Albert Barnes Commentary Genesis 2:21-22

"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: and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man." — Genesis 2:21-22 (ASV)

21. תרדמה tardēmâh — “deep sleep,” ἔκστασις ekstasis — Septuagint. צלע tsēlā‛ — “rib, side, wing of a building.”

23. פעם pa‛am — “beat, stroke, tread, anvil.” אישׁ 'ı̂ysh — “man,” vir. אשׁה 'āshah — “be firm, as a foundation;” ישׁה yāshah — “be firm as a substance;” אנש 'ānash — “be strong;” אושׁ 'ûsh — “to give help: hence, the strong, the brave, the defender, the nourisher.” אשׂה 'ı̂śâh — “woman,” feminine of the above; “wife.”

The second creative step in the constitution of man as the natural head of a race is now described. This supplies the defect that was drawn forth into consciousness in the preceding passage. Man here passes out of solitude into society, out of unity into multiplicity.

Here we find ourselves still in the sixth day. This passage throws new light on Genesis 1:27. It is stated there that man was first created in the image of God, and then that he was created male and female. From the present passage, we learn that these two acts of creation were distinct in point of time. First, we see man was really one in his origin and contained in this unity the perfection of manhood.

It does not appear, however, that man was so constituted by nature as to produce another of the same kind by his inherent power. In fact, if he had, the other would have been, not a female, but another human being in every respect like himself; and he would thus have resembled those plants that are capable of being propagated by a bud. Besides, he would have been endowed with a power different from his actual posterity; and thus the head would not have corresponded with the members of the race.

The narrative, however, is opposed to this view of man’s nature. For the change by which the woman comes into existence is directly ascribed to the original Maker. A part of the man is taken for the purpose, which can be spared without interfering with the integrity of his nature. It manifestly does not constitute a woman by the mere act of separation, as we are told that the Lord God built it into a woman.

It is, therefore, needless to speculate whether the part taken was literally a rib or some other side piece intentionally placed there by the provident Creator for the purpose of becoming the rudiment of a full-grown woman. It is expressly called not a rib, but one of his ribs; and this evidently implies that he had other similar parts. This, we understand, binds us to the literal rib of bone and flesh.

And thus, in accordance with the account in the previous chapter, we have, first, the single man created, the full representative and potential fountain of the race, and then, out of this one, in the way now described, we have the male and the female created.

The original unity of man constitutes the strict unity of the race. The construction of the rib into a woman establishes the individuality of man’s person before, as well as after, the removal of the rib. The selection of a rib to form into a woman constitutes her, in an eminent sense, a helpmeet for him, in company with him, on a footing of equality with him.

At the same time, the subsequent building of the part into a woman determines the distinct personality and individuality of the woman. Thus, we see that the entire race, even the very first mother of it, has its essential unit and representative in the first man.

The Almighty has called intelligent beings into existence in two ways. The angels He seems to have created as individuals (Mark 12:25), constituting an order of beings whose unity lies in the common Creator. Man He created as the parent of a race that would spring from a single head, and having its unity in that head.

A single angel then stands by himself, and for himself; and all his actions belong only to himself, except to the extent that example, persuasion, or leadership may have involved others in them. But the single man, who is at the same time head of a race, is in a very different position. He stands for the race, which is virtually contained in him; and his actions belong not only to him as an individual but, in a certain sense, to the whole race, of which he is currently the sum.

An angel counts only for the unit of his order. The first man counts for the whole race as long as he is alone. The one angel is responsible only for himself. The first man is not only an individual but, as long as he is alone, the sum total of a race; and is therefore, during that time, responsible not only for himself but for the race, as the head of which he acts. We will encounter this profound question of race again at a future stage of man’s history.

Since the All-wise Being never does anything without reason, it becomes an interesting question why the creation of woman was delayed until this precise moment in human history.

1. Man’s original unity is the counterpart of the unity of God. He was to be made in the image of God, and after His likeness. If the male and the female had been created at once, an essential feature of the divine likeness would have been missing. But, just as in the absolute One there is no duality, whether in sex or in any other respect, so there is none in the original form and constitution of man. From this, we learn the absurdity of those who introduce into their concepts of the Deity the distinction of sex, and all the alliances which are involved in a race of gods.

2. The natural unity of the first pair, and of the race descended from them, is established by the primary creation of an individual, from whom is derived, by a second creative process, the first woman. The race of man is thus a perfect unity, flowing from a single center of human life.

3. Several significant developments occurred in man's experience before the formation of the woman, preparing him for her arrival. Two remarkable events were his installation in the garden as its owner, keeper, and cultivator, and his review of the animals as their rational superior, to whom they yield instinctive homage. By the former, he was prepared to provide for the sustenance and comfort of his wife; by the latter, he became aware of his power to protect her. Still further, through his interaction with his Maker in the garden, he came to understand language, and by observing the animals, he learned to use it himself. Speech implies the exercise of the receptive and conceptual powers of the understanding. Thus, Adam was qualified to hold intelligent conversation with a being like himself. He was competent to be the instructor of his wife in words and things. Again, he had met with his superior in his Creator and his inferiors in the animals; he was now to meet his equal in the woman. And, lastly, by the divine command, his moral sense had been activated, the concept of moral obligation had been revealed to his mind, and he was therefore prepared to interact with a moral being like himself—to understand and respect the rights of another, to do to another as he would have another do to him. It was especially necessary that this sense of right should develop in his heart, to keep in proper check the strength in which he excelled, before the weaker and gentler sex was called into being and entrusted to his care.

These are some of the obvious reasons for delaying the formation of the woman until this specific juncture.