What Is a Helpmeet?
What is a helpmeet? Or, for that matter, what is a helpmate? According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, “helpmate” is “altered from helpmeet.” It is called a “ghost word, from the Biblical translation of Latin adjutoriumsimile sibi [Gen. ii:18] as ‘an help meet (i.e. fit) for him’ (Hebrew ‘ezer keneghdo ), which already by 1673 was being printed as help-meet and mistaken for one word.” 1
The source of the term is Genesis 2.18:
And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
Commonly, from this passage, a new word entered English, “helpmeet” or “helpmate,” i.e. originally a synonym for “wife” or “spouse.” Dictionary.com gives these definitions:
- a companion and helper.
- a spouse.
- anything that aids or assists, especially regularly: This calculator is my constant helpmate. 2
This usage actually hints around at the real meaning of the two terms in the text, but it also tends to reduce the fullness of meaning in the original Hebrew. In order to understand what “an help meet for him” means, a little word study is in order.
First, the term translated “help” occurs over 100 times in the Old Testament. It’s first occurrence is here, God declares he will make a “helper” for the man (Gen 2.18) and an observation in Gen 2.20 shows that among all the animals God created no such “helper” exists for the man. What does the OT usage tell us about meaning? There are two main uses for “helper.”
1. For God’s people, there is one Great Helper, that is, God Himself. Numerous references speak of God as Helper; we see this all over, and especially in the Psalms. The first reference after Genesis 2 comes in Genesis 49.25, in the patriarchal blessing of Jacob’s sons, where Jacob speaks of God as the one who will help Joseph. David sings of God as his helper (or prays for his help) numerous times in the Psalms, one of the best is Psalm 33.20, where David says, simply, “Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield.”
2. The term has a very specific meaning in human contexts. Almost always it refers to military help, looking to other nations or other men as allies against the threat to physical safety. 1 Chronicles 12.1 speaks of the men who came to David in the wilderness (when he was on the lam from Saul), saying “they were among the mighty men, helpers of the war.” Jeremiah laments that for Jerusalem, when the city fell into the hands of her adversaries and “no one helped her.”
3. There are two minor uses where the term refers to false gods, which are of course no help at all. A pitiful scene appears in 2 Chr 28.23 where Ahaz foolishly concludes that false gods “helped” the kings of Syria, so he abandons the God of Israel to worship these false gods in the hope “that they may help me.” The Chronicler observes, “But they were the ruin of him, and of all Israel.”
4. Last, there is one “uncertain” use, at least at first glance. Psalm 121.1 says, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” This verse is probably best understood as a question. The Psalmist looks up to the hills – can he see the “cavalry” coming over the hill? Does he have a human ally who will come to his aid? Or, probably better, does he look to the hills — the “high places” — where faithless Israelites consorted with false gods and wonder if there is any help in them? The next verse clears the matter up, after this uncertain wondering: “My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.”(Ps 121.2).
This survey shows us that a Big Idea of this word “help” in Genesis 2.18 is help in the sense of a powerful ally who can tip the balances in the battle in your favor. It certainly isn’t “help” in the sense of a servant, the “hired help,” or in the sense of some junior subordinate. This “helper” God plans for Adam is a Very Strong Help with whom he can face all the challenges of life.
What about the word, “meet”? What does that mean? The New American translates the word as “suitable” – “a helper suitable for him.” The ESV uses “fit” – “a helper fit for him.” The NET Bible has, “a companion for him who corresponds to him.” The word is a little more complicated than “helper,” but the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary gives us this: “The adjective ‘meet’ (translated ‘suitable,’ ‘comparable,’ or ‘corresponding’) stresses that woman, unlike the animals (Gen. 2:20), can be truly one with man (2:24), that is, enjoy full fellowship and partnership in humanity’s God-given task (Gen. 1:27–28) of rule and dominion.” 3
Taking all that in, it seems to me that we lose quite a bit of meaning if we reduce the idea of a spouse to “my little helper” as “helpmeet” seems to imply. It might be better, if we use the word “help,” to capitalize it and at least add a comma: “I will make him an Help, meet for him…” The use of “meet” is obscure today, “suitable” or “fit” conveys the meaning much better.
When God made woman, he made a strong ally for man, one completely suited to stand with him and help him in the momentous task of dominion. The Fall made these tasks even more challenging, but in your husband or wife, you have a great gift from God, suitable to help you in your life tasks. Praise God for his wise and good gifts to the sons and daughters of Adam.
Don Johnson is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
This confirms something that had been parked in the back of my mind for a long time. Thanks for the explanation!
Great article Don. Thank you.