Genesis 2:20-22
King James Version
20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
22 And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
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Genesis 2:20-22
New English Translation
20 So the man named all the animals, the birds of the air, and the living creatures of the field, but for Adam[a] no companion who corresponded to him was found.[b] 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep,[c] and while he was asleep,[d] he took part of the man’s side[e] and closed up the place with flesh.[f] 22 Then the Lord God made[g] a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
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- Genesis 2:20 tn Here for the first time the Hebrew word אָדָם (ʾadam) appears without the article, suggesting that it might now be the name “Adam” rather than “[the] man.” Translations of the Bible differ as to where they make the change from “man” to “Adam” (e.g., NASB and NIV translate “Adam” here, while NEB and NRSV continue to use “the man”; the KJV uses “Adam” twice in v. 19).
- Genesis 2:20 tn Heb “there was not found a companion who corresponded to him.” The subject of the third masculine singular verb form is indefinite. Without a formally expressed subject the verb may be translated as passive: “one did not find = there was not found.”
- Genesis 2:21 tn Heb “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man.”
- Genesis 2:21 tn Heb “and he slept.” In the sequence the verb may be subordinated to the following verb to indicate a temporal clause (“while…”).
- Genesis 2:21 tn Traditionally translated “rib,” the Hebrew word actually means “side.” The Hebrew text reads, “and he took one from his sides,” which could be rendered “part of his sides.” That idea may fit better the explanation by the man that the woman is his flesh and bone.
- Genesis 2:21 tn Heb “closed up the flesh under it.”
- Genesis 2:22 tn The Hebrew verb is בָּנָה (banah, “to make, to build, to construct”). The text states that the Lord God built the rib into a woman. Again, the passage gives no indication of precisely how this was done.
Genesis 2:20-22
English Standard Version
20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam[a] there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a (A)deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made[b] into a woman and brought her to the man.
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- Genesis 2:20 Or the man
- Genesis 2:22 Hebrew built
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