1:12-13 - The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
[T]
The repetitions, "and the earth brought forth grass, herb seeding seed according to its kind, and tree making fruit . . ." tend to bore us modern readers who are impatient to get to the point. But for the ancient Hebrew readers, repetition was a way of making the point. The repetition in the report of what was commanded in the previous verse emphasizes that things happened precisely as God willed it. Nothing is here in the world by accident. Understanding and embracing this truth can liberate us from the impatience we feel when things do not fall into the places we want them and invest us with grace and serenity to be surprised by a God who has ordered all things according to His plan.
You may wish to read the following commentaries-expositions:
John Calvin (Calvin skips on these two verses)
Matthew Henry
Low Chai Hok
©Alberith, 2016