Genesis 2:23

23 Then the man said, "At last, here is one of my own kind - Bone taken from my bone, and flesh from my flesh. "Woman' is her name because she was taken out of man."

Genesis 2:23 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 2:23

And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh
of my flesh
Of "his bones", because made out of a pair of his ribs, as some think, one on each side, and therefore expressed in the plural number, "and of his flesh", a part of which was taken with the rib; this Adam knew, either being awake while she was made, though asleep when the rib was taken out; or by divine revelation, by an impress of it on his mind; or it might have been declared to him in a dream, while asleep, when, being in an ecstasy or trance, this whole affair was represented unto him: and this was "now" done, just done, and would be done no more in like manner; "this time" F15, this once, as many render it; so it was, but hereafter the woman was to be produced in the way of generation, as man: she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man:
her name was "Ishah", because taken from "Ish", as "vira" in Latin from "vir", and "woman" in our language from "man".


FOOTNOTES:

F15 (Meph taz) "hac vice", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Vatablus, so the Targum; (touto apax) , Symmachus & Theodotion; "hoc semel", Fagius.

Genesis 2:23 In-Context

21 Then the Lord God made the man fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the flesh.
22 He formed a woman out of the rib and brought her to him.
23 Then the man said, "At last, here is one of my own kind - Bone taken from my bone, and flesh from my flesh. "Woman' is her name because she was taken out of man."
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife, and they become one.
25 The man and the woman were both naked, but they were not embarrassed.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. woman . . . man: [The Hebrew words for "woman" and "man" have rather similar sounds.]
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.