Blessing And Increase

Και εὐλόγησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Νῶε, καὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς αὐτου, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Αὐξάνεσθε και πληθύνεσθε, καὶ πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν. Ὁ Νῶε πῶς ηὕξησε, kαὶ ἐπλήθυνε, μῄπω γεννήσας μετὰ κατακλυσμόν; μήποτe οὖν οὐ δεῖ σωματικῶς ἀκούειν τὸ, Αὐξάνεσθε καὶ πληθύνεσθε. Εἰ δε ἐνθάδε οὐ σωματικῶς διὰ τὸν Νῶε, δῆλον, ὅτι κατὰ βούλημα τοῦ πνευματικοῦ νόμου καὶ ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ οὕτως. Ὠριγένης, Εἰς Την Γενεσιν, Ἐκλογαι Source: Migne PG 12.105d

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and He said to them, 'Grow and multiply and fill the earth.' 1 How did Noah 'grow and multiply' when he did not sire children after the flood? One should not then consider this 'grow and multiply,' to be a material matter. And if here with Noah this should not be understood materially, then it is clear that it must be understood according to the sense of the spiritual law, just as in the beginning. 2 Origen, On Genesis, Fragment 1 Gen 9.1 2 Gen 1.27-28