue' suggests to me that, even in Adam's unfallen state, the task of developing earth would have required all his energy and thought. The same is true of course, if a farmer sets about reducing a long-neglected field into such a state as would produce crops. In other words, God's purpose for mankind as given in Psalm 8 was that he should have dominion over the earth that God had created, and that would have involved all Adam's powers, both physical and mental.

The six days of Genesis 1 appear to me to be as much concerned with organization as with creation. Take as an example what is told us about day one. On that day, God created light and divided the light from the darkness, and he called the light 'day', and the darkness he called 'night'. That said, day one concludes with the observation: 'And there was evening and there was morning, one day'. It now becomes obvious that Genesis is using the term 'day' in two different senses—just as we use the term nowadays. In one sense, 'day' means the whole twenty-four hours. But in another sense, 'day' refers to the period when the sun's light shines, as distinct from that part of the day when the sun no longer shines and everywhere is dark, so that part of the day is called 'night'.

This double use of the word 'day' is common to normal English. If we ask a friend, 'When is your aunt coming from America?', the reply could be 'next Thursday'. Then we could ask, 'Is she coming by day or by night?' and the answer might well be, 'By night'—an overnight flight—but that would still be part of Thursday.

This all leads us to consider not only that God made the daylight, but also to consider how he has organized the light that we need. The fact is that the sun does not go out for twelve hours every day: the sun still shines. But God has so arranged our planet that it revolves, with the result that we are rationed as far as light is concerned. We are given roughly twelve hours of daylight, and then—whether we have finished our task or not---we are taken out into the dark and there is nothing we can do about it until we are twizzled back again into the light.

Now, light is our first necessity, and the Lord Jesus himself pointed out the implications in John 11. He drew a practical lesson from the lighting system of our earth, and said:

Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walk in the day he doesn't stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if a man walk in the night he stumbles, because the light is not in him. (John 11:9–10)

Indeed, it is not in the man himself, nor is it in his world. The source of this world's light is some ninety million miles away, so that we are helplessly dependent on a source of light that we cannot control and is vital to our survival and to all our work.

In other words, day one of Genesis is concerned not only to tell us that God made the light, but also how he has done it, so that we should be helplessly dependent for our number one necessity on a source outside of our world. It is, of course, the subsequent story of Genesis that man tried to live independently of God and of his word. It led to moral chaos. Similarly, Genesis talks to us about one great principle of our salvation, exemplified in Abraham who was taught that to be justified before God depends on faith—faith being understood as utter and helpless dependence upon God.

But now to resume answering your particular question: for man to exercise the commission that God gave him as an intelligent being, set over the works of God's hand and required to develop the earth, would mean that, to do it successfully, he must have respect to the way that God has organized life on our planet. And the number one principle of organization is this: we are daily reminded that we depend on a source of life outside of our world.

Similarly, in day four we are told one of the functions of the sun, moon and stars--- they are put there to operate as signs and seasons. So it was in the ancient world that a farmer, who wanted to know when exactly to plant the seed in his field, would not necessarily be guided simply by the weather, but by what constellation the sun was in at its rising—see the instructions given to farmers in Virgil's Poetics. Similarly, again, man would find it strenuous labour to subdue the world around him and to develop its potentialities.

Now, forgive this long diatribe and let me recommend—if you have not already seen them—the series of books written by my friend and colleague John Lennox, particularly Seven Days That Divide the World.

With all best wishes,