Genesis 2:21
New International Version
So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh.

New Living Translation
So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the LORD God took out one of the man’s ribs and closed up the opening.

English Standard Version
So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.

Berean Standard Bible
So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, He took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the area with flesh.

King James Bible
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;

New King James Version
And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.

New American Standard Bible
So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.

NASB 1995
So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.

NASB 1977
So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh at that place.

Legacy Standard Bible
So Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.

Amplified Bible
So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.

Christian Standard Bible
So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place.

American Standard Version
And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof:

Contemporary English Version
So the LORD God made him fall into a deep sleep, and he took out one of the man's ribs. Then after closing the man's side,

English Revised Version
And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
So the LORD God caused him to fall into a deep sleep. While the man was sleeping, the LORD God took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.

Good News Translation
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.

International Standard Version
so the LORD God caused a deep sleep to overshadow the man. When the man was asleep, he removed one of the man's ribs and closed up the flesh where it had been.

Majority Standard Bible
So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, He took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the area with flesh.

NET Bible
So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was asleep, he took part of the man's side and closed up the place with flesh.

New Heart English Bible
So God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh at that place.

Webster's Bible Translation
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 in its place.

World English Bible
Yahweh God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. As the man slept, he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And YHWH God causes a deep sleep to fall on the man, and he sleeps, and He takes one of his ribs, and closes up flesh in its stead.

Young's Literal Translation
And Jehovah God causeth a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he sleepeth, and He taketh one of his ribs, and closeth up flesh in its stead.

Smith's Literal Translation
And Jehovah God will cause to fall a deep sleep upon the man, and he will sleep; and he will take one of his ribs and will close up the flesh underneath it.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon Adam: and when he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and filled up flesh for it.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And so the Lord God sent a deep sleep upon Adam. And when he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and he completed it with flesh for it.

New American Bible
So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.

New Revised Standard Version
So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
So 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 place with flesh in its stead;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And LORD JEHOVAH God cast stillness on Adam and he slept, and he took one of his ribs and he closed the flesh in its place.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the place with flesh instead thereof.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And God brought a trance upon Adam, and he slept, and he took one of his ribs, and filled up the flesh instead thereof.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Man and Woman in the Garden
20The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, He took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the area with flesh. 22And from the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him.…

Cross References
Genesis 1:27
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

Genesis 5:2
Male and female He created them, and He blessed them. And in the day they were created, He called them “man.”

Matthew 19:4-6
Jesus answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ / and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? / So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate.”

Mark 10:6-8
However, from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’ / ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, / and the two will become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two, but one flesh.

1 Corinthians 11:8-9
For man did not come from woman, but woman from man. / Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.

Ephesians 5:28-31
In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. / Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church. / For we are members of His body. ...

1 Timothy 2:13
For Adam was formed first, and then Eve.

1 Corinthians 15:45
So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam a life-giving spirit.

Romans 5:14
Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who did not sin in the way that Adam transgressed. He is a pattern of the One to come.

1 Corinthians 6:16
Or don’t you know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”

1 Corinthians 7:2
But because there is so much sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.

1 Peter 3:7
Husbands, in the same way, treat your wives with consideration as a delicate vessel, and with honor as fellow heirs of the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

Psalm 139:14
I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Your works, and I know this very well.

Job 33:6
I am just like you before God; I was also formed from clay.

Malachi 2:15
Has not the LORD made them one, having a portion of the Spirit? And why one? Because He seeks godly offspring. So guard yourselves in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth.


Treasury of Scripture

And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;

Genesis 15:12
And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.

1 Samuel 26:12
So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.

Job 4:13
In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men,

Jump to Previous
Adam Bones Caused Causeth Closed Closeth Deep Elohim Fall Flesh Instead Joining Ribs Side Sleep Sleepeth Sleeping Slept Stead Thereof
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Adam Bones Caused Causeth Closed Closeth Deep Elohim Fall Flesh Instead Joining Ribs Side Sleep Sleepeth Sleeping Slept Stead Thereof
Genesis 2
1. The first Sabbath.
4. Further details concerning the manner of creation.
8. The planting of the garden of Eden, and its situation;
15. man is placed in it; and the tree of knowledge forbidden.
18. The animals are named by Adam.
21. The making of woman, and the institution of marriage.














So the LORD God
The phrase "LORD God" combines the personal name of God, Yahweh (often rendered as LORD in English translations), with Elohim, a term that emphasizes His power and majesty as Creator. This duality highlights both the intimate and transcendent nature of God. Yahweh is the covenant name, indicating a personal relationship with His creation, while Elohim underscores His supreme authority over all things. This combination sets the stage for the divine act of creation that follows, emphasizing that it is both a personal and powerful act.

caused the man to fall into a deep sleep
The Hebrew word for "deep sleep" is "tardemah," which implies a divinely induced state of unconsciousness. This is not merely a natural sleep but a profound, God-ordained rest, suggesting that what is about to occur is a sacred and significant act. In the ancient Near Eastern context, sleep is often associated with divine revelation or intervention, indicating that God is about to perform a miraculous work.

and while he slept
This phrase underscores the complete passivity of Adam in this creative act. It is God who initiates and completes the work, highlighting His sovereignty and the grace inherent in His actions. Adam's lack of involvement signifies that the creation of woman is entirely a divine initiative, underscoring the idea that human relationships are grounded in God's will and purpose.

