Genesis 2:22-25
22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.
23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
Welcome back to the Garden of Eden. This lesson will examine the woman and the meaning of “one flesh.” The marriage of Adam and Eve is the first “marriage” recorded in scripture, and as such, it is worth investigating.
In our day and age, the institute of marriage is under severe attack. It is being redefined and its worth is being called into question. More and more people are starting families without seeing a need to be married. The result of this shift away from marriage is having a devastating effect on our society. Survey data indicates that married couples, on average, report more happiness, build more wealth, live longer, and raise more successful children than single parents or cohabiting couples. However, plenty of exceptions exist.1 Yet people don’t care. Why is this happening? What is behind the rejection of the institute of marriage?
Genesis 2:22a
And the rib that the Lord God
As we learned in our last lesson, the word rib (tsela) means side, not rib.2 The word does not mean a human rib bone. There was no word in ancient Hebrew for rib, rib bone, or rib cage. There is a word for bone, but Moses did not use it in this verse. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (TWOT) defines tsela with three possible definitions:
- is used once for a man's side,
- and once for the side of a hill,
- elsewhere it is an architectural term.3
Concerning the first possible definition, TWOT explains that tsela can mean that God took a good portion of Adam’s side since the man considers the woman to be bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh.
4 The problem is that tsela is never again translated as rib in the Old Testament. Concerning the second possible definition, TWOT explains that tsela can mean a side of a hill or perhaps a ridge or terrace.
5 Concerning the third definition, the word tsela was used to describe the sides of the Ark of the Covenant, the sides of the Tabernacle, and the sides of the temple.6 If we keep the word tsela in context with how it is utilized throughout the OT, then God did not take one of Adam’s ribs, he took a whole side. But what does it mean that he took a whole side?
The word tsela is used consistently in the OT to describe the four sides of a building or thing. From a Jewish perspective, Rabbi Rosenfeld wrote that tsela should never be interpreted as a human rib in the Old Testament since its primary use refers to the side of a building, structure, or object.7 Therefore, we must divide Adam into 4 sides
: front, back, left, and right. We have no idea which side God chose to use. As we’ll discover in our next verse, there was enough of Adam in Eve for Adam to recognize himself in her. Think about it: How would Adam have recognized his rib in Eve if that had been all God had used?
The combined phrase YHWH Elohim (Lord God) emphasizes a personal yet benevolent God. First, YHWH is a proper noun, the personal name of God. Second, Elohim is a common noun used to refer to a deity. The name YHWH cannot be readily interpreted.8 Because the context looks backward and forward, it is legitimate to translate it as I am who I am.
In other words, God declares, I was God, I will be God, and I always and forever am God.
9 One of the best explanations I have found came from Chaim Bentorah. It is as follows:
There is the story in the Talmud of a king who received two very fine pieces of glassware. They were so fragile that the king despaired and said: “If I put hot water in the glass it will crack, but if I put cold water in the glass it will also crack. So what did he do? He mixed the hot with the cold and poured it into the glass. Thus God knew that if He created the world with the Attribute of Mercy it would not stand, if He created the world with the Attribute of Justice it would not stand. And so he created the world as Jehovah (Lord) for Mercy and Elohim (God) for Justice. The word Jehovah or YHWH is in a feminine form and thus represents the feminine attributes of God such as mercy, caring, loving, nurturing and compassion. The word Elohim is in a masculine form and thus carries the masculine attributes of justice, protection, provision, and discipline.10
By joining YHWH with Elohim, the author conjoins the concept of a personal God who rules over Israel and is at the same time the universal God (Elohim) who rules over all.11
Genesis 2:22b
… had taken from the man he made into a woman …
The word made (בָּנָה - banah Strong’s H1129) means to build, construct.
12 It is an architectural word. In the Old Testament (OT) this word is used when discussing the building of the Ark of the Covenant, the Tabernacle, the Temple, and all sorts of buildings. In the OT it is almost always translated as to build.
Unlike Adam, Eve was not shaped or formed from dirt but built or fashioned from Adam's side. Just as construction materials are required to make a house, Adam's side became the materials God used to construct Eve. Every time Adam looked at Eve, he saw God's provision for the one thing he lacked: a suitable companion. Both Adam and Eve were formed
from existing material. God formed Adam from the dust of the earth and built Eve from Adam's side. Unlike the humanity spoken into existence in Genesis 1:26, Adam and Eve were hand-made by God, giving them a personal touch.
The word woman (אִשָּׁה - ishshah Strong’s H802) means woman, female, wife.
