Let’s read Genesis 1:27-28 from the KJV: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and REPLENISH the earth, and subdue it.” Now let’s read verse 28 from the NKJV: “Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; FILL the earth and subdue it.”

It is unfortunate that the King James translators chose to use the word “replenish” in the original KJV, for the word REPLENISH today means “to REFILL,” giving the impression that the earth was once populated with a human race and now Adam and Eve are told to “fill it again” with another human race. The Hebrew word used in verse 28 is “maw-lay” and it simply means “to FILL” and thus there is no thought of “FILLING the earth AGAIN,” but of “FILLING the earth FOR THE FIRST TIME.” It should be noted there are many other translations that follow the NKJV and translate it “FILL the earth.”

Because of this mistranslation, the unscriptural doctrine of a PRE-ADAMIC RACE has been taught. But there are two scriptures which show, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Adam was the first human being that God created on the earth. 1st Corinthians 15:45 states, “And so it is written, The FIRST MAN Adam was made a living soul.” Could words be plainer than this? Adam was the FIRST MAN, period! There were no other men before him, thus there was no race of human beings that populated the earth prior to God creating Adam.

The other passage is Romans 5:12-14 which says, “Therefore, just as through ONE MAN sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—for until the Law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of THE OFFENSE OF ADAM, who is a type of Him who was to come” (NASB). This portion clearly teaches that DEATH BEGAN WITH ADAM BECAUSE OF ADAM’S SIN. Some who teach that there was a pre-Adamic race also teach that at some point they all died because of sin, but that would contradict Romans 5:12 that teaches emphatically that death, as a penalty for sin, began with Adam’s sin.  (198.3)  (DO)