Genesis 2 18-25
We are in the first toldot of Genesis which is what became of the heavens and the earth and extends from Gen 2:4 through 4:26.
We have been in chapter 2, in which God does four things:
- He creates Man in 2:4-7.
- He describes and then places man in the Garden of Eden, 2:8-14.
- He outlines further responsibilities of the Edenic Covenant in 2:15-17.
- And lastly He creates the Woman in 2:18-25.
So let us read the text,
The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” 19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals. But for Adam[f] no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[g] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[h] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 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.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
In describing the creation of the woman, an old rabbinic saying goes like this; God did not want to make the woman out of Adam’s head so that she should not be proud. Not from his eye lest she should have a roving eye. Not from his ear lest she would want to hear everything. Not from his mouth lest she should talk too much. Not from his heart lest she should become envious. Not from his hand lest she would want to grasp everything. Not from his feet lest she would be footloose. Therefore, God made woman from the side of man which does not show, even when a man is naked. And even though God took all these precautions, it did not help.
I do not think this is the real story, but it is a good introduction to our study this morning. Gen 2:18-25 records the account of the why and the how of the woman’s creation. We start with verse 18a.
The Creation of Woman, 2:18-25.
Vs 18a, Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.
The verse starts with a Divine declaration. It is not good for the man to be alone. Through chapter one everything God made, He declared good. This is the first time God surveys what He has made and says something is not good. This is not good in a moral sense, rather the word good here has the idea of completeness, fitting, or appropriateness. We use this definition all the time. Something is not good because it remains incomplete: it is not good that the lawn is half mowed, or your homework is only partially done, or the house is only half cleaned. These are things that are not good because they are incomplete. Comparing what God said in chapter one we see what is not good, or what is not complete. The heavens without the luminaries and without birds is not complete. The seas without fish is incomplete. The land without plants and animals is not complete, and similarly man alone is not complete.
Vs 18b, I will make a helper who is just right for him.”
The Hebrew words for helper and just right for him, incorporates the following range of meanings; a helper who corresponds to him, a helper who completes him, or a helper who is his opposite or counterpart. It means all three. It is not a demeaning term in any way, rather it expresses the idea that the woman completes what is lacking in the man. I can see all you men out there saying well I do not need any completing. Oh yes you do, for usually in a marriage one is organized, meticulous, and has diligence. The other is creative, may be a bit more casual, and is more relaxed about things. One is prompt, the other tardy; one is outgoing, the other reclusive; one worries, the other is carefree.
But this idea of helper or being a compliment is more than just traits. It means she corresponds to the man physically, socially, mentally, and spiritually.
Physically, in that without a woman the man cannot be fruitful and multiply. It works the other way as well.
Socially, in that God saw the man was alone. This means man was created for social contact, and the woman was the one God designed to fulfill that social connection.
Mentally, as they were charged together to subdue the earth, have dominion over the animals and jointly tend the garden. She was to function as his partner. That means she had ideas that were as valid as his as to how to do it.
Spiritually in that they both fed off the tree of life God had given them, and were to enjoy His presence and be jointly responsible for the responsibilities God gave them.
Note that after God says this verse (I will make a helper who is just right for him), you would think God would now create Eve for Adam. But no, just as we get to the creation of the woman, we take a little detour noted in verse 19 and 20.
Vs 19 and 20, So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man[c] to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.
There are five things to note here.
First, God made the animals and birds from the same material as he made man. We (animals and mankind) are all dust.
Second, God had to bring all the wild animals and the birds to him because they were not all residents of the Garden. In verse 20a livestock (which means domesticated animals) are mentioned, but they were not brought, so we can assume they were already residents of the garden.
Third, By naming the animals, Adam exercised the dominion granted to him in Gen 1:28 when God said, Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground. The ability to name, or rename, is to exercise dominion and authority. Pharaoh exercised dominion over Judah when he renamed King Eliakim, King Jehoiakim (2 K 23:34). Nebuchadnezzar exercised dominion over Judah when he changed the name of King Mattaniah to King Zedekiah (2 K 24:17). So, it is here. Adam exercises dominion over the earth by naming the animals. Three categories of animals are listed, livestock, which are domesticated animals, the birds of the sky, and the wild animals.
Fourth, To name the animals meant that Adam had a language to speak which he used to name them. Most scholars agree this was Hebrew as all the words used in Genesis before the Tower of Babel in Gen 12 have meanings only in Hebrew (Note, non-Hebrew words appear only after Babel and start in Gen 14 with the account of the battle of the nine kings).
Fifth, in vs 20b, we are given the reason God gave us this little detour, and the reason for the exercise of naming the animals. God wanted to show Adam that nothing in the animal kingdom would complete him. So now we are ready for the creation of Eve which is found in verse 21-22.
Verse 21 and 22 record the world’s first operation and its result. Note, it had a fantastic anesthesiologist. There is immediate anesthesia and no after effects. There is also an amazing surgeon who was able to make an operation with no scar, and provide for an immediate recovery. But I want you to note there has been a lot of debate regarding the value of the outcome.
Vs 21a, So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep.
