Neither was man created for woman, but woman for man.
Parallel translations
- WEB for man wasn’t created for the woman, but woman for the man.
- KJV Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.
- NKJV Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man.
- NASB for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake.
- NLT And man was not made for woman, but woman was made for man.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Man was not created for the woman, but woman for the man, recalling Eve made as a helper for Adam. This purpose in creation supports Paul's argument.
Overview
Continuing from Genesis 2, Paul notes that the woman was made as a fitting companion for the man. This complementary purpose at creation informs his instruction about conduct in worship. As verses 11 and 12 immediately clarify, this complementarity is mutual and interdependent in the Lord, guarding against any notion of one-sided subordination of worth.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Gen 2:18The LORD God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.”
- Gen 2:23–24And the man said: “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man she was taken.”
- Gen 2:20The 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.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God; he is our Passover sacrificed for us, the firstfruits of resurrection, the foundation on which everything is built.
How 1 Corinthians 11:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.