Genesis 2:24

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 made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man. 23“At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. 25Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.

Genesis 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 24:58So they called Rebekah. “Are you willing to go with this man?” they asked her. And she replied, “Yes, I will go.”
• Genesis 31:14Rachel and Leah responded, “That’s fine with us! We won’t inherit any of our father’s wealth anyway.
• Psalms 45:10Listen to me, O royal daughter; take to heart what I say. Forget your people and your family far away.
• Leviticus 22:12If a priest’s daughter marries someone outside the priestly family, she may no longer eat the sacred offerings.
• Deuteronomy 4:4But all of you who were faithful to the Lord your God are still alive today—every one of you.
• Deuteronomy 10:20You must fear the Lord your God and worship him and cling to him. Your oaths must be in his name alone.
• Joshua 23:8Rather, cling tightly to the Lord your God as you have done until now.
• Proverbs 12:4A worthy wife is a crown for her husband, but a disgraceful woman is like cancer in his bones.
• Proverbs 31:10Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is more precious than rubies.
• Acts 11:23When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord.
• Malachi 2:14You cry out, “Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?” I’ll tell you why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows.
• Matthew 19:3Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?”
• Mark 10:6But ‘God made them male and female’ from the beginning of creation.
• Romans 7:2For example, when a woman marries, the law binds her to her husband as long as he is alive. But if he dies, the laws of marriage no longer apply to her.
• 1 Corinthians 6:16And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.”
• 1 Corinthians 7:2But because there is so much sexual immorality, 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

• Adam
• Eve
• Family
• God
• Husband
• Marriage
• Quotations and Allusions
• Wife
• Women

In the dictionaries

• Adam
• Alone
• Bdellium
• Bless
• Breathe
• Cleave
• Close
• Deep
• Dress
• Fall of man

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