Best friend Quote by Timothy Keller
““When God brought the first man his spouse, he brought him not just a lover but the friend his heart had been seeking. Proverbs 2:17 speaks of one's spouse as your "'allup," a unique word that the lexicons define as your "special confidant" or "best friend." In an age where women were often seen as the husband's property, and marriages were mainly business deals and transactions seeking to increase the family's social status and security, it was startling for the Bible to describe a spouse in this way. But in today's society, with its emphasis on romance and sex, it is just as radical to insist that your spouse should be your best friend, though for a different reason. In tribal societies, romance doesn't matter as much as social status, and in individualistic Western societies, romance and great sex matter far more than anything else. The Bible, however, without ignoring the importance of romance, puts great emphasis on marriage as companionship.””
About This Quote
Source Bible: Proverbs 2:17 (c. 1000 BC)
The passage highlights marriage as deep companionship, not merely a transactional or romantic arrangement, emphasizing a spouse as a best friend and confidant.
In simple terms: Marriage should be a true friendship
Themes
Seek a partnership built on friendship
Mood
reflective
hopeful
Type
spiritual
relationship
When to use this quote
- Spiritual intimacy
- emotional support
Key Concepts
love
friendship
companionship
Practical Applications
- marriage counseling
- relationship building
- family life
Questions to Reflect On
- What does being a best friend in marriage mean to you?
- How can couples nurture deep companionship?
A Different Perspective
Romantic expectations can overshadow friendship
![“I agree that [marriage] should be treated like a business deal. But every business deal has to have its own terms and its own kind of currency.” quote by Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/9f5/ayn-rand-59_agree_i-agree-that-marriage-should-be-treated_1057272.jpg)
![“24 A few pages later, Delbanco writes the following: [Alexis de] Tocqueville’s detection of a “strange melancholy in the midst of abundance” has a special salience today — because while we have gotten very good at deconstructing old stories (the religion that was the subject of my first chapter…” quote by Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/85a/timothy-keller-240_sad_24-a-few-pages-later-delbanco-writes-the_25320.jpg)
