King James Bible
"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's first recorded words express jubilant recognition of Eve as his perfect counterpart, using Hebrew parallelism to emphasize their shared essence. The phrase 'bone of my bones' reflects ancient Near Eastern covenant language, signifying the deepest possible kinship and unity. Adam exercises his naming authority established earlier in Genesis 2, but here names not an animal but his equal partner. The Hebrew wordplay between 'ish' (man) and 'ishshah' (woman) reinforces their fundamental connection while acknowledging distinction. This explanatory clause recalls God's surgical creation of Eve from Adam's rib, establishing the theological basis for marriage as reuniting what was originally one. The passive voice ('was taken') acknowledges God as the active agent in creating this complementary relationship.