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Myles Coverdale Bible

Genesis 2:18

And the LORDE God sayde: It is not good yt ma shulde be alone. I wil make him an helpe, to beare him copany.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Adam;   God;   Wife;   Women;   Scofield Reference Index - Deity;   Eight Covenants;   Thompson Chain Reference - Association-Separation;   Associations;   Co-Operation;   Companionship;   Unity-Strife;   Wives;   Women;   The Topic Concordance - Creation;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Man;   Marriage;   Woman;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Eve;   Marriage;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Adam;   Eve;   Fornication;   Marriage;   Women;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Abortion;   Adam;   Eve;   Fulfillment;   God;   Head, Headship;   Marriage;   Sexuality, Human;   Teach, Teacher;   Woman;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Covenant;   Law;   Marriage;   Sabbath;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Help-Meet;   Marriage;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Creation;   Ethics;   Fall;   Genesis;   Gift, Giving;   Helpmeet;   Image of God;   Marriage;   Sex, Biblical Teaching on;   Tree of Life;   Woman;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Adam;   Eden, Garden of;   Ethics;   Generation;   Hexateuch;   Man;   Marriage;   Woman;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Marriage;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Adam;   Eve;   Marriage;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Garden of Eden;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Anthropology;   Eve, in the Old Testament;   Good;   Help;   Marriage;   Polygamy;   Woman;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Adam;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Aquila (Βλώμβσ);   Köcher, Hermann Friedrich;   Marriage;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for July 12;   Today's Word from Skip Moen - Devotion for June 24;  

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
The LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."
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.
Lexham English Bible
Then Yahweh God said, "it is not good that the man is alone. I will make for him a helper as his counterpart."
New Century Version
Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is right for him."
New English Translation
The Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him."
Amplified Bible
Now the LORD God said, "It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [one who balances him—a counterpart who is] suitable and complementary for him."
New American Standard Bible
Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."
Geneva Bible (1587)
Also the Lorde God saide, It is not good that the man should be himself alone: I wil make him an helpe meete for him.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Yahweh God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."
Contemporary English Version
The Lord God said, "It isn't good for the man to live alone. I need to make a suitable partner for him."
Complete Jewish Bible
Adonai , God, said, "It isn't good that the person should be alone. I will make for him a companion suitable for helping him."
Darby Translation
And Jehovah Elohim said, It is not good that Man should be alone; I will make him a helpmate, his like.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then the Lord God said, "I see that it is not good for the man to be alone. I will make the companion he needs, one just right for him."
English Standard Version
Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."
George Lamsa Translation
Then the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper who is like him.
Good News Translation
Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to live alone. I will make a suitable companion to help him."
Christian Standard Bible®
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.”
Literal Translation
And Jehovah God said, It is not good, the man being alone. I will make a helper suited to him.
American Standard Version
And Jehovah God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.
Bible in Basic English
And the Lord God said, It is not good for the man to be by himself: I will make one like himself as a help to him
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the Lord God sayde: It is not good yt the man should be alone, I wyll make hym an helpe lyke vnto hym.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And the LORD God said: 'It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.'
King James Version (1611)
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone: I will make him an helpe meet for him.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone, let us make for him a help suitable to him.
English Revised 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.
Berean Standard Bible
The LORD God also said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the Lord God seide, It is not good that a man be aloone, make we to hym an help lijk to hym silf.
Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah God saith, `Not good for the man to be alone, I do make to him an helper -- as his counterpart.'
Webster's Bible Translation
And the LORD God said, [It is] not good that the man should be alone: I will make him a help meet for him.
World English Bible
Yahweh God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."
New King James Version
And the LORD God said, "It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."
New Living Translation
Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him."
New Life Bible
Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper that is right for him."
New Revised Standard
Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Yahweh God said, It is, not good, that the man should remain alone, - I will make for him a helper as his counterpart.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And the Lord God said: It is not good for man to be alone: let us make him a help like unto himself.
Revised Standard Version
Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him."
Update Bible Version
And Yahweh God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make a matching helper for him.
THE MESSAGE
God said, "It's not good for the Man to be alone; I'll make him a helper, a companion." So God formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them. Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name. The Man named the cattle, named the birds of the air, named the wild animals; but he didn't find a suitable companion.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."

