The Meaning of Genesis 2:25 Explained

Genesis 2:25

KJV: And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

YLT: And they are both of them naked, the man and his wife, and they are not ashamed of themselves.

Darby: And they were both naked, Man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

ASV: And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they were both  naked,  the man  and his wife,  and were not ashamed. 

What does Genesis 2:25 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The naked condition of Adam and Eve does not just describe their unclothed physical appearance. It also refers to the physical and psychological oneness and transparency that existed in their relationship. Physically they were naked; they shared their bodies with each other openly. Psychologically they were not ashamed; they hid nothing from each other. They were at ease with one another without any fear of exploitation for evil. Transparency should increase with trust, commitment, and friendship. It involves communicating what we know, think, feel, and are with the person or persons we choose. We should not be transparent with everyone, however, only with people who commit themselves to us. A transparent person is an open and vulnerable person.
This is a hinge (janus) verse. It looks backward into chapter2and forward into chapter3. The similarity of the Hebrew words for naked ("arom) and "crafty" ( Genesis 3:1, "arum) points to a word play. This word for nakedness means unclothed whereas the one in Genesis 3:7 ("erom) and elsewhere describes those under God"s judgment (cf. Deuteronomy 28:48; Ezekiel 16:39; Ezekiel 23:29). [1]
Genesis 2:18-25 teach us much about marriage.
1.God instituted it.2.God intended it to be monogamous (not monotonous). One woman completed Adam (cf. Matthew 19:8).3.God intended it to be heterosexual.4.It involves both a physical and a spiritual union ( Genesis 2:24; cf. Matthew 19:4-5).5.The husband was to be the head of the wife. God created Adam before Eve, and He created Eve for Adam (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:8-9; 1 Timothy 2:13).6.A woman can be a complete person without bearing children. A wife"s primary function in marriage is to complement her husband, not to bear children.7.Normally, a couple, following the lead of their representatives, Adam and Eve, should "be fruitful and multiply" ( Genesis 1:28). God did not specify how early in the marriage and to what extent. He left this up to the couple. Couples may choose when and how many children they plan to have, though God may sovereignly overrule their plans.
The Family Ministry organization has summarized these purposes as five. Marriage should mirror God"s image, multiply a godly heritage, manage God"s realm, mutually complete one another, and model Christ"s relationship to the church. [2]
The Bible writers made use of the creation account in many different ways, and we too can use it in these ways for our own personal profit. These purposes include glorifying the God of creation, stimulating praise and worship, and fortifying faith in God"s promises. They also include learning about God"s attributes, expressing wonder at man"s position in God"s universe, dispelling fear, and exalting the Lord Jesus. [3]
However a main point of this unit ( Genesis 2:4-25) seems clearly to be that God made human beings male and female with a spiritual capacity and mutually dependent. He did so that they might serve and obey Him and so enjoy His creation. As Adam and Eve, God later placed Israel in a place of blessing. The nation could enjoy His blessing by being obedient and trusting with the assistance He had provided for them in marriage. Even today serving and obeying God is man"s greatest privilege, and we find help to do this in the marriage relationship.
"Two primary themes dominate the Creation account [4]: the land and the blessing." [5]
The theme of descendants (seed) is also present, though perhaps not as prominent ( Genesis 1:28).

Context Summary

Genesis 2:18-25 - Man And Woman, Temptation
Human love is God's best gift to man. Without it even Eden would not be Paradise. That Adam was able to name the animals, affixing a title suggested by some peculiarity or characteristic, indicated his royal supremacy, and, in so far as we live in God, that supremacy is restored. See Daniel 6:22; Mark 1:13. But what is power without love, or a throne without a consort? Eve was, therefore, given to crown his bliss; taken from his side, as afterward the Church from the opened side of Christ. See John 19:34, and Ephesians 5:25. Still God brings Eve to Adam; and such a marriage is truly blessed.
The order of temptation is always the same. The Tempter without, and within the strong desire for sensual gratification, with the secret hope that somehow the consequences may be avoided. The eye inflames passion; passion masters the resistance of the will; the body obeys its impulse; the act of gratification is followed immediately by remorse and guilt. Then we need the second Adam! [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in Genesis 2:25 mean?

And were the two of them naked the man and his wife and not were they ashamed
וַיִּֽהְי֤וּ שְׁנֵיהֶם֙ עֲרוּמִּ֔ים הָֽאָדָ֖ם וְאִשְׁתּ֑וֹ וְלֹ֖א יִתְבֹּשָֽׁשׁוּ

וַיִּֽהְי֤וּ  And  were 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
שְׁנֵיהֶם֙  the  two  of  them 
Parse: Number, mdc, third person masculine plural
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
עֲרוּמִּ֔ים  naked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: עָרֹום  
Sense: naked, bare.
הָֽאָדָ֖ם  the  man 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.
וְאִשְׁתּ֑וֹ  and  his  wife 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
וְלֹ֖א  and  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יִתְבֹּשָֽׁשׁוּ  were  they  ashamed 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּושׁ 
Sense: to put to shame, be ashamed, be disconcerted, be disappointed.