The LORD God also saidThis phrase emphasizes the direct communication from God, highlighting His active role in creation and His ongoing relationship with humanity. It reflects God's authority and intentionality in His actions. The use of "LORD God" combines the covenant name Yahweh with Elohim, underscoring both His personal and powerful nature.
It is not good for the man to be alone.
This statement marks the first time in the creation narrative that something is described as "not good," contrasting with the repeated declarations of goodness inGenesis 1. It underscores the importance of community and relationship, reflecting the relational nature of God Himself. This phrase sets the stage for the creation of woman, emphasizing the necessity of companionship and partnership in fulfilling God's purposes.
I will make for him a suitable helper.
The term "helper" (Hebrew: ezer) does not imply inferiority but rather denotes a complementary partner. In other biblical contexts, "ezer" is used to describe God as a helper to Israel, indicating strength and support. The word "suitable" (Hebrew: kenegdo) suggests a counterpart who corresponds to the man, highlighting equality and mutuality. This creation of woman prefigures the unity and interdependence seen in the body of Christ, as described in the New Testament.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
The LORD GodThe Creator, who is actively involved in the creation and care of humanity. In this verse, He recognizes a need in His creation and takes steps to address it.
2.
The Man (Adam)The first human created by God, living in the Garden of Eden. At this point, he is alone without a human companion.
3.
The Garden of EdenThe perfect environment created by God for man to live in, filled with all that is necessary for life and sustenance.
4.
The Creation of WomanThis event is foreshadowed in this verse, where God plans to create a "suitable helper" for Adam, leading to the creation of Eve.
Teaching Points
The Importance of CommunityGod designed humans for relationships and community. Isolation is not part of His plan for us, and we should seek to build meaningful connections with others.
The Role of a HelperThe term "helper" (Hebrew: "ezer") does not imply inferiority but rather a complementary partnership. In many instances, God Himself is described as a "helper" to His people.
God's ProvisionJust as God provided a suitable helper for Adam, He knows our needs and provides for us in His perfect timing and way.
Marriage as a Divine InstitutionThis verse lays the foundation for the institution of marriage, highlighting its divine origin and purpose in companionship and mutual support.
Reflecting God's ImageIn relationships, especially marriage, we reflect the relational nature of God, who exists in a perfect community as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Genesis 2:18?
2.How does Genesis 2:18 emphasize the importance of companionship in God's design?
3.What does "not good for man to be alone" reveal about human relationships?
4.How can Genesis 2:18 guide us in choosing a godly spouse today?
5.In what ways does Genesis 2:18 connect to Ephesians 5:31-33 on marriage?
6.How can we apply Genesis 2:18 to foster community within our church?
7.Why did God say, "It is not good for the man to be alone" in Genesis 2:18?
8.How does Genesis 2:18 influence the Christian understanding of marriage and companionship?
9.What does Genesis 2:18 reveal about God's intentions for human relationships?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Genesis 2?
11.What does the Bible say about toxic relationships?
12.What are the biblical roles of husbands and wives?
13.What is the correct term: wife, help meet, or help mate?
14.How can I recognize my perfect spouse?What Does Genesis 2:18 Mean
The LORD God also said• Scripture opens this moment with the same creative authority that spoke worlds into being (Genesis 1:3). When God speaks, things change—His word carries purpose and certainty (Psalm 33:9).
• The use of the covenant name “LORD God” reminds us He is both transcendent Creator and personal, relational Lord (Exodus 34:6).
• Before Adam even recognizes a lack, God initiates the solution, showing He is the One who defines what is good for His people (James 1:17).
It is not good• Up to this point, every stage of creation was declared “good” or “very good” (Genesis 1:31). Here, God identifies the first “not good,” highlighting that His design for humanity includes more than individual existence.
• Goodness is measured by God’s standard, not human opinion. His declaration reveals a divine concern for human wholeness (Psalm 119:68).
• The contrast prepares our hearts to see marriage and community as part of God’s perfect intent, not a human afterthought (Romans 8:28).
for the man to be alone• Humans bear God’s image (Genesis 1:26); the triune God exists in eternal fellowship, so isolation contradicts that image.
• Companionship enables shared work, worship, and witness (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).
• Even in paradise, solitude was insufficient—loneliness was possible in a sinless world, underscoring that relationship is essential to life, not merely a remedy for the fall (Psalm 68:6).
I will make for him• God Himself provides for Adam; the solution is not found by human effort but by divine initiative (Matthew 6:8).
• The phrase stresses God’s personal involvement: He fashions exactly what is needed, the same careful craftsmanship displayed in forming Adam (Genesis 2:7).
