Difficult texts: Genesis 2.18 and 2.24

It has long been argued on the basis of Genesis 2.18 that marriage is incumbent on all adults. With ministers and lay persons in the church urging that ‘it is not good for man to be alone’, the unmarried are frequently looked upon with ridicule, suspicion and outright disdain. However, an exegetical analysis of Genesis 2.18 does not support the view that marriage is a universal imperative