Have you ever asked yourself, “Why did the Bible say it is not good for man to be alone in Genesis 2:18? In this post, let me give you 15 reasons to answer that question.
What you will learn:
- It is Not Good For Man to be Alone
- 1. There are Blessings to be With Someone
- 2. God is not pleased for man to be alone
- 3. God knows what’s best for us
- 4. God created us as social beings
- 5. Alone isn’t just about not being with others
- 6. Belongingness is only found in people
- 7. God is a family
- 8. Finding a spouse is a great blessing
- 9. Procreation is only Possible with Eve
- 10. Being with a spouse makes us better people
- 11. Man needs a helper
- 12. Men and Women are Equal
- 13. We need each other
- 14. We can do more together
- 15. We make better decisions when we are together
- Why it is Not Good for Man For to be Alone
It is Not Good For Man to be Alone
The statement, “It is not good for man to be alone” is found in the Bible, specifically in Genesis 2:18. We read:
And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
It is quite fascinating how these words were written in the first book of the Bible, nestled in the beautiful tapestry of creation. Genesis 2:18 reveals powerful truths and essential aspects of human existence.
So many people have read Genesis 2:18 and they are familiar with what it says. However, only a few really know its profound meaning, implications, and even effect on our lives.
Thus, it is crucial that we understand why God said that it is not good for man to be alone. In this post, let me give you 15 powerful and surprising reasons man should not be alone.
1. There are Blessings to be With Someone
The word “good” in Genesis 2:18 comes from the Hebrew word, “tob.” In Genesis alone, the Hebrew word tob was mentioned 39 times and the whole Bible mentioned it 559 times. So, it’s a common word we see in the Bible.
Notice how tob is rendered in various verses. Tob is not just translated as good, but also:
- Better
- Well
- Goodness
- Goodly
- Best
- Merry
- Fair
- Prosperity
- Precious
- Fine
- Wealth
- Beautiful
- Fairer
- Favor
- Glad
As you can see, God describes companionship as good, precious, fine, beautiful, and other positive descriptive words. In short, life is more blessed when lived together with others. A man can’t have all these good things or at least will have a hard time getting these good things if he is alone.
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2. God is not pleased for man to be alone
The word alone in Genesis 2:18 comes from the Hebrew word, “bad.” This Hebrew word means “alone, separation, and isolation.” Now, who said that it is not good for man to be alone? It is Yahweh or as most Bible translations put it, “LORD God.”
Now, the very fact that God is not pleased for man to be alone is a great reason itself for man NOT to be alone. In God’s infinite wisdom, He knew how difficult it is to be alone. He knew life is more beautiful when lived together.
3. God knows what’s best for us
Yahweh Elohim, or the LORD God, tells us that it is not good for man to be alone. In God’s perfect knowledge, He knew what was going to be good for us and what was going to be bad for us.
After all, it is God who made us. He is our Creator and as our Creator, He knows what would make us happy and sad, blessed and cursed.
4. God created us as social beings
God made the first man, Adam. In him, God put the innate desire to be with another person. When Adam finally had his first breath and consciousness, he looked around and there was none like him. This made Adam wonder why and most likely incomplete.
Because we all have the natural desire to talk to someone, to be with others, and to share our hopes and dreams, then God declared that it is not good for us to be alone.
As human beings, we find a certain joy in being with others, to have someone to converse with, to inform and be informed, and to love and be loved.
5. Alone isn’t just about not being with others
If you think about it, Adam wasn’t really “alone.” He has God the Father and His Son as great companions. Aside from that, there are angels and other spiritual beings surrounding Him in the spiritual realm. In the Garden of Eden, there are also animals who serve as companions.
Yet, why would God say that man is alone?
Man is alone because there are no beings who share the same nature, rank, and existence as him. There was none who he could talk familiarly with. This tells us that man can be in the middle of a crowd and yet, still feel alone.
As you can see, companionship is more than just being physically together. Companionship is having someone who can talk to, share your thoughts with, and spend time together.
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6. Belongingness is only found in people
There are people who spend all their energy and time building wealth believing that it will give them ultimate happiness. Yet, even the richest people in the world would tell you that their wealth is nothing if they have no one to share it with. There was even a rich man who was divorced multiple times and said, “I would trade all my wealth just to have a happy marriage.”
You see, your money, house, car, and gadgets can’t hug you back. It is only the warm touch of a living human being who can satisfy that desire for belongingness.
7. God is a family
God wants to reflect His nature on His creation. If you think about it, God is not alone. He is actually a family — a relationship described today as a Father and Son. The God Family is composed of two Beings — the Father who is known as Yahweh the Most High and the Son, who is now known as Yahshua the Messiah or as most people call Him, Jesus Christ.
