What does Genesis 2:18-25 mean?

Genesis 2:18 Direct teaching

Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

Genesis 2:22 Direct teaching

Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

For with perfect propriety Scripture has said that woman is given by God as an help to man.

Aristides, The Apology Background

...s at the command of the one who controls them. For they were created by God for the sake of men: to meet the needs of trees, fruits, and seeds; to carry ships across the sea, ships that bring necessary things and goods for men from places where they are found to places where they are not found; and to govern the regions of the world. And as for the wind itself, at times it grows stronger and then becomes calm again. In one place it brings help, and in another it causes disaster, at the command of the one who rules it. Mankind also is able, by known means, to confine it and keep it in check, so that it may perform for them the service they require from it. And in itself it has no authority at all. Therefore, it is impossible that the winds should be called gods. Rather, they are a thing made by God.

Arnobius, Against the Heathen Background

... excellence is in us, that we look down on being counted among creatures? Their bodies are built on bones and held tightly together by sinews, and our bodies are built in the same way on bones and held tightly together by sinews. They breathe in air through their nostrils, and in breathing send it out again, and we likewise draw in the air and breathe it out in repeated breaths. They have been arranged into female and male, and we too have been formed by our Creator into the same sexes. Their young are born from the womb and are conceived through the union of the sexes, and we are born from sexual union and are brought forth and sent into life from our mothers' wombs. They are kept alive by eating and drinking, and they get rid of the waste that remains through the lower parts, and we are kept alive by eating and drinking, and what nature rejects we deal with in the same way. Their concern is to keep away death-bringing hunger, and by necessity to watch for food. What else is our goal in the business of life, which presses so heavily on us, except to seek the means by which the danger of starvation may be avoided and anxious worry put away? They are exposed to disease and hunger

Genesis 2:23 Direct teaching

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.”

Genesis 2:24 Direct teaching

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Direct teaching

Therefore said Adam to Eve, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.

Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Direct teaching

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Direct teaching

... God had taken from man, He made into a woman, and brought her to Adam. 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.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, Adam and his wife, and were not ashamed.”

Tatian, The Diatessaron Direct teaching

.... The Pharisees came to him to test him, and they asked him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" He said, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses allowed us, saying, Whoever wants to, let him write a certificate of divorce and divorce his wife." Jesus answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one body'? So they are no longer two, but one body. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate." Those Pharisees said to him, "Why then did Moses allow a man to give a certificate of divorce and divorce her?" Jesus said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts, Moses gave you permission to divorce your wives. But from the beginning it was not so. I say to you, whoever divorces his wife, except for fornication, and marries another, has exposed her to adultery." When he entered the house, his disciples asked him again about that. And he said to them, "Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another has exposed her to adultery. And any woman who leaves her

Origen, Commentary on Matthew Supporting witness

... male, and the second, the female. But also, if a man leaves his mother and his father, he does not cleave to the female, but to his own wife. And they become, since man and woman are one in flesh, one flesh. Then, describing what ought to be the case for those who are joined together by God, so that they may be joined together in a way worthy of God, the Savior adds, “So that they are no longer two.” Matthew 19:6 And wherever there is indeed concord, and unison, and harmony, between husband and wife, when he is ruler and she is obedient to the word, “He shall rule over you,” Genesis 3:16 then of such persons we may truly say, “They are no longer two.” Then, since it was necessary that for him who is joined to the Lord, it should be kept for him to become one spirit with Him, 1 Corinthians 6:17 in the case of those who are joined together by God, after the words, “So that they are no longer two,” it is said, “but one flesh.” And it is God who has joined the two into one so that they are no longer two, from the time that the woman is married to the man. And since God has joined them together, for this reason, in the case of those who are joined together by God, there is a gift. A

Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians Supporting witness

...vy has alienated wives from their husbands and changed that saying of our father Adam, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh.” Envy and strife have overthrown great cities and uprooted mighty nations.

Methodius, From the Discourse on the Resurrection Direct teaching

for when he saw the woman brought to him: This is now, he cried, Genesis 2:23-24 bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.

Peter of Alexandria, The Genuine Acts of Peter Direct teaching

And again: She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man.

Peter of Alexandria, The Genuine Acts of Peter Supporting witness

... it only once. Before these coats of skins were made, the first man himself admits that he has both bones and flesh. For when he saw the woman brought to him, he cried out, "This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh." And again, "She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man. For this cause a man shall leave his father" Genesis 2:23-24, "and be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh." For I cannot endure the foolish talk of some who shamelessly twist Scripture, so that their opinion may find support, namely, that the resurrection is without flesh. They imagine rational bones and flesh, and by allegory they change them back and forth in different ways. And Christ confirms that these things are to be taken as they are written. When the Pharisees asked Him about sending away a wife, He answered, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, 'For this cause a man shall leave his father,'" Matthew 19:4-5, and so on.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they two shall be one flesh.