13 The word is used throughout the OT and its translation depends upon context. The word does not just refer to human females. The OT also uses the word to refer to the mate
of a male animal. It is, therefore, a multi-use word. In the OT, this word is translated as wife
over 150 times. Translating this word as wife
in verse 22 would be in context.
Genesis 2:22c
… and brought her to the man.
I find it interesting that Adam was not in the place where God made the woman. After anesthetizing
Adam, God took Adam’s side someplace else where he constructed Eve. After creating Eve, God then brought her back to where Adam was. God could have built Eve right where Adam lay in his deep sleep. She would have been right there when Adam woke up. But that’s not how God did it.
God wanted Eve to make a dramatic entrance. (Apparently, God likes drama.) God waited until Adam was awake and then personally walked Eve to Adam, like a father would walk his daughter down the aisle to the groom waiting by the alter. (Keep in mind that the garden is a type of temple.)
Genesis 2:23a
Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;
The phrase at last is not in the original Hebrew. I have no idea why the ESV saw fit to include those words. The word this (Strong’s H2063) is a pronoun that could easily be translated as this one
or she is.
14 Grammatically, it would make more sense to translate the word as she.
The phrase bone of my bones is the Hebrew word (עֶצֶם - etsem Strong’s H6106) used twice. The word means bone, substance, self.
15 Literally, it denotes the physical bones of humans and animals. Metaphorically, it can signify strength, essence, or the very substance of something.16 The 2nd estem has the prefix (מ) (letter m
) in front, which adds the word from.
It also has the suffix (י) (letter yod), which adds the phrase of me.
the two words together mean bone from my bones.
it could also mean substance from my substance.
The phrase flesh of my flesh is the Hebrew word (בָּשָׂר - basar Strong’s H1320) being used twice. (There sure are a lot of words being used twice in chapter 2.) The word is being used as a noun; as such, it means skin, flesh, body.
17 It doesn’t simply refer to the skin but includes the meat
going all the way down to the bones.
There was no doubt in Adam’s mind where Eve came from: she came from him. The phrase bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh could be translated as: substance of my bones and flesh of my body. Adam immediately recognized himself in Eve. The word bones is plural (meaning more than just a rib
). In essence, he was saying, She is me!
Genesis 2:23b
she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
The word she (Strong’s H2063) was translated as this
in the 1st part of the verse but is now (correctly) translated as she in the 2nd half. The word called (קָרָא - qara - Strong’s H7121) means to proclaim, to invoke, to be named.
18 The word is typically connected with the idea of naming.
The word woman (אִשָּׁה - ishshah Strong’s H802) being used again, which, as we previously learned, means woman, female, wife.
It is interesting to note that this word (ish-shaw) is not the same word that was used on day 6 when God created humanity (males and females). The plural word for female used on day 6 is neqebah (Strong’s H5347). There is a clear delineation between Eve, whom God constructed, and the females that God spoke into existence. Also, the word used on day 6 cannot be translated as wife.
It is safe to say that it is God who develops a woman into a wife.
The phrase taken out (לָקַח - laqach Strong’s H3947) means to take from/out of.
19 We think of take
as an aggressive action, but this is not so in Hebrew. Also, and perhaps most importantly, laqach emphasizes the initiating responsibility of the subject, not the result for the object.20 What this means in our verse is that the action is all about God’s initiative, not about the results for the Man.
The word man (אישׁ - ish - Strong’s H376) can translated as man, male, husband
and contrasts primarily the concept of man as an individual.21 We could easily translate this portion as she shall be called wife, because she was taken out of husband. Both ways are correct. (As a side note, the word adam, which is not used in this verse, means “man, mankind, or humanity.”)
Genesis 2:24
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife …
This verse is viewed by many theologians as a reflective, or editorial comment
22 by Moses to indicate that the concept of marriage came from God and was, therefore, not a man-made institution. The word man is the word ish being used again. In the context of this verse, translating this word as husband makes sense. He leaves his father and mother to do something. The word leave (Strong’s H5800) means to forsake, abandon, leave.
23 A man’s duty is to forsake
his parents in the sense that he transfers his loyalty from them to his wife. Providing, living with, and caring for her must be a priority in his life over doing the same for his parents.
The phrase hold fast (Strong’s H1692 Hebrew word dabaq) means to cleave, or to cling to, or to keep close.
24 In other words, holding on for dear life and not letting go. Unfortunately, in English, cleave means the exact opposite of what it does/did in ancient Hebrew. In English, cleave means to separate or divide, or cause something to separate or divide, often violently.
25 In ancient Hebrew, cleave meant to glue, to adhere, to join, to stick.
26) The ESV hold fast is very good way to translate this word. In a manner speaking, the husband was to leave his parents and super glue himself to his wife.