Yahweh perfectly knows the importance of companionship. He knew what it feels like to be alone and what it feels like to be together. Because God is a family, then He wants human beings to be a family.
Creating Adam is not enough. That’s not a family. God gave Adam not just a wife, but also a person whom he can start a family with.
8. Finding a spouse is a great blessing
God instituted marriage right from the start. Adam can’t marry himself. He needs someone whom He can spend the rest of his life with.
Yahweh knows that there is a great blessing found in marriage. Over and over again, statistics show that generally married men and women are happier compared to those who aren’t married. Not only that but married people tend to live longer. What’s more, married individuals tend to earn more and become more financially stable compared to staying single.
We read:
22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favor from the LORD. Proverbs 18:22
9. Procreation is only Possible with Eve
God could possibly create a million and even billions of men. Yet, God chose to produce more human beings through procreation — that is by having a man and woman unite sexually.
Obviously, for God to fulfill His purpose for mankind, it is not enough to simply create Adam. Thus, God knew that it is not good to have only a male human being. He needs a female for procreation to occur.
In Genesis 2:24, God authored marriage:
Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
10. Being with a spouse makes us better people
There are numerous lessons you will only learn when you are married. These lessons can’t be learned when you are not married. People get more mature once they get married.
When we are married to the right person, we are being developed into more mature followers of God. We are taught how to better love and be loved. We are taught how to communicate better. We are taught how to be more loving, joyful, patient, kind, good, faithful, and gentle.
In short, being married helps us to develop the fruit of the Holy Spirit and that’s the reason God considers it is not good for man to be alone because he will miss out on all of these benefits.
11. Man needs a helper
Genesis 2:18 tells us that because it is not good for man to be alone, God continued saying, “I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
The word helper here came from the Hebrew word, “ezer,” which means a helper or someone who provides relief or aid.
Adam didn’t need just any type of helper, but rather a helper “suitable” to him. The birds, beasts, fish, and insects were all unsuitable for Adam.
God recognized that man can’t do it all alone. He needs someone who will help him realize his full potential and not just his potential but also the potential of his mate.
12. Men and Women are Equal
Some people read this passage and conclude that God has a lower view of women. They would argue that the Bible considers women as only helpers to men, which is quite offensive in our modern, secular society.
However, is this what the Bible really says? Of course not! In fact, the word helper here is the same word used to describe God Himself!
We read in Exodus 18:4:
4 And the name of the other was Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”).
The word help here uses the same Hebrew word in Genesis 2:18, which is ezer. There are other passages where God is called for our help.
What this tells us is that men and women are different, but they are equal. They have the same and equal potential to be part of God’s Family.
As you might already notice, Genesis 2:18 is the first instance when God said, “It is not good.” Prior to that, every time God created something, He would pronounce, “It is good.” You can just imagine how important women are to the point that God considered it not good not to have them.
When we thought that creation was already complete, God declared, “It is not good for a man to be alone.” The final being God created is Eve. That tells us how God valued women.
13. We need each other
The body of Jesus Christ (Yahshua the Messiah) is composed of a group of people. God knows that we can become more mature and developed children of God when we are together with believers.
Indeed, it is not good for a Christian (a follower of Christ) to be alone. He or she needs the brethren who would build him or her up. In the same way, a Christian who is alone can’t fulfill God’s command to love one another.
1 Corinthians 12:20-22 tells us:
20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary.
As you can see, we need each other and that we must be together with other believers to strengthen our faith and endure until the end!
14. We can do more together
As we look at history, the greatest accomplishments were not done by one single person, but by a group of people! Think of any scientific breakthroughs, the beautiful buildings, the architectural building, the abolition of slavery, and the freeing of oppressed countries — all these were accomplished because people became united.
Indeed, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 is true:
9 Two are better than one,
Because they have a good reward for their labor.10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion.
But woe to him who is alone when he falls,
For he has no one to help him up.11 Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm;
But how can one be warm alone?12 Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him.
And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
15. We make better decisions when we are together
If we are alone, we don’t have anyone to talk to and share our thoughts. Making decisions can be more difficult or the decisions we make might not be the best one.
Proverbs 15:22 tells us:
Without counsel, plans go awry,
But in the multitude of counselors they are established.
Obviously, we can’t get counsel if we are alone. We need a multitude of counselors who can help us explore various options and eventually make better decisions.
Why it is Not Good for Man For to be Alone
These are the reasons why a man should not be alone. God created us to be like Him and part of that is to be like a family.
Genesis 2:18 is filled with so much meaning and it helps us better understand God’s purpose for humanity as well as His nature as our loving Father who gave us the gift of marriage and companionship.
May all the powerful lessons from Genesi 2:18 help us become better followers of our Messiah and Savior.
How about you? Do you know other reasons why God said that it is not good for man to be alone? If yes, feel free to comment below!
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