I believe God gave them this blessing, but also gave them the choice to obey Him or not. He could have stopped it but that would not have given us the free choice.
Good answers, so far. 'Free will' was an important factor, yes, without question.
Here is an additional factor, that Jehovah had to consider:
"Further, God blessed them, and God said to them: “Be fruitful and become many, fill the earth and subdue it...And it was so."- Genesis 1:28-30
The word "blessed" indicates that Jehovah granted "them" a 'right'- … Read more