Verse 3 carries the thought of verse 2 forward by making clear what it means for human beings to be in control of the other creatures.

Every moving thing that lives: moving thing translates the same verb used in verse 2, “that creeps,” but in verse 3 the sense is more general. The expression is a substitute for the longer list of animals, birds, and fish in the previous verse. Note that Good News Translation says “them”: “Now you can eat them.” Most English translations keep the fuller form but often reverse the order of the verb elements in the expression, for stylistic reasons; for example, “Everything that lives and moves…” (New International Version), “Every creature that lives and moves…” (New English Bible), “Every living thing that moves…” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Shall be food for you: taken with the next clause this suggests that before this time meat was not eaten (see 1.29; 2.9). The word translated food is a derived form of the verb “to eat.” In many languages food that is meat is different from the word for non-meat food. The first part of this verse may be translated “Every kind of animal will be your food” or “You may now eat every kind of animal.”

As I gave you the green plants: green plants is as in 1.30. The relation between this clause and the one before it is signaled by as, meaning “in a similar manner,” and may be expressed in various ways; for example, “Before I gave you green plants to eat; now I give you every kind of animal that lives and moves; so I give you everything.” Good News Translation provides a good model for translating: “Now you can eat them [animals], as well as the green plants; I give them all to you for food.” Another suitable model is Bible en français courant, “Everything that moves and lives will serve as your food, just as I had given you green plants. Now I give them all to you.” A good model from a language that uses different terms for meat and non-meat food is “Before I gave only food for you to eat, but starting from now, I give you all these creatures as well, as meat for you to eat.”

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 .