Wife is the Hebrew word ishshah being used again. Here, it is translated as wife instead of woman. Either way of translating it is correct, but once again, wife is in context with the passage.
24b
… and they shall become one flesh.
In this verse, we find God putting back together what he took apart. Not only did God restore Adam’s flesh and bones, but now he is making both Adam and Eve complete by making the two one. What does that mean? Eve was constructed from Adam’s side (v.21) and came from his flesh and bones. It is at the presentation of her to him by God as the companion ally
(v.20b) and equal
that Adam acknowledges that she (as an individual herself) is considered bone and flesh of his. Adam utilized the literal facts of her creation as a foundation for making a figurative reference to their relationship as two individuals. In doing so, it is an acknowledgment of the unity of the companionship he was to have with her. They would function together as companions but in perfect harmony as if
they were one flesh, one being. The two were to be as if they were one flesh, one being. In modern terms, this represents the oneness we experience with Christ when we get saved.
The word become (Strong’s H1961 Hebrew word hayah) is the verb to be.
The word can also be translated as to become
or to exist.
27 What makes hayah interesting in this verse is that it has the prefix letter waw (ו), which means and
along with the suffix letters waw yod (יו) which means their
(and become their). This makes the word rather confusing in English. It is like saying, they became them.
That, however, is the context of the verse. Two individuals unite together into one without losing their individuality.
The word flesh is the Hebrew word basar (Strong’s H1320) being used again. The word picture is of two persons fused together to become one person (they became them), while retaining their individuality.
25
And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.
This verse is almost a side note. It is like the author is saying, Oh, by the way….
This statement is significant or would not be part of the text. What makes this verse important is the detail about no shame. Why is that important? It is important because of where shame comes from and what causes shame.
The word naked (Strong’s H6174 Hebrew word arom צָרוֹם) is used in the OT to designate both physical and spiritual nakedness.28 Physical nakedness means precisely what you think it does. Spiritual nakedness refers to a fully open, undefiled, transparent relationship with God.
The word ashamed (Strong’s H954 Hebrew word buwsh בּוּשׁ) means to act shamefully, become anxious, be disappointed.
29 What is shame? The primary meaning of this word is to fall into disgrace, normally through failure, either of self or of an object of trust.
30 I’ll give you my definition, which is probably not in any dictionary. Shame is the awareness that my actions did not give God pleasure and went against his nature and his will. Unfortunately, it is possible to do things that go against God's nature, morals, and will enough times to dull the conscience to the point where shame is no longer experienced.
Adam and Eve were stewards in God’s garden (a type of temple), doing what God designed them to do, gloriously unaware of themselves while fulfilling their purpose in God. At this point, their focus was on God and doing his will.
Final thoughts
God transformed one of Adam’s sides into Eve, who was very similar to Adam yet wholly different. The famous phrase and God said
was not used with either Adam or Eve. They were both hand-made, demonstrating God’s intimate relationship with them. Adam, made from dust, was shaped from the outside in. Eve, being made from Adam was constructed from the inside out. (Try wrapping your brain around that.)
From this point forward, the Bible will construct a road that winds its way through history to the cross. That road starts in a garden and ends at a hill just outside Jerusalem used for public executions. Adam, in his sin, took the first step, but approximately 4000 years later, his distant descendent, Jesus, in his lack of sin, would take the last step. Chapter 3 explains why that journey was necessary.
The devil hates marriage and does everything he can to destroy it or keep couples out of it. The devil hates marriage as God designed it because it is a reflection of Christ’s love for the Church and of the self-giving love of the Trinity. Keep in mind that the devil attacks marriage because God designed it, and he hates God more than anything. Any time the devil can destroy a marriage, he sees it as a win
against God. Any time the devil can convince a couple to live together and not get married, he sees it as a win
against God. As Christians, we need to realize that marriages are/can be a spiritual battleground. The devil will convince people that their spouse is an enemy. If we could see who the real enemy is, we might save more marriages. Unfortunately, we often let the devil bring the fight to us instead of uniting and taking the battle to him. What do you think might have happened if Adam and Eve had united and fought back? Things that make you go hmmm….
Below is how I would personally translate the scriptures covered in this article:
Genesis 2:22-25
22 And the side that the Lord God had taken from the man he constructed into a wife and brought her to the husband.
23 Then the man said, “She is the substance of my bones and meat of my body; she shall be called female, because she was taken out of male.”
24 Therefore a husband shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
25 And the man and his wife were unimpaired in their relationship with God for they had not sinned.
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