Bible Strands
Genesis 2:18
The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Yahweh God speaks after giving the command concerning the tree of knowledge and before forming the animals. The declaration addresses the man's isolated state within the created order.
The words — לֹא־טוֹב (lo'-tov) literally renders "not good," while לְ/בַדּ֑/וֹ (le./va.D/o) means "to/ only/ him," describing the man's solitude. The text uses these terms to mark the current condition as incomplete before divine intervention.
The thread — The necessity of human companionship reappears in Ecclesiastes 4:9 and Proverbs 18:22, both tying relational partnership to divine blessing. Paul references the creation sequence in 1 Corinthians 11:7 to establish distinct roles regarding the image and glory of God.
Why it lands — The passage asserts that solitary existence falls short of the created design and requires divine action to fulfill. It directs the reader to recognize human interdependence as a deliberate provision rather than a cultural accident.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Cross-references
- Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.
- Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.
- 1 Corinthians 11:7 A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man.
- 1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
- Ruth 3:1 One day Ruth’s mother-in-law Naomi said to her, “My daughter, should I not seek a resting place for you, that it may be well with you?
- 1 Timothy 2:11 A woman must learn in quietness and full submissiveness.
- Genesis 1:31 And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
- Genesis 3:12 And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
- 1 Corinthians 7:36 However, if someone thinks he is acting inappropriately toward his betrothed, and if she is beyond her youth and they ought to marry, let him do as he wishes; he is not sinning; they should get married.