God’s Word Translation
Genesis 2:24
24That is why a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and they will become one flesh.
Genesis 2:24 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
- New International Version (NIV)That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
Context of Genesis 2:24
22Then the Lord God formed a woman from the rib that he had taken from the man. He brought her to the man. 23The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She will be named woman because she was taken from man.” That is why a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25The man and his wife were both naked, but they weren’t ashamed of it.
Read all of Genesis 2Genesis 2:24 word by word
עַל־כֵּן֙ יַֽעֲזָב־אִ֔ישׁ אֶת־אָבִ֖יו וְאֶת־אִמּ֑וֹ וְדָבַ֣ק בְּאִשְׁתּ֔וֹ וְהָי֖וּ לְבָשָׂ֥ר אֶחָֽד׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Thereforeכֵּןkên · soH3651
- shall a manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- leaveעָזַב‛âzab · to leave: forsakeH5800
- his fatherאָב'âb · fatherH1
- and his motherאֵם'êm · motherH517
- and shall cleaveדָּבַקdâbaq · to cleaveH1692
- unto his wifeאִשָּׁה'ishshâh nâshîym · woman: wifeH802
- and they shall be oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
- fleshבָּשָׂרbâώâr · fleshH1320
Cross-references for Genesis 2:24
- Genesis 24:58They called for Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?” She said, “Yes, I’ll go.”
- Genesis 31:14Rachel and Leah answered him, “Is there anything left in our father’s household for us to inherit?
- Psalms 45:10Listen, daughter! Look closely! Turn your ear ⌞toward me⌟. Forget your people, and forget your father’s house.
- Leviticus 22:12However, if a priest’s daughter marries a layman, she must never eat the food taken from the holy contributions.
- Deuteronomy 4:4But you were loyal to the Lord your God and are still alive today.
- Deuteronomy 10:20Fear the Lord your God, worship him, be loyal to him, and take your oaths in his name.
- Joshua 23:8But you must be loyal to the Lord your God, as you have been until now.
- Proverbs 12:4A wife with strength of character is the crown of her husband, but the wife who disgraces him is like bone cancer.
- Proverbs 31:10“Who can find a wife with a strong character? She is worth far more than jewels.
- Acts 11:23When he arrived there, he was pleased to see what God had done for them out of kindness. So he encouraged all the people to remain solidly committed to the Lord.
- Malachi 2:14But you ask, “Why ⌞aren’t our offerings accepted⌟?” It is because the Lord is a witness between you and the wife of your youth, to whom you have been unfaithful. Yet, she is your companion, the wife of your marriage vows.
- Matthew 19:3Some Pharisees came to test him. They asked, “Can a man divorce his wife for any reason?”
- Mark 10:6But God made them male and female in the beginning, at creation.
- Romans 7:2For example, a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he is alive. But if her husband dies, that marriage law is no longer in effect for her.
- 1 Corinthians 6:16Don’t you realize that the person who unites himself with a prostitute becomes one body with her? God says, “The two will be one.”
- 1 Corinthians 7:2But in order to avoid sexual sins, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband.
Commentaries on Genesis 2:24
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother - There shall be, by the order of God, a more intimate connection formed between the man and woman, than can subsist even between parents and children. And they shall be one flesh - These words may be understood in a twofold sense. These two shall be one flesh, shall be considered as one body, having no separate or independent rights, privileges, cares, concerns, etc., each being equally interested in…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 24These might be the words of the first man Genesis 2:24. As he thoroughly understood the relation between himself and the woman, there is no new difficulty in conceiving him to become acquainted at the same time with the relationship of son to father and mother, which was in fact only another form of that in which the newly-formed woman stood to himself. The latter is really more intimateand permanent than the former, and naturally therefore takes its…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. 24Marriage between a man and a woman is not only a human idea. It comes from the natural order. a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife: Marriage involves shifting loyalty from parents to a spouse. they will become one flesh: Marriage and its commitments make it the most basic covenant among people. Marriage is a powerful image of Israel’s covenant with God (Hosea 2:14–23) and of Christ’s relationship to the Church (Ephesians…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2424. one flesh--The human pair differed from all other pairs, that by peculiar formation of Eve, they were one. And this passage is appealed to by our Lord as the divine institution of marriage (Mt 19:4, 5; Ep 5:28). Thus Adam appears as a creature formed after the image of God--showing his knowledge by giving names to the animals, his righteousness by his approval of the marriage relation, and his holiness by his principles and feelings, and finding…Read the comment
Topics related to Genesis 2:24
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
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