Genesis 2:21-22

2:21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, ¹  and while he was asleep, ²  he took part of the man’s side ³  and closed up the place with flesh. ⁴  2:22 Then the Lord God made ⁵  a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

[2:21]  ¹ tn Heb “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man.”

[2:21]  ² tn Heb “and he slept.” In the sequence the verb may be subordinated to the following verb to indicate a temporal clause (“while…”).

[2:21]  ³ tn Traditionally translated “rib,” the Hebrew word actually means “side.” The Hebrew text reads, “and he took one from his sides,” which could be rendered “part of his sides.” That idea may fit better the explanation by the man that the woman is his flesh and bone.

[2:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “closed up the flesh under it.”

[2:22]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew verb is בָּנָה (banah, “to make, to build, to construct”). The text states that the Lord God built the rib into a woman. Again, the passage gives no indication of precisely how this was done.