Genesis 2:18

Genesis 2:18 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
• New International Version (NIV)The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."
• New King James Version (NKJV)And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

Context of Genesis 2:18

16And the LORD God commanded him, “You may eat freely from every tree of the garden, 17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.” The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.” 19And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found.

Genesis 2:18 word by word

וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֔ים לֹא־ט֛וֹב הֱי֥וֹת הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְבַדּ֑וֹ אֶֽעֱשֶׂהּ־לּ֥וֹ עֵ֖זֶר כְּנֶגְדּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear

• The LORDיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• also saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• notלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
• goodטוֹבţôb · pleasantH2896
• for the manאָדָם'âdâm · the man (Adam)H120
• to beהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
• aloneבַּדbad · aloneH905
• I will makeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• a suitableנֶ֫גֶדneged · beforeH5048
• helperעֵ֫זֶר‛êzer · helperH5828

Cross-references for Genesis 2:18

• Genesis 1:31And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
• Genesis 3:12And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
• Ruth 3:1One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek a resting place for you, that it may be well with you?
• Proverbs 18:22He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.
• Ecclesiastes 4:9Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.
• 1 Corinthians 7:36However, if someone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his betrothed, and if she is beyond her youth and they ought to marry, let him do as he wishes; he is not sinning; they should get married.
• 1 Corinthians 11:7A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.
• 1 Timothy 2:11A woman must learn in quietness and full submissiveness.
• 1 Peter 3:7Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

Commentaries on Genesis 2:18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 18It is not good that the man should be alone - לבדו lebaddo ; only himself. I will make him a help meet for him; כנגדו עזר ezer kenegdo, a help, a counterpart of himself, one formed from him, and a perfect resemblance of his person. If the word be rendered scrupulously literally, it signifies one like, or as himself, standing opposite to or before him. And this implies that the woman was to be a perfect resemblance of the man, possessing neither…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 18- XIII. The Naming of the Animals Here man‘s intellectual faculties proceed from the passive and receptive to the active and communicative stage. This advance is made in the review and designation of the various species of animals that frequent the land and skies. A new and final need of man is stated in Genesis 2:18. The Creator himself, in whose image he was made, had revealed himself to him in language. This, among many other effects, awakened the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-25Verses 18-25 Power over the creatures was given to man, and as a proof of this he named them all. It also shows his insight into the works of God. But though he was lord of the creatures, yet nothing in this world was a help meet for man. From God are all our helpers. If we rest in God, he will work all for good. God caused deep sleep to fall on Adam; while he knows no sin, God will take care that he shall feel no pain. God, as her Father, brought the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18It is not good: This is God's first negative comment about an otherwise good creation (1:31). The Lord God is like a father finding a bride for his son (compare chapter 24). The solution for the man's need is a helper who is perfect for him. She is his ideal partner. God made her in the same image of God (1:26–27), gave her the same mission (1:28; 2:15), and gave her the same rule (2:17). The man cannot achieve his purpose alone.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 18-2518. it is not good for the man to be alone--In the midst of plenty and delights, he was conscious of feelings he could not gratify. To make him sensible of his wants,Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 2:18

• Adam
• God
• Wife
• Women

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Adam
• Alone
• Bdellium
• Bless
• Breathe
• Cleave
• Close
• Deep

Commentaries on Genesis 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings