📖 Biblical Definition
The Dominion Mandate is God’s original commission to humanity in Genesis 1:28: "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." This is not a license for exploitation but a commission for stewardship under God. Psalm 8:5-6 celebrates: "For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands." Dominion is exercised rightly when conformed to God’s character — fruitfully, multiplicatively, productively, with care for what is ruled. The mandate is renewed to Noah (9:1-7) and fulfilled finally in Christ.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Sovereign authority; supreme jurisdiction; the power of governing and controlling.
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DOMIN'ION, n. 1. Sovereign or supreme authority. 2. Power to direct, control, use and dispose. Webster understood dominion as rightful authority, not arbitrary power.
📖 Key Scripture
• Genesis 1:28 — "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it."
• Psalm 8:5-6 — "You have given him dominion over the works of your hands."
• Genesis 2:15 — "The LORD God put Him in the garden to work it and keep it."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Used to justify exploitation or rejected as the root of environmental destruction.
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Environmentalists blame dominion theology for ecological destruction, ignoring Genesis 2:15's stewardship mandate. Some Christians use it to justify unchecked resource extraction. Both errors miss the point: dominion means responsible stewardship under God — imaging His care for creation, not rapacious consumption.
Usage
• "The dominion mandate is not a license to exploit but a commission to steward."
• "Environmental stewardship is not a liberal agenda — it is a creation mandate given before the Fall."