Theophilus of Antioch, To Autolycus Supporting witness

...lso prophesied when he said, "For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they two shall be one flesh." This also is fulfilled in us. For who is there that marries lawfully and does not set aside mother and father, and his whole family connection, and all his household, while he holds fast to his own wife and becomes one with her, dearly preferring her? So it is that, for the sake of their wives, some even submit to death. This Eve, because in the beginning she was deceived by the serpent and became the cause of sin, is the name the wicked demon also uses for himself. He is also called Satan. He was the one who then spoke to her through the serpent, and he is still at work to this day in those men who are possessed by him, calling himself Eve. And he is called demon and dragon because of his revolting from God. For at first he was an angel. And there is much to be said about his history. Therefore I leave out that account for now, because I have also spoken about him in another place.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

...nd female, and He blessed them and said, "Increase and multiply, and fill the earth," Matthew 19:4; Genesis 1:28. If, therefore, the difference of the sexes was made by the will of God for the producing of many people, then the union of male and female must also be acceptable to His mind.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

They two shall be one flesh: Genesis 2:24 for the husband and wife are one in nature, in consent, in union, in disposition, and the conduct of life;

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

...male," and said, "For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh." Matthew 19:4-5 Nor should it be considered lawful, after marriage, to put away a wife who is without blame. For He says, "Take care to your spirit, and do not forsake the wife of your youth; for she is the partner of your life, and the remains of your spirit. I and no other have made her." For the Lord says, "What God has joined together, let no man put asunder." For the wife is the partner of life, joined by God into one body from two. But he who divides into two again what has become one is an enemy of the creation of God and an adversary of His providence. In the same way, he who keeps a woman who is corrupted is a transgressor of the law of nature, since he who keeps an adulteress is foolish and impious. For He says, "Cut her off from your flesh, for she is not a help, but a snare, turning her mind from you to another." Nor be circumcised in your flesh, but let the circumcision of the heart by the Spirit be enough for the faithful; for He says, "Be circumcised to your God, and be circumcised in the foreskin of your heart."

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

...down by the devil. These glorious boasters say that they are imitating the Lord, who neither took a wife nor possessed anything in the world. They boast that they have understood the Gospel better than others. But Scripture says to them, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5 Then they do not know the reason why the Lord did not take a wife. First, He had His own bride, the Church. Then also, He was not an ordinary man, so that He would need some helper according to the flesh. Nor was it necessary for Him to produce children, since He remains forever and was born the only Son of God. This same Lord says, "What God has joined together, let no man separate." Matthew 19:6; Mark 10:9 And again: "As it was in the days of Noah, they were marrying and giving in marriage, building and planting; and as it was in the days of Lot, so will the coming of the Son of Man be." Matthew 24:37; Luke 17:28 And He shows that He is not saying this about the Gentiles, when He adds, "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" Luke 18:8 And again: "Woe to those who are pregnant and nursing in those days." Yet these words too are spoken allegorica

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

...dissolve a marriage. And he added “for a time,” in 1 Corinthians 7:5, so that a man who has taken a wife, if he practices self-control by necessity, may not slip into sin, and while sparing his own marriage, may desire another’s. For this reason, in the case of the man who thinks he is behaving improperly because he keeps his virgin unmarried, he rightly says that if she marries, he does not sin. But each person, whether he has chosen chastity, or whether he has joined himself in marriage for the begetting of children, must firmly remain in his own purpose and not turn aside to what is worse. For if he is able to increase and intensify the pattern of life he has chosen, he gains greater honor with God because of pure self-control that comes from reason. But if he goes beyond the rule he chose, he will then fall back into a lesser hope of glory. For just as chastity has its own duties and ministries, marriage also has its own duties and ministries that belong to the Lord. I mean the care of children and of a wife. For what properly occupies the man who is complete in marriage is the marriage bond itself, so that he may show care and foresight for everyone in the common household.

Origen, Commentary on Matthew Background

...are to oppose the teaching of our Savior, will say that when Jesus said, "Whoever puts away his own wife, except for the cause of fornication, makes her an adulteress," in Matthew 5:32, He also gave permission to put away a wife, just as Moses did. He may argue that Moses, whom Jesus said gave laws because of the hardness of the people's hearts, allowed this. And he will think that the words, "because he found in her an unseemly thing," in Deuteronomy 24:1, mean the same as fornication, and that for this reason a wife could rightly be cast away by her husband. But it must be said to him that, if a woman who committed adultery was to be stoned according to the law, then clearly the "unseemly thing" must not be understood in that sense. For in the case of adultery, or any such great indecency, there is no need to write a bill of divorce and put it into the wife's hands. But perhaps Moses called every sin an unseemly thing. When the husband discovered it in his wife, and she no longer found favor in his eyes, the bill of divorce was written and the wife was sent away from her husband's house. But from the beginning it was not so, as Matthew 19:8 says. After this, our Savior speaks