Contextual Overview

18 And the LORDE God sayde: It is not good yt ma shulde be alone. I wil make him an helpe, to beare him copany. 19 And whan God the LORDE had made of the earth all maner beastes of the felde, & all maner foules vnder the heaue, he brought them vnto man, to se what he wolde call the: For as ma called all maner of liuinge soules, so are their names. 20 And man gaue names vnto all maner catell, & vnto the foules vnder the heaue, and vnto all maner beastes of ye felde. But vnto man there was founde no helpe, to beare him company.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

good: Genesis 1:31, Genesis 3:12, Ruth 3:1, Proverbs 18:22, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, 1 Corinthians 7:36

I will: Genesis 3:12, 1 Corinthians 11:7-12, 1 Timothy 2:11-13, 1 Peter 3:7

meet for him: Heb. as before him

Reciprocal: Genesis 2:20 - but Genesis 4:19 - two wives Psalms 115:12 - the house of Israel Ecclesiastes 4:8 - one Malachi 2:14 - thy companion Matthew 19:10 - General John 2:1 - a marriage 1 Corinthians 11:9 - the man 1 Timothy 2:13 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 1:31
And God behelde all yt he had made, and lo, they were exceadinge good. Then of the euenynge and mornynge was made the sixte daye.
Genesis 2:7
And ye LORDE God shope man eue of the moulde of the earth, & brethed in to his face ye breth of life. And so was man made a lyuynge soule.
Genesis 2:9
And the LORDE God caused to sprynge out of the earth all maner trees, pleasaut to loke vpo, and good to eate: and the tre of life in the myddest of the garden, and the tre of knowlege of good and euell.
Genesis 2:11
The first is called Phison, which renneth aboute all the londe of Heuyla.
Genesis 2:12
And there is founde golde, (& the golde of that countre is precious,) and there is founde Bedellion, and the precious stone Onix.
Genesis 2:13
The second water is called Gihon, which runneth aboute the whole londe of ye Morias.
Genesis 3:12
Then sayde Adam: The woman which thou gauest me (to beare me company) gaue me of the tre, and I ate.
Ruth 3:1
And Naemi hir mother in lawe sayde vnto her: My doughter, I wyll prouyde rest for the, that thou maiest prospere.
Proverbs 18:22
Who so fyndeth a wife fyndeth a good thynge, & receaueth an wholsome benefite of the LORDE.
1 Corinthians 7:36
But yf eny man thinke that it is vncomly for his virgin yf she passe the tyme of mariage, and if nede so requyre, let him do what he lyst, he synneth not, let the be coupled in mariage.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Lord God said,.... Not at the same time he gave the above direction and instruction to man, how to behave according to his will, but before that, even at the time of the formation of Adam and which he said either to him, or with himself: it was a purpose or determination in his own mind, and may be rendered, as it is by many, he "had said" b, on the sixth day, on which man was created,

[it is] not good that man should be alone; not pleasant and comfortable to himself, nor agreeable to his nature, being a social creature; nor useful to his species, not being able to propagate it; nor so much for the glory of his Creator:

I will made him an help meet for him; one to help him in all the affairs of life, not only for the propagation of his species, but to provide things useful and comfortable for him; to dress his food, and take care of the affairs of the family; one "like himself" c, in nature, temper, and disposition, in form and shape; or one "as before him" d, that would be pleasing to his sight, and with whom he might delightfully converse, and be in all respects agreeable to him, and entirely answerable to his case and circumstances, his wants and wishes.

b ויאמר "dixerat", Vatablus, Drusius, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. c כנגדו "simile sibi", V. L. Sam. Syr. d "Tanquam coram eo", Montanus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

- XIII. The Naming of the Animals

Here man’s intellectual faculties proceed from the passive and receptive to the active and communicative stage. This advance is made in the review and designation of the various species of animals that frequent the land and skies.

A new and final need of man is stated in Genesis 2:18. The Creator himself, in whose image he was made, had revealed himself to him in language. This, among many other effects, awakened the social affection. This affection was the index of social capacity. The first step towards communication between kindred spirits was accomplished when Adam heard and understood spoken language. Beyond all this God knew what was in the man whom he had formed. And he expresses this in the words, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” He is formed to be social, to hold converse, not only with his superior, but also with his equal. As yet he is but a unit, an individual. He needs a mate, with whom he may take sweet counsel. And the benevolent Creator resolves to supply this want. “I will make him a helpmeet for him” - one who may not only reciprocate his feelings, but take an intelligent and appropriate part in his active pursuits.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Genesis 2:18. It is not good that the man should be alone — לבדו lebaddo; only himself. I will make him a help meet for him; עזר כנגדו ezer kenegdo, a help, a counterpart of himself, one formed from him, and a perfect resemblance of his person. If the word be rendered scrupulously literally, it signifies one like, or as himself, standing opposite to or before him. And this implies that the woman was to be a perfect resemblance of the man, possessing neither inferiority nor superiority, but being in all things like and equal to himself. As man was made a social creature, it was not proper that he should be alone; for to be alone, i.e. without a matrimonial companion, was not good. Hence we find that celibacy in general is a thing that is not good, whether it be on the side of the man or of the woman. Men may, in opposition to the declaration of God, call this a state of excellence and a state of perfection; but let them remember that the word of God says the reverse.


 
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