Genesis 2:18

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. ¹  I will make a companion ²  for him who corresponds to him.” ³ 

biblegateway Gen 2:18

The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

biblegateway Gen 2:18

Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."

biblegateway Gen 2:18

And the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion who will help him."

biblegateway Gen 2:18

GOD said, "It's not good for the Man to be alone; I'll make him a helper, a companion."

SABDAweb Gen 2:18

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

bibleoremus Gen 2:18

Then the LORD God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner."

biblegateway Gen 2:18

And the LORD God said, " It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him."

biblegateway Gen 2:18

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. ¹  I will make a companion ²  for him who corresponds to him.” ³ 

¹ tn Heb “The being of man by himself is not good.” The meaning of “good” must be defined contextually. Within the context of creation, in which God instructs humankind to be fruitful and multiply, the man alone cannot comply. Being alone prevents the man from fulfilling the design of creation and therefore is not good.

² tn Traditionally “helper.” The English word “helper,” because it can connote so many different ideas, does not accurately convey the connotation of the Hebrew word עֵזֶר (’ezer). Usage of the Hebrew term does not suggest a subordinate role, a connotation which English “helper” can have. In the Bible God is frequently described as the “helper,” the one who does for us what we cannot do for ourselves, the one who meets our needs. In this context the word seems to express the idea of an “indispensable companion.” The woman would supply what the man was lacking in the design of creation and logically it would follow that the man would supply what she was lacking, although that is not stated here. See further M. L. Rosenzweig, “A Helper Equal to Him,” Jud 139 (1986): 277-80.

³ tn The Hebrew expression כְּנֶגְדּוֹ (kÿnegdo) literally means “according to the opposite of him.” Translations such as “suitable [for]” (NASB, NIV), “matching,” “corresponding to” all capture the idea. (Translations that render the phrase simply “partner” [cf. NEB, NRSV], while not totally inaccurate, do not reflect the nuance of correspondence and/or suitability.) The man’s form and nature are matched by the woman’s as she reflects him and complements him. Together they correspond. In short, this prepositional phrase indicates that she has everything that God had invested in him.