In the context of the Bible, the term "breed" primarily refers to the process of reproduction and the propagation of species, both human and animal. The concept of breeding is integral to the biblical narrative, reflecting God's command to His creation to "be fruitful and multiply."

Creation and Divine Mandate

The idea of breeding is first introduced in the Book of Genesis. In Genesis 1:22 , God blesses the creatures of the sea and the birds of the air, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth." This divine mandate underscores the importance of reproduction as part of God's creative order.

Similarly, after creating Adam and Eve, God commands them in Genesis 1:28 , "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it." This command not only emphasizes human reproduction but also the stewardship role humans have over creation.

Animal Husbandry and Livestock Breeding

The practice of breeding animals is evident throughout the Old Testament, particularly in the context of pastoral and agrarian life. The patriarchs, such as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were often involved in animal husbandry, which included the breeding of livestock. Genesis 30:37-39 describes Jacob's strategic breeding of sheep and goats to increase his flocks: "Then Jacob took fresh branches of poplar, almond, and plane trees, and peeled the bark, exposing the white inner wood of the branches. He set the peeled branches in the troughs in front of the flocks—where they came to drink. And the flocks bred in front of the branches, and they bore young that were streaked or speckled or spotted."

This account illustrates the early understanding and manipulation of breeding practices to achieve desired traits in livestock, reflecting both human ingenuity and divine blessing.

Symbolism and Metaphor

Breeding is also used metaphorically in the Bible to describe the growth and expansion of nations and peoples. In Exodus 1:7 , the Israelites are described as being fruitful and multiplying greatly in Egypt: "But the Israelites were fruitful and increased abundantly; they multiplied and became exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them." This multiplication is seen as a fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham to make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky (Genesis 15:5).

Moral and Ethical Considerations

The Bible also addresses the moral and ethical dimensions of breeding, particularly in the context of human relationships. The sanctity of marriage and the family unit is emphasized as the proper context for human reproduction. Passages such as Malachi 2:15 highlight God's desire for godly offspring: "Has not the LORD made them one, with a portion of the Spirit? And why one? Because He seeks godly offspring."

Conclusion

In summary, the concept of breeding in the Bible encompasses both the literal and metaphorical propagation of life. It reflects God's creative purpose, the stewardship responsibilities of humanity, and the moral framework within which human reproduction is to occur. Through the narratives of creation, the patriarchs, and the growth of nations, the Bible presents breeding as a fundamental aspect of God's design for His creation.1. (v. t.) To produce as offspring; to bring forth; to bear; to procreate; to generate; to beget; to hatch.

2. (v. t.) To take care of in infancy, and through the age of youth; to bring up; to nurse and foster.

3. (v. t.) To educate; to instruct; to form by education; to train; -- sometimes followed by up.

4. (v. t.) To engender; to cause; to occasion; to originate; to produce; as, to breed a storm; to breed disease.

5. (v. t.) To give birth to; to be the native place of; as, a pond breeds fish; a northern country breeds stout men.

6. (v. t.) To raise, as any kind of stock.

7. (v. t.) To produce or obtain by any natural process.

8. (v. i.) To bear and nourish young; to reproduce or multiply itself; to be pregnant.

9. (v. i.) To be formed in the parent or dam; to be generated, or to grow, as young before birth.

10. (v. i.) To have birth; to be produced or multiplied.

11. (v. i.) To raise a breed; to get progeny.

12. (n.) A race or variety of men or other animals (or of plants), perpetuating its special or distinctive characteristics by inheritance.

13. (n.) Class; sort; kind; -- of men, things, or qualities.

14. (n.) A number produced at once; a brood.

BREED

bred: Found in the past tense in Exodus 16:20 as a translation of rum = "to bring up," "to rise." In this verse, the manna is said to have arisen, i.e. "become alive" (with worms), to indicate that God's gifts are spoiled by selfish and miserly hoarding. The pres. act. occurs in Genesis 8:17 for sharats = "to wriggle," "swarm," "abound," hence, "breed abundantly"; and in Deuteronomy 32:14 for ben = "son," "descendant," "child," "colt," "calf," "breed." The present participle is found in Ze 2:9 the King James Version for mimshaq, a derivative of mesheq = "possession," "territory," "field." The passage in question should therefore be translated "field of nettles" (the Revised Version (British and American) "possession of nettles").