He took one of the man’s ribs
The Hebrew word "tsela" is often translated as "rib," but it can also mean "side" or "part." This suggests that woman was made from a significant portion of Adam, symbolizing equality and partnership. The choice of a rib, close to the heart and under the arm, has been traditionally interpreted to signify that woman is to be loved and protected. This act of taking from Adam's side emphasizes the unity and mutual dependence intended in the marital relationship.

and closed up the area with flesh
This phrase indicates the completion and healing of Adam's body, symbolizing wholeness and restoration. The act of closing up the flesh signifies that the creation of woman was not an afterthought but an integral part of God's perfect design. It also suggests that the union of man and woman restores the original completeness of humanity, as they are meant to be one flesh in marriage.

(21) And the Lord God caused a deep sleep (comp. Job 4:13, where it is the same word) to fall upon Adam.--Heb., the man.

One of his ribs.--The word is never translated rib except in this place, but always side, flank. This is the true meaning also of the Latin word by which it is rendered in the Vulgate, costa, as shown in the French cote, and our coast Both the Greek and Syriac also translate by words which primarily signify the side, but derivatively the rib. Woman was not formed out of one of man's many ribs, of which he would not feel the loss. She is one side of man; and though he may have several sides to his nature and character, yet without woman one integral portion of him is wanting.

Closed up the flesh instead thereof.--Literally, closed up flesh under it, that is, in its place. This does not mean that man now has flesh where before he had this side, but that a cavity was prevented by drawing the flesh on the two edges close together. Metaphysically it means that man has no compensation for what was abstracted from him, except in the woman, who is the one side of his nature which he has lost.

Verse 21. - And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept. This was clearly not a sleep of weariness or fatigue, in consequence of arduous labors undergone, but a supernatural slumber, which, however, may have been superinduced upon the natural condition of repose. Lightfoot, following the LXX. who translate tardemah (deep sleep) by ecstasy, ἔκστασις, imagines that the whole scene of Eve's creation was presented to Adam's imagination in a Divinely-inspired dream, which has at least the countenance of Job 4:13 Such a supposition, however, is not required to account for Adam's recognition of his bride. There is more of aptness in the observation of Lange, that in the deep sleep of Adam we have an echo of the area-tire evenings that preceded the Divine activity. "Everything out of which some new thing is to come sinks down before the event into such a deep sleep, is the farseeing and comprehensive remark of Ziegler. And he took one of his ribs (tsela = something bent, from tesala, to incline; hence a rib), and closed up the flesh (literally, flesh) instead thereof. Whether Adam was created with a superfluous rib, or his body was mutilated by the abstraction of a rib, is a question for the curious. In the first, Calvin finds nothing "which is not in accordance with Divine providence," while he favors the latter conjecture, and thinks that Adam got a rich compensation - "quum se integrum vidit in uxore, qui prius tantum dimidius erat." Luther inclines to think that Adam's language in ver. 23 implies that not the bare rib, but the rib with the accompanying flesh, was extracted.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So the LORD
יְהוָ֨ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

God
אֱלֹהִ֧ים ׀ (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

caused
וַיַּפֵּל֩ (way·yap·pêl)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5307: To fall, lie

the man
הָאָדָ֖ם (hā·’ā·ḏām)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 120: Ruddy, a human being

to fall into
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

a deep sleep,
תַּרְדֵּמָ֛ה (tar·dê·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8639: A lethargy, trance

and while he slept,
וַיִּישָׁ֑ן (way·yî·šān)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3462: To be slack, languid, sleep, to grow old, stale, inveterate

He took
וַיִּקַּ֗ח (way·yiq·qaḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3947: To take

one
אַחַת֙ (’a·ḥaṯ)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

of [the man’s] ribs
מִצַּלְעֹתָ֔יו (miṣ·ṣal·‘ō·ṯāw)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6763: A rib, a side, a, timber, plank

and closed up
וַיִּסְגֹּ֥ר (way·yis·gōr)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5462: To shut up, to surrender

the area
תַּחְתֶּֽנָּה׃ (taḥ·ten·nāh)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 8478: The bottom, below, in lieu of

with flesh.
בָּשָׂ֖ר (bā·śār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1320: Flesh, body, person, the pudenda of a, man


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OT Law: Genesis 2:21 Yahweh God caused a deep sleep (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 2:20
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