Christian Standard Bible
Genesis 2:18
18Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.”
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 the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.” Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.” 19The Lord God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man no helper was found corresponding to him.
Read all of Genesis 2Genesis 2:18 word by word
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהִ֔ים לֹא־ט֛וֹב הֱי֥וֹת הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְבַדּ֑וֹ אֶֽעֱשֶׂהּ־לּ֥וֹ עֵ֖זֶר כְּנֶגְדּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Genesis 2:18
- Genesis 1:31God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed. Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.
- Genesis 3:12The man replied, “The woman you gave to be with me — she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
- Ruth 3:1Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, shouldn’t I find rest for you, so that you will be taken care of?
- Proverbs 18:22A man 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 reward for their efforts.
- 1 Corinthians 7:36If any man thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, if she is getting beyond the usual age for marriage, and he feels he should marry — he can do what he wants. He is not sinning; they can get married.
- 1 Corinthians 11:7A man should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God. So too, woman is the glory of man.
- 1 Timothy 2:11A woman is to learn quietly with full submission.
- 1 Peter 3:7Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker partner, showing them honor as coheirs of the grace 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
In the dictionaries
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
Christian Standard Bible — © 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
Commentaries