Vs 21a describes the anesthesia of this operation. The Hebrew word for deep sleep, is a unique word used only of God who imposes a deep sleep upon someone. We will see it again in Gen 15, when God makes a covenant with Abraham (see also 1 Sam 26:12, Job 4:13, Job 33:15, Prov 19:5 , Is 29:10).
Vs 21b, While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs[d] and closed up the opening.
Verse 21b describes the operation. God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening. The Hebrew word, tzeila, translated as rib, is better translated as side. Eve was formed from something out of Adam’s side. We do not know what but in vs 23, Adam states she is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh. So, we can infer God took some bone and flesh from Adam’s side and formed woman with it. Note, the phrase closed up the opening, implies immediate healing. There was no scar, and no recovery time.
Vs 22, Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.
Verse 22 describes what God made out of whatever he pulled from Adam’s side. He made woman. The Hebrew word for made is banah, which means to build or construct. This event is also reinforced in the New Testament as 1 Tim 2:13, For God made Adam first, and afterward He made Eve, and 1 Cor 11:8, For the first man did not come from woman, but the first woman came from man, and man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man.
That the woman came from man, has implications for how God ordained authority to operate within the institution of marriage and family; I will chose not get into this subject as yet, but will discuss it when we get to Genesis 3.
Note also, God brought the woman to man. She was a gift of God to him. This pattern is also noted in Gen 24 when God brings Rebekah to Isaac. Two points of application here. First to you single men. Do not fret about getting a wife. Be the man God wants you to be and if it is God’s will, He will bring you one. The second point is to you husbands; and that is do you see your wife as God’s gift to you? Do you tell her she is the best thing that ever happened to you?
Vs 23, 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.”
Verse 23 records Adam’s response. The man said. Note, these words will be the first words of Adam that are recorded. He recognizes the woman as from himself as he says, this is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. There is a word play here in Hebrew as the word for woman in Hebrew is isha while the word for man is ish. Isha comes from ish, just as woman comes from man. This word play only makes sense in Hebrew and is another reason scholars believe the original language Adam knew was Hebrew.
Note, the woman was taken from man, then built for man, then was given to man, then was named by man. Here again, Adam is exercising his right of dominion by naming her woman. It is again evidence that God established man’s headship over the woman before the fall. (this idea of headship is more fully developed in 1 Cor 11:2-16, 14:34-35, Eph 5:21-33, 1 Tim 2:8-15, and 1 P 3:1-6; but this topic needs its own time of explanation and is beyond our focus today).
One last observation. We are not told how old the man and the woman appeared at this day of creation. It is not given, but it appears they were created as adults as vs 25 states they were naked and unashamed, and they were prepared and charged to work the garden.
Vs 24, That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
In verse 24, God, through Moses, now introduces one of the elements of what theologians call “The Divine Institutions”. Divine Institutions are fundamental elements, or building blocks upon which mankind builds relationships and societies. What are these elements? They are Marriage, Family, Individual accountability or responsibility, Government, and Nationhood. Genesis will introduce all these elements as we go along.
Here in verse 24, Moses introduces the institution of marriage. In Gen 1:28, God instructed the man and woman to be fruitful and multiply. Now in Gen 2:24, God gives divine instructions for how Adam and Eve’s progeny were to organize themselves and disperse over the earth. And what they were to do was to get married and have kids.
Moses uses the principle of verse 22 and 23 and applies it to marriage. And what is that principle? It is simply this, that God created woman to be man’s compliment, that she would complete him, and together they form a unique and compound whole.
This is why a man leaves his father and mother. In a family relationship, the son is in subjection to his parents until he reaches such time as he becomes an independent agent, physically, morally, socially, and economically, so as an adult he now honors his parents, but is no longer in subjection to them, or under their dominion. Because marriage is a new and binding relationship, the man must leave the dominion of his parents, and establish a new dominion with his wife. He must mentally, emotionally, and economically leave them. It is now with his wife that he seeks companionship, emotional support, and economic opportunities. The word leave is also translated as forsake. This is not a negative term, rather it emphasizes leaving to start something new.
And is united to his wife. The word united literally means to stick like glue. Note it is the man who is to stick to the woman. Men sometimes have a way of wanting to use Teflon or oil rather than glue when they get married. Glue is a good word here for the idea is for men to leave their parents –do not be stuck to them –get glued to your wife.
And they become one flesh. The Hebrew word one has both the meaning of one and a compound one. It is also used in Deut 6:4, Hear oh Israel the Lord our God is one. God is three persons, yet one. So it is in marriage, it is a compound one made of two people. Now note, this union is mediated by sexual intercourse. They unite and become one through physical union.
Vs 25, Adam, and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
The section ends with a declaration of innocence. Both Adam and the woman were naked before one another and not ashamed. There was no shame because shame is a function of sin and sin had not yet occurred. This is the only place in the Old Testament that nakedness is viewed positively. All other listings of the word are in the negative because they occur after the fall.
It is interesting that in Heb 4:12 and 13, we are described as naked before the Word of God as it exposes all of the thoughts and intents of the human heart. As verse 13 says, Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. The good news is, as believers, we can stand naked before God, and be unashamed, because we have been cleaned with the blood of the lamb of God, the Lord Jesus, and are now clothed with His Righteousness.
