 | The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." |
 | And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. |
 | Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." |
| Genesis 2:18 |
Commentary
God did not want Adam to be lonely, so He fashioned a helper comparable to him. This phrase indicates that this helper (or partner) would be truly fitting and fully adequate-just right. Some have thought that the term is demeaning, but it simply means "one who helps," and in fact is used to describe God when He comes to our aid (Pss. 33:20; 115:9, 10, 11). It does not refer to someone who is secondary or inferior.
Did you know?
Man needs companionship on earth. In the Old Testament the most holy person, the high priest, marries (Lev. 21:13), and the Nazirite, uniquely set apart to God, is not celibate (Num. 6:1-4). Abstention from lawful marriage is never commanded in Scripture (cf. 1 Tim. 4:3), although some are given the gift of celibacy for service (1 Cor. 7:7).
Whitlock, L. G., Sproul, R. C., Waltke, B. K., & Silva, M. (1995). Reformation study Bible, the : Bringing the light of the Reformation to Scripture : New King James Version. Includes index. (Ge 2:18). Nashville: T. Nelson.