Genesis 2:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."

NIV: The man said, "This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man."

NASB: Then the man said, 'At last this is bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called ‘woman,’ Because she was taken out of man.'

CSB: And the man said: This one, at last, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called "woman," for she was taken from man.

NLT: 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.’'

KJV: And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.

NKJV: And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”

God recognized earlier that it was not good for Adam to be alone (Genesis 2:18), so He made a helper for Adam from his own rib. Symbolically, this not only represents the intimate closeness of men and women, but also their distinction from each other. God "built up" the woman from Adam's rib, instead of "forming" her as He had done in shaping dust into Adam. Men and women, in literal terms, each bring unique and necessary characteristics to the human family.

Adam's response to this good gift is delivered in the form an ecstatic poem. Adam was given the opportunity to name all of God's other animals (Genesis 2:19), and found that none of them were a good match for him (Genesis 2:20). Now, "at last," he finds a creature perfectly suited for him.

Future Israelites and others would use the phrase "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" to describe close family relationships. For Adam, it was also literally true. This "woman," as he would call her, was unlike any of the animals Adam had seen in God's creation. None of them were like him. She was of his very bones and flesh.

The woman, whom we will later come to know as Eve (Genesis 3:20), was like Adam in another important way. She would share his unique human relationship with God as one made in God's image (Genesis 1:27). Unlike any of the animals, Adam and Eve and the humans to follow would have the capacity to know God, truth, beauty, and reason. Together and separately, their existence would be defined by their relationship with the Creator.

God designed man and woman to be together instead of being alone. As the following verses make clear, the idea of this marriage connection was established before sin entered into the world. It was God's plan for humanity all along.

Genesis 2:15–25 returns to provide details about the sixth-day creation of human beings. After being crafted out of the substance of earth, man is placed in a garden by God. He is then given responsibility to care for the plants and trees there. God's first and only prohibition to the man is not to eat from the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, in the middle of the garden, on promise of death. Man is also charged with naming the animals, an act reflecting his God-given authority. God recognizes that it is not good for man to be alone and makes woman to be his helper, companion, and wife, establishing the pattern of God's design for human marriage.

Genesis 2 begins with a description of the seventh day of creation, in which God rested from His work. Then it returns to the sixth day and describes in more detail the creation of man, the garden God placed him into, and the work God gave him to do. God recognizes that it is not good for man to be alone and makes a helper for him out of his own rib. This woman becomes Adam's companion and wife, setting the original example of God's design for marriage. The two exist in pure innocence, naked yet unashamed before sin enters into the world.

Genesis 2 concludes the description of God's week of creation and then zooms in on the creation of man, his work, his perfect environment, and the creation of woman as his helper and wife. It is our last glimpse of the world before it is ravaged by human sin and death with the disobedience of Adam and Eve in chapter 3. Where chapter 1 gave a full overview of creation, this chapter focuses more on a few specific events. These are crucial to understanding the fall of man.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.