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Genesis 1:21
ESV So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
NIV So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
NASB And God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind; and God saw that it was good.
CSB So God created the large sea-creatures and every living creature that moves and swarms in the water, according to their kinds. He also created every winged creature according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
NLT So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird — each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
KJV And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

What does Genesis 1:21 mean?

In the prior verse, God spoke the command for the empty seas to fill up with living creatures, and for the empty skies to be filled with flying birds. Now in this verse, He executes that command. This is the blueprint for all six of the creative days of Genesis. God speaks and His words become reality. Later verses will continue the pattern of God observing His creation and calling it "good."

The verse specifically mentions the great sea creatures or sea "monsters." As with the sun and moon, these ancient beasts of the sea were frequently worshiped as gods by ancient cultures. The Bible's claim is that those creatures were merely created things, along with all the other fish and the birds. They were made by the one, true God in a day. He alone is worthy of worship.

This verse also specifies that all of these brand new creatures were made "according to their kind." From the very beginning, God divided created life into categories: kinds of plants, kinds of fish, kinds of birds. Built into each creature was the ability, the necessity, to reproduce their own kind.

Again, God recognizes that what He has made is good, giving His approval to the world He is building.
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