Hermas, The Shepherd (Pastor) Supporting witness

...said, "I charge you to guard your chastity, and let no thought enter your heart about another man's wife, or about fornication, or about similar iniquities. For by doing this you commit a great sin. But if you always remember your own wife, you will never sin. For if this thought enters your heart, then you will sin. And if, in the same way, you think other wicked thoughts, you commit sin. For this thought is a great sin in a servant of God. But if anyone commits this wicked deed, he works death for himself. Attend, therefore, and refrain from this thought. For where purity dwells, iniquity ought not to enter the heart of a righteous man." I said to him, "Sir, permit me to ask you a few questions." "Say on," he said. And I said to him, "Sir, if anyone has a wife who trusts in the Lord, and if he discovers her in adultery, does the man sin if he continues to live with her?" And he said to me, "As long as he remains ignorant of her sin, the husband commits no transgression in living with her. But if the husband knows that his wife has gone astray, and if the woman does not repent, but persists in her fornication, and yet the husband continues to live with her, he also is guilty of

Justin Martyr, The First Apology Background

...ayer to the gods of my country. But, as they did not respond, I called upon those among us known as Christians. Upon investigation, I found a great number and multitude of them and initially acted against them, which was quite inappropriate, as I later understood their power. They began the battle, not with weapons, armor, or bugles, as such preparations are detestable to them because of the God they carry in their conscience. Therefore, it appears that those we think are atheists have God as their guiding force entrenched in their conscience. Throwing themselves on the ground, they prayed not only for me but for the entire army, that we might be saved from the current thirst and hunger. We had been without water for five days because there was none, being deep in Germany, in enemy territory. Simultaneously as they threw themselves on the ground and prayed to God (a God unknown to me), water poured from the sky, refreshingly cool upon us but as withering hail upon Rome's enemies. Immediately we acknowledged the presence of God following their prayer—a God unconquerable and indestructible. Based on this, let us pardon such individuals who are Christians, lest they pray for and ac

Justin Martyr, The Second Apology Background

...rvants and indulging in drunkenness and vice and wanting him to do the same, accused her of being a Christian when she left without his consent. She presented a request to the Emperor, asking for permission to settle her affairs before defending against the accusation, which was granted. Unable to prosecute her, her husband targeted a man named Ptolemaeus, her teacher in Christian doctrines, with the help of a centurion who was friendly to him. The centurion took Ptolemaeus, interrogating him only on whether he was a Christian. Ptolemaeus, being truthful, confessed, was imprisoned, and later, when questioned by Urbicus, again affirmed his belief truthfully and was sentenced. Lucius, another Christian, witnessing this unjust judgment, questioned Urbicus: “What cause is there for this judgment? Why punish a man not guilty of adultery, immorality, murder, theft, or any crime, but only for being called a Christian? This judgment does not reflect well on Emperor Pius, nor the philosopher, son of Caesar, nor the sacred senate.” Urbicus responded, “You seem to be like this man,” to which Lucius replied, “Most certainly I am,” and was ordered to be executed. Lucius gave thanks, knowing

Lactantius, The Divine Institutes Supporting witness

If people were brought together for this reason, so that they might protect their weakness by helping one another, then we must help a person who needs help. For since people entered into and formed partnership with other people for protection, it is the greatest impiety either to violate or not to keep that agreement which was made among people from the very beginning of their origin. For the one who refuses to give help must also, by necessity, refuse to receive it. For the one who denies help to another thinks that he needs help from no one. But the one who withdraws and separates himself from the whole body of mankind must live, not in the way of men, but in the manner of wild beasts. But since this cannot be done, the bond of human society must by all means be kept, because man can in no way live without man. And preserving society is a mutual sharing of kind acts; that is, giving help so that we may be able to receive it. But if, as those others say, the gathering together of men was brought about for the sake of humanity itself, then man certainly ought to recognize man. But if those ignorant and not yet civilized men did this, and did it when the use of speech had not yet b

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

..., as partners in life and fellow helpers in the bearing of children. For He says, "Rejoice with the wife of your youth. Let her way of life be to you like a loving deer and a pleasant foal. Let her alone lead you, and be with you at all times. For if you are in every way surrounded by her friendship, you will be happy in her company." Love them, therefore, as your own members, as your very bodies. For so it is written: "The Lord has testified between you and the wife of your youth, and she is your partner, and another has not made her, and she is the remnant of your spirit." And, "Take heed to your spirit, and do not forsake the wife of your youth." Therefore, when a husband and wife come together in lawful marriage and then rise from one another, they may pray without any special observances, and they are clean without washing. But whoever corrupts and defiles another man's wife, or is defiled with a harlot, when he rises up from her, even if he should wash himself in the whole ocean and all the rivers, cannot be clean.

Methodius, Connection to Genesis 2:24 Typology

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife; and they two shall be one flesh. This mystery I speak in reference to Christ and the Church.

Clement of Rome, Second Epistle (attributed) Typology

Genesis 1:27; cf. Ephesians 5:22-23 the male is Christ, the female the church,) and that the Books and the Apostles teach that the church is not of the present, but from the beginning.

Origen, Commentary on Matthew Typology

For where it is said, Male and female made He them, Genesis 1:27 the reference is to those formed after the image, but where He also said, For this cause shall a man leave his own father and mother, Genesis 2:24 etc., the reference is not to those formed after the image;