In the Adam and Eve account, 'helpmeet' means a complement—the one who completes Adam.
When Adam was alone and every animal had its mate, God said it was not good for man to be alone and made him a help meet (Genesis 2:18). Les Feldick explains that the Hebrew word behind 'helpmeet' is 'complement,' meaning Eve came out of Adam and completed him. So the word does not mean a subordinate helper; it identifies Eve as the one who makes Adam complete.
Genesis 2:18 — This is the first place God says He will make Adam a help meet, showing that the term describes a companion meaning to complete him.
Genesis 2:20 — This verse clarifies that none of the animals was a help meet for Adam, which prepares for the creation of Eve from Adam himself.
The first occurrence of the word is in Genesis 2:18, where God says, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." Genesis 2:20 repeats the idea: "but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him." The phrase 'help meet' later came to be written as one word, 'helpmeet,' in popular use. The passage goes on to show that the woman was formed from Adam: "And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man" (Genesis 2:22). Adam then declares, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man" (Genesis 2:23). Not until Genesis 3:20 does she receive the personal name Eve, when Adam calls her 'the mother of all living.'
Les Feldick consistently defines 'helpmeet' (which he also pronounces 'helpmate') as 'complement.' He points to Genesis 2:18 and stresses that no animal provided that complement; Adam saw every creature paired, but he was alone. When God brought Eve out of Adam and presented her to him, she became his complement and Adam was complete.
Genesis 2:18 records God's own words: "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." Les observes that as the animals came to Adam in pairs—male and female—Adam was struck by the fact that he alone had no mate. God recognized this and created Eve from out of Adam, and she becomes his complement.
Les teaches that Eve was already in Adam when Adam was created; God simply took a part of Eve out of Adam and formed the woman. That is why she was called 'woman'—out of man. At that point Adam was no longer alone and had his complement. Les also uses this to show Adam is the federal head of the whole human race, since Eve was in him.
Les draws a direct parallel: as Eve was the complement that completed Adam, so the Body of Christ will be the completion of Christ Himself. He pictures Christ as waiting and looking for that completion; when the Body is filled and the last one is brought in, Christ will take it to Himself. This makes the Adam/Eve relationship a picture of the Christ/Church relationship.
Les notes that in the garden Adam had no name for his wife; she was simply called 'the woman.' After sin entered and the curse was pronounced, Adam called her Eve, which means 'the mother of all living' (Genesis 3:20). Before that she was 'the woman'—taken out of man.
Eve Already in Adam
Les says Eve was in Adam when Adam was created, making Adam the federal head of the entire human race—this gives the background for why Eve could be brought out to complete Adam.
Helpmeet = Complement
Les says the Hebrew word behind 'helpmeet' is complement, so the helpmeet is the one who completes Adam.
Adam's Aloneness and Completion
After naming the animals, all of which had mates, Adam realized he was alone; Eve was created to be his complement and make him complete.
Eve and the Body of Christ
As Eve was the completion of Adam, the Body of Christ will be the completion of Christ Himself.
Christ Awaits His Complement
The Body of Christ is that complement for which Christ is waiting; when the last one is brought in, He will take it to Himself.
Woman Comes Out of Man and Completes Him
God created Adam with Eve within him, then took that part out and made the woman; she is now his complement and he is complete.
Eve Named After the Fall
Before the fall Adam called her simply 'the woman'; after the fall he named her Eve, meaning mother of all living.
Woman in Adam, Called Woman, Not Eve
Eve was inside Adam; Adam was lonely; God brought her out and presented her as the woman. She was not called Eve until later.
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.
This is the foundational verse where the word 'help meet' appears, showing that Eve was made to address Adam's aloneness.
Genesis 2:20: And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
This confirms that no animal could be Adam's complement, so God made a woman from Adam himself.
Genesis 2:22: And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
This verse describes how the woman was taken out of Adam and brought to him to be his helpmeet.
Genesis 2:23: And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Adam recognized that the woman who would complete him was derived from his own body.
Genesis 3:20: And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
This verse shows that Eve received her personal name after the fall, while before she was simply called the woman.
Les Feldick says 'helpmeet' is the Hebrew word 'complement.' It means the one who completes Adam, not just a helper. He stresses that Eve completes Adam in a way no animal or mere assistant could.
Les teaches that God created Adam with Eve within him, and later took that part of Eve out of Adam and made the woman. The Bible says she was called Woman because she was taken out of Man.
Les draws a parallel: as Eve was the completion of Adam, so the Body of Christ will be the completion of Christ Himself. Christ is waiting for that complement and will take it to Himself when it is filled.
Les explains that before the fall Adam had no name for his wife; she was simply called 'the woman,' meaning out of man. After the fall and curse, Adam named her Eve, which means mother of all living.
Watch the Teaching: Creation Completed: Why God Rested & How Man Was Formed