Is this new creature inferior because it is cast in the role of a “helper”? That too is part of the point of this exercise. It is the inferiority of the animals that disqualifies them. What is needed on this team is a helper “fit” or “suitable” for the man. This literally means “corresponding to him.” This is a creature like the man, a creature who matches him perfectly. Especially in this context, far from suggesting inferiority, it suggests equality. This equality is confirmed by the way God goes about making the woman. He uses the man’s rib and thus presents him with a part of himself (Genesis 2:22-23). This reinforces the truth of Genesis 1:26-31, that both are made in God’s image and both are placed over the earth.
Scripturally understood, “helper” is not—possibly is never—a negative word. God is our “helper” (Psalm 30:10; 54:4; Hebrews 13:6). The Holy Spirit is the “helper,” starting with His special help for the apostles (John 14:16, 26). Yet, which is the greater, we or God, the apostles or the Holy Spirit? A helper, then, can be much greater than the one helped. Those who take helping and serving as a sign of inferiority are thinking in worldly terms. They have no grasp of God’s culture. In the Kingdom of God, the greatest person is the one who serves most like a slave (Matthew 20:27; Mark 10:44).