Frank E. Hirsch

616. apokueo -- to give birth to
... beget, produce. From apo and the base of kuma; to breed forth, ie (by transference)
to generate (figuratively) -- beget, produce. see GREEK apo. see GREEK kuma. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/616.htm - 6k8317. sharats -- to swarm, teem
... root Definition to swarm, teem NASB Word Usage breed abundantly (1), increased greatly
(1), populate the abundantly (1), swarm (3), swarmed (2), swarms (5 ...
/hebrew/8317.htm - 6k

1121. ben -- son
... 7), anointed* (1), arrow (1), arrows (1), Assyrians* (3), baby (1), Babylonians*
(3), beasts (1), being* (1), Ben-hinnom* (7), bough (2), breed (1), brothers ...
/hebrew/1121.htm - 8k

7250. raba -- to lie stretched out, lie down
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition to lie stretched out, lie down NASB Word Usage
breed together (1), lying down (1), mate (2). let gender, lie down. ...
/hebrew/7250.htm - 6k

7311. rum -- to be high or exalted, rise
... lift(-er) up, (be) lofty, (X a-)loud, mount up, offer (up), + presumptuously, (be)
promote(-ion), proud, set up, tall(-er), take (away, off, up), breed worms. ...
/hebrew/7311.htm - 6k

God in Christ
... For a lie can never do anything but harm, or breed anything but harm; and lies do
breed, as fast as the blight on the trees, or the smut on the corn: only ...
/.../kingsley/the gospel of the pentateuch/sermon i god in christ.htm

The Broken and Contrite Heart
... ground to powder. You can have no stronger word. It was this heart which
God wished to breed in these rebellious Jews. A heart like ...
/.../kingsley/town and country sermons/sermon xvii the broken and.htm

Praying Men at a Premium
... Diffuseness, too, interferes with effectiveness. Too many petitions break tension
and unity, and breed neglect. Prayers should be specific and urgent. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bounds/the weapon of prayer/vi praying men at a.htm

Progress (Preached Before the Queen at Clifden, June 3, 1866. )
... He must have feared lest the generation which was springing up should inquire into
the reason thereof, in a tone which would breed"which actually did breed ...
/.../the water of life and other sermons/sermon xii progress preached before.htm

The Difficulty and Excellence of virginity; the Study Of
... For it must needs be that the soul which is not sprinkled with the words of Christ,
as with salt, should stink and breed worms, as King David, openly ...
/.../chapter i the difficulty and excellence.htm

Sermon for Ascension Day
... They do just as the untrained dogs in the chase, which have no perception of the
noble quarry, but run with all speed after the good dogs of nobler breed. ...
/.../xviii sermon for ascension day.htm

The Fear of God.
... No glory even of God should breed terror; when a child of God is afraid, it is a
sign that the word Father is not yet freely fashioned by the child's spiritual ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macdonald/unspoken sermons/the fear of god.htm

Missionary Hymns.
... Professor David R. Breed attributes this stirring hymn to Mrs. Vokes (or Voke) an
English or Welsh lady, who is supposed to have written it somewhere near 1780 ...
/.../brown/the story of the hymns and tunes/chapter iv missionary hymns.htm

The Maniac
... them. Imagination does not breed insanity. Exactly what does breed insanity
is reason. Poets do not go mad; but chess-players do. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/orthodoxy/ii the maniac.htm

The Folly of Slander. Part 1.
... fraud, or driven by violence, or slip by chance into a bad place or bad company,
he that should so represent the gross of that accident, as to breed an opinion ...
/.../barrow/sermons on evil-speaking by isaac barrow/the folly of slander part.htm

Breed (6 Occurrences)
... 4. (vt) To engender; to cause; to occasion; to originate; to produce; as, to breed
a storm; to breed disease. ... 11. (vi) To raise a breed; to get progeny. 12. ...
/b/breed.htm - 10k

Race (36 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) The descendants of a common ancestor; a family, tribe, people, or nation,
believed or presumed to belong to the same stock; a lineage; a breed. ...
/r/race.htm - 19k

Mongrel (1 Occurrence)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The progeny resulting from a cross between two
breeds; anything of mixed breed. 2. (a.) Not of a pure breed. ...
/m/mongrel.htm - 6k

Blood (435 Occurrences)
... royal lineage. 4. (n.) Descent from parents of recognized breed; excellence
or purity of breed. 5. (n.) The fleshy nature of man. 6 ...
/b/blood.htm - 54k

Conceive (23 Occurrences)
... purpose, plan, hope. 2. (vt) To receive into the womb and begin to breed; to
begin the formation of the embryo of. 3. (vt) To apprehend ...
/c/conceive.htm - 14k

Swarm (26 Occurrences)
... 7. (vi) To be crowded; to be thronged with a multitude of beings in motion. 8.
(vi) To abound; to be filled (with). 9. (vi) To breed multitudes. 10. ...
/s/swarm.htm - 15k

Ass (95 Occurrences)
... it may be derived from 'athan, Aramaic `adhan, "to be slender," "docile," etc.);
'athonoth tsechoroth, "red-white asses" (Judges 5:10) designates a better breed...
/a/ass.htm - 48k

Breeches (6 Occurrences)

/b/breeches.htm - 12k

Cattle (277 Occurrences)
... easier to obtain than cow's milk. The commonest cattle of the fellachin
are a small black breed. In the vicinity of Damascus are ...
/c/cattle.htm - 52k

Kidney-fat (1 Occurrence)
... Deuteronomy 32:14 Butter of the herd, and milk of the flock, With fat of lambs,
And rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, With the finest of the wheat; And ...
/k/kidney-fat.htm - 6k

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