And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
What does Genesis 2:23 mean?
Power over the creatures was given to man, and as a proof of this he named them all. It also shows his insight into the works of God.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Genesis 2:21-25 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Genesis 2:23
Whether the primeval man was conscious of the change in himself, and of the work of the Supreme Being while it was going on, or received supernatural information of the event when he awoke, does not appear. But he is perfectly aware of the nature of her who now for the first time appears before his eyes. This is evinced in his speech on beholding her: "This, now" - in contrast with the whole animal creation just before presented to his view, in which he had failed to find a helpmeet for him - "is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh;" whence we perceive that the rib included both bone and flesh.
Key words
- said
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And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh,.
- bones
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And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh,.
- flesh
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And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh,.
Context in Genesis 2
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Genesis 2 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as primeval history from creation to Babel. Genesis opens the whole Bible with creation, fall, flood, Babel, and the long patriarchal story that carries the reader from Eden to Egypt. Read this chapter with the wider themes of creation, fall, and covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
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A collection of passages on hope under pressure, future inheritance, resurrection expectation, and confidence in God’s final faithfulness.