• Every gift that meets our true needs comes from His hand (Philippians 4:19).
a suitable helper• “Helper” describes one who supplies strength where the other lacks; it is often applied to God’s own aid for His people (Psalm 54:4).
• “Suitable” declares complementarity—Eve would correspond to Adam, equal in value yet distinct in function (1 Corinthians 11:11-12).
• The partnership pictures loving mutuality and sets the stage for lifelong, covenant marriage (Proverbs 18:22;Ephesians 5:31-33).
• Together, man and woman can fulfill the mandate to “be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it” (Genesis 1:28), something Adam could never accomplish alone.
summaryGenesis 2:18 reveals God’s heart for relationship: He sees Adam’s solitude, declares it “not good,” and personally provides a counterpart who perfectly complements him. Marriage is therefore God-designed, divinely initiated, and fundamentally good, reflecting His own relational nature and enabling humanity to flourish in unity and purpose.
(18)
It is not good . . . --In these words we have the Divine appointment of marriage, and also the declaration that the female is subsequent in order of production to the male, and formed from him. In
Genesis 1:27;
Genesis 5:2, the creation of male and female is represented as having been simultaneous. She is described as "a help meet for him:" Heb.,
a help as his front,his reflected image, or, as the Syriac translates it,
a helper similar to him.The happiness of marriage is based, not upon the woman being just the same thing as the man, but upon her being one in whom he sees his image and counterpart.
Verse 18. - In anticipation of the ensuing narrative of the temptation and the fall, the historian, having depicted man's settlement in Eden, advances to complete his
dramatis personae by the introduction upon the scene of the animals and woman. In the preliminary creation record (7-27) it is simply stated that God created man, male and female; there is a complete absence of details as to the Divine
modus operandi in the execution of these, his last and greatest works. It is one object, among others, of the second portion of the history to supply those details. With regard to man (Adam), an account of his formation, at once minute and exhaustive, has been given in the preceding verses (7-17); now, with like attention to antecedent and concomitant circumstances and events, the sacred penman adds a description of the time, reason, manner, and result of the formation of woman.
And the Lord God said, It is not good for man to be alone. While the animals were produced either in swarms (as the fishes) or in pairs (as the birds and beasts), man was created as an individual; his partner, by a subsequent operation of creative power, being produced from himself. With the wild phantasies and gross speculations of some theosophists, as to whether, prior to the creation of Eve, Adam was androgynic (Bohme), or simply
vir in
potentia, out of which state he passed the moment the woman stood by his side (Ziegler), a devout exegesis is not required to intermeddle. Neither is it needful to wonder how God should pronounce that to be not good which he had previously (
Genesis 1:31) affirmed was good. The Divine judgment of which the preceding chapter speaks was expressed at the completion of man's creation; this, while that creation was in progress. For the new-made man to have been left without a partner would, in the estimation of Jehovah Elohim, have been for him a condition of being which, if not necessarily bad in itself, yet, considering his intellectual and social nature, "would eventually have passed over from the negative not good, or a manifest want, into the positive not good, or a hurtful impropriety"' (Lange). "It was not good for man to be alone; not, as certain foolish Rabbis conceited, lest he should imagine himself to be the lord of the world, or as though no man could live without a woman, which is contrary to Scripture; but in respect of
(1) mutual society and comfort,
(2) the propagation of the race,
(3) the increase and generation of the Church of God, and . . .
Parallel Commentaries ...
Hebrew
The LORDיְהוָ֣ה(Yah·weh)Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068:LORD -- the proper name of the God of IsraelGodאֱלֹהִ֔ים(’ĕ·lō·hîm)Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430:gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlativealso said,וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙(way·yō·mer)Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559:To utter, say“[It is] notלֹא־(lō-)Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808:Not, nogoodט֛וֹב(ṭō·wḇ)Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2896:Pleasant, agreeable, goodfor the manהָֽאָדָ֖ם(hā·’ā·ḏām)Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120:Ruddy, a human beingto beהֱי֥וֹת(hĕ·yō·wṯ)Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 1961:To fall out, come to pass, become, bealone.לְבַדּ֑וֹ(lə·ḇad·dōw)Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 905:Separation, a part of the body, branch of a, tree, bar for, carrying, chief ofI will makeאֶֽעֱשֶׂהּ־(’e·‘ĕ·śeh-)Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 6213:To do, makefor himלּ֥וֹ(lōw)Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrewa suitableכְּנֶגְדּֽוֹ׃(kə·neḡ·dōw)Preposition-k | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5048:A front, part opposite, a counterpart, mate, over against, beforehelper.”עֵ֖זֶר(‘ê·zer)Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5828:A help, helper
Links
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OT Law: Genesis 2:18 Yahweh God said It is not good (Gen. Ge Gn) 
