Does Genesis 1:28 Imply A Pre-Adamic Civilization?

Some Bible teachers claim that there was a pre-Adamic civilization on earth based on God’s words to Adam in Genesis 1:28:

Genesis 1:28 KJV And God blessed them, and God said unto them, 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.

These Bible teachers argue that the “re” in “replenish” implies that the earth was once filled with another intelligent civilization before Adam was created. However, this civilization was subsequently destroyed, and that is why God told Adam to “replenish”—i.e., refill—the earth.

However, notice that this is an argument from an English translation rather than from the original Hebrew text. The Hebrew word translated “replenish” in the KJV is millēʾ, which means to fill, and not to refill. Moreover, in order to make this point, these Bible teachers have to rely on the King James Version (KJV), because other translations render the Hebrew word millēʾ in Genesis 1:28 as “fill” instead of “replenish”.

So then, why did the KJV translators render millēʾ as “replenish”? Were they mistaken? No they were not. During the time when the KJV was produced, the English word “replenish” meant to fill up, and not to refill as it does today. Language evolves, and the meanings of words change over time. Therefore, it would be unreasonable for us to assume that “replenish” meant the same thing 400 years ago as it does today.