Within the third day the creation of vegetation also takes place, and the creation formula is repeated.

And God said: see Gen 1.3 and Gen 1.6.

Let the earth put forth vegetation: this is the first command in which something already brought into existence is ordered to act. Put forth translates a verb found elsewhere only in Joel 2.22, which speaks of the greening of the pastures. The sense here is “to sprout, produce, grow.” Vegetation is a general word meaning “plants.” Translators in some languages will recognize that there is no word that includes all plants. Instead the various words used may group together some plants but exclude, for example, those that grow in jungle areas, or those that attach themselves to dead wood. Some languages distinguish between plants that are used for human food and those that are food for animals. Distinctions are also often made for trees. It may therefore be necessary to speak of vegetation and plants as “all the things that have leaves” or “all the green things that grow.” In some languages the command for the earth to cause plants to grow may be expressed, for example, “Earth, make the plants grow,” “Earth must now cause plants to sprout,” or “Plants must now grow out of the earth.”

Vegetation or “plants” are divided into two groups: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed. The distinction between these two kinds of plants is based upon their manner of seed production. The first kind are plants that produce seeds only, and the second are trees that produce fruit containing the seeds. This division seems to exclude plants and shrubs that also produce fruit, and so it is better to avoid speaking of fruit trees bearing fruit, and to say something like “those that produce fruit” or “the ones that bear fruit on them.” The plant classification used here is likely to be quite different from that used in most languages. For example, some languages classify grain (such as wheat, oats, barley) as fruit. Also many foods called vegetables in English are classified in other languages as fruits.

There are four main ways in which translators may express the twofold classification of plants in this verse. The first is to follow the Hebrew form as represented in Revised Standard Version. However, without some adjustment such as in Good News Translation, it may not be clear that these two groups of plants include all plants. Therefore the second way may be as Good News Translation says, “… all kinds of plants, those that bear grain and those that bear fruit.” A third solution is to translate the two groups of plants as “every single kind of plant” without specifying their seed-bearing and fruit-bearing nature. Finally translators may find it more meaningful to use the categories that are used in their own language to classify the plant kingdom. The fact that the classification in their language may be different from the Hebrew writer’s grouping is not important, provided the local classification represents all plants and not just certain ones. One translation that follows this last approach says “The earth must make grow all kinds of trees and grasses and food-plants.”

Each according to its kind upon the earth: kind is collective, and the whole expression occurs again in verses 21, 24, and 25. The author recognizes within each category numerous species, each with its own characteristics. Good News Translation and others do not make this a separate statement but rather incorporate it with the plants by saying “all kinds of plants.” It is also possible to associate kind with each of the two categories separately. For example, New Jerusalem Bible says “seed-bearing plants of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it.” It is better here to follow the model of Good News Translation. Upon the earth is repetitive, since in the command the plants are to grow from the earth.

And it was so: see verse 7.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Genesis. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .