New King James Version
Genesis 2:18
18And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable 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 Living Translation (NLT)Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
Context of Genesis 2:18
16And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” 19Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable 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 1:31Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
- Genesis 3:12Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
- Ruth 3:1Then Naomi her mother-in-law said to her, “My daughter, shall I not seek security 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 reward for their labor.
- 1 Corinthians 7:36But if any man thinks he is behaving improperly toward his virgin, if she is past the flower of youth, and thus it must be, let him do what he wishes. He does not sin; let them marry.
- 1 Corinthians 11:7For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but woman is the glory of man.
- 1 Timothy 2:11Let a woman learn in silence with all submission.
- 1 Peter 3:7Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries