Did God Permit the Eating of Meat or Only Plants in Genesis 9:3?

Please Help Us Keep These Thousands of Blog Posts Free for All

$5.00

Understanding God’s Initial Dietary Instructions to Humanity

In the early chapters of Genesis, God provided explicit dietary guidelines for the first humans. Genesis 1:29 states:

“And God went on to say, ‘Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.'”

This initial command granted Adam and Eve permission to eat from all plants and fruits bearing seeds. There is no indication in the text that they were permitted to consume meat at this stage. This diet remained in effect throughout the pre-flood period.

Genesis 2:16–17 adds further clarity:

“And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”

While this command emphasized the prohibition against eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, it reinforced that the permissible diet consisted exclusively of vegetation.

The Transition After the Flood – A New Diet Introduced

After the flood, when Noah and his family emerged from the ark, God expanded the dietary parameters to include meat. Genesis 9:3 records this new directive:

“Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.”

This verse represents a significant change from the previous dietary instructions. The expression “every moving thing that lives” clearly includes animals, indicating that God had now permitted the consumption of meat. The phrase “as I gave you the green plants” emphasizes the parallel between the earlier provision of vegetation for food and the current extension of that provision to include animal flesh.

Why Did God Expand the Human Diet to Include Meat?

This change in diet was likely linked to the post-flood environment and humanity’s changing circumstances. Several factors help explain this shift:

Ecological Changes After the Flood
The flood drastically altered the global environment. The lush vegetation that had characterized the pre-flood world was now significantly reduced. With fewer plant-based food sources available, God permitted Noah and his descendants to consume animals as an alternative means of sustenance.
Nutritional Necessity in a Changed World
The altered post-flood climate may have required a more protein-rich diet to sustain human life. The permission to consume meat provided an essential source of nutrients that may have been difficult to obtain from the reduced vegetation available.
A Symbol of God’s Continued Provision
God’s expansion of the dietary allowance to include meat also symbolized His ongoing care for humanity in a drastically altered world. By providing both plants and animals for food, God demonstrated His commitment to sustaining the human family.

Was This a Contradiction of God’s Earlier Command?

Some have suggested that God’s command in Genesis 9:3 contradicts His earlier instruction in Genesis 1:29. However, there is no real contradiction. The change in dietary guidelines was not an error or inconsistency but rather a reflection of progressive revelation, where God gradually revealed His will in response to changing circumstances.

To illustrate, Norman L. Geisler, a well-known apologist, likened this progressive change to a parent modifying instructions as a child matures. A toddler might be allowed to eat with his hands, but as he grows, the parent may teach him to use a spoon, and eventually, a fork. Each stage of instruction is appropriate for the circumstances and the child’s development, but they are not contradictory. Similarly, God adapted His guidance to fit the evolving conditions of the human race.

The Restriction on Consuming Blood

Although God granted permission to eat meat in Genesis 9:3, He immediately placed a restriction on the consumption of blood. Genesis 9:4 states:

“But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.”

This prohibition was a serious directive. Blood, representing the life of the creature, was sacred and belonged to God. Later, under the Mosaic Law, this prohibition was reiterated and emphasized in passages such as Leviticus 17:10-11:

“If any one of the house of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn among them eats any blood, I will set my face against that person who eats blood and will cut him off from among his people. For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life.”

The respect for life, as represented by the blood, carried forward even after the permission to eat meat was granted. This restriction was later reaffirmed for Christians in the first century. Acts 15:28-29 records the decision of the Jerusalem Council, which instructed believers to:

“abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality.”

Post-Flood Covenant and Dietary Regulations

The introduction of meat into the human diet was part of a broader covenant that God made with Noah and his descendants after the flood. Genesis 9:8-11 describes this covenant, which included the promise never to destroy the earth again by flood and the establishment of the rainbow as a sign of that promise:

“Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, ‘Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.'” (Genesis 9:8-11)

The inclusion of dietary instructions within this covenant underscores the significant change that had taken place after the flood. Humanity was entering a new phase of its relationship with the Creator, and the provision for eating meat was part of God’s continued care and provision for Noah and his descendants.

Did This Permission to Eat Meat Extend Indefinitely?

The permission granted in Genesis 9:3 was not rescinded until the introduction of the Mosaic Law, which placed restrictions on which animals could be consumed. Leviticus 11 provides a detailed list of clean and unclean animals that Israelites were permitted or forbidden to eat. However, with the advent of the New Covenant, these dietary restrictions were abolished.

In Mark 7:18-19, Jesus declared that all foods were clean:

“And he said to them, ‘Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?’ (Thus he declared all foods clean.)”

Later, the apostle Paul emphasized that food should not be a source of division among believers. Romans 14:14 affirms:

“I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean.”

Thus, the original permission granted to Noah and his descendants to eat meat continued to be valid, with the understanding that Christians were no longer bound by the dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law.

Conclusion: A Progressive Revelation, Not a Contradiction

The dietary shift from a plant-based diet in Genesis 1:29 to the inclusion of meat in Genesis 9:3 was not a contradiction but a reflection of God’s progressive revelation to humanity. As circumstances changed after the flood, God graciously provided additional means for human sustenance. The restriction on consuming blood highlighted the sacredness of life, a principle that carried through the Mosaic Law and into the Christian era.

The permission to eat meat was part of God’s covenant with Noah and reflected His ongoing care for mankind in a post-flood world. While dietary restrictions were later introduced under the Mosaic Law, the New Covenant restored the original freedom to eat all foods, affirming that these changes were part of God’s unfolding plan for humanity.

You May Also Enjoy

How Can We Explain Bible Difficulties?

About the author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).