Let’s read those verses: “And the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.’ Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.’” If we read these two verses alone without reading the very next verse, it would seem that God created Adam and then the animals. But verse 20 goes on to say, “So Adam gave names to all the cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. BUT for Adam THERE WAS NOT FOUND A HELPER COMPARABLE TO HIM.” God had said in verse 18 that he WOULD MAKE HIM A HELPER COMPARABLE TO HIM, so the animals were not created to be his helper, nor were they created after him. If you read Genesis 1:20-25 we see that God created the creatures of the sea, the beasts and cattle of the earth, and the birds of the air on the FIFTH DAY. After that we read in verse 26, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” This is crystal clear; Adam was made AFTER the fish, birds, and beasts and he was given dominion over them.

This “dominion” is seen in 2:19 where Adam named all living creatures. As Adam observed these creatures and gave them names, he learned “what God always knew,” that God had given these creatures a “helper comparable to them” (male creatures were given female companions as helpers), but He had not given him a “helper comparable to him” that he could enjoy and be his helper. This brings us to the rest of the chapter, specifically verses 21-24, where God DID MAKE HIM A HELPER:

“And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 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.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”

We have often said here on Answers From the Book that is vital to “compare scripture with scripture” to help us interpret Scripture. And we must always consider any passage of scripture in its CONTEXT. In this case we have seen that verses 18-19 MUST be read with verses 20-24 to be interpreted correctly. That, along with Genesis 1:20-26, gives us the light to answer your question. Day 5 of creation: sea creatures, land animals, and birds of the air are created. Day 6 of creation: Adam is created. After that Adam names every living thing and learns he has no “helper comparable to him.” And finally, God makes the woman out of Adam’s rib.  (DO)  (708.5)