God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
Females Before Eve
Given that God tells the animals to multiply, I assume that means there must have been female animals at this point. But this is before Eve has even been created by God. This doesn't really present a problem for me in the typical sense with regards to logic or contradiction but rather, symbolism? It seems to me that if females existed before Eve was created than the entire symbolism of her being created from Adam's rib seems somehow, diminished. Or am I missing the point? Does this chronology of events give even more significance to the human race and/or human females by virtue of the fact that he comes up with this different way of creating human females vs. female animals?
Another possibility could be that my assumptions are wrong and that animals had a way of multiplying without male and female animals having sex. This doesn't seems so far-fetched to me despite there being no modern day equivalent, just like how we're told that all animals were vegetarian before the fall.
Either way, I've had problems finding any other sources that address this issue. Unresolved.
(back to Genesis 1)
