Genesis 2: “It is Not Good for the Human to Be Alone”

Abstract

In the creation story in Genesis 2, the Lord God creates the first human and the habitation for that human. But the Lord God says, “It is not good for the human to be alone,” and with those words God and the first human embark on a search for a “partner” for the human than ends with the making of “woman.” What are the theological implications of God's statement? Why was it “not good for the human to be alone”? This article explores the story recorded in Genesis 2 and concludes that the basic meaning of the story is that humankind was created to live, not alone, but together in community. And God gives all of us many “partners” in life who teach us and inspire us to live in relationship with one another.