--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When God brought the first man his…" description: "\"“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 sp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b42/timothy-keller-240_best-friend_when-god-brought-the-first-man-his-spous_1263498.png" --- # When God brought the first man his spouse, he brought him… ![“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…” quote by Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b42/timothy-keller-240_best-friend_when-god-brought-the-first-man-his-spous_1263498.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b42/timothy-keller-240_best-friend_when-god-brought-the-first-man-his-spous_1263498.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b42/timothy-keller-240_best-friend_when-god-brought-the-first-man-his-spous_1263498.png) > ““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.”” [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. 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 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Best friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-friend/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Bible Spouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible-spouse-4026025/) [Business deals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business-deals/) [Companionship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/companionship/) [Emphasis Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emphasis-marriage-4026026/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Great sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-sex/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Marriage Companionship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage-companionship-2176783/) [Social status](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-status/) [Spouse Allup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spouse-allup-4026027/) ## Related quotes > [At this point, we are living one of the greatest experiments in humankind - to create something that has, throughout history, been considered a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/at-this-point-we-are-living-one-of-the-greatest-experiments-in/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“Not only did Trump disregard the potential conflicts of his business deals and real estate holdings, he audaciously refused to release his tax returns.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-wolff/not-only-did-trump-disregard-the-potential-conflicts-of-his-business/) [Michael Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-wolff/) > [“ I Do Believe You Ate My Salad Recently, I attended a luncheon at the George Lindsey (Goober of Mayberry fame) Film Festival at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-ford/i-do-believe-you-ate-my-salad-recently-i-attended-a-luncheon-at-the/) [Deborah Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-ford/) > [“Some people not only burn their bridges, but they also torch the town! 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I thought he was on the phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-brinkley/basically-he-never-went-to-work-and-didn-t-have-a-job-of-course-i/) [Christie Brinkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-brinkley/) > [What if there were no grownups? Suppose the whole idea of grownups was an illusion? What if their money was really just playground marbles,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/what-if-there-were-no-grownups-suppose-the-whole-idea-of-grownups-was/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I think that in a family some are workers some are not. I certainly saw my mother work very hard and be in charge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-robinson/i-think-that-in-a-family-some-are-workers-some-are-not-i-certainly/) [Anne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-robinson/) > [Other people paint beautifully on canvas or write wonderful poetry. I like making deals. Preferably big ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/other-people-paint-beautifully-on-canvas-or-write-wonderful-poetry-i/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) ## More by Timothy Keller > [If you are trying to live a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-trying-to-live-a-life-in-accordance-with-the-bible-the/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [The more you rejoice in your own forgiveness, the quicker you will be to forgive others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/the-more-you-rejoice-in-your-own-forgiveness-the-quicker-you-will-be/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Evangelism will come organically in friendship if we don’t let our pride, fears, and pessimism cause us to hide our faith and heart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/evangelism-will-come-organically-in-friendship-if-we-don-t-let-our/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“The coming of the messianic King occurs in two stages. 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When we seek to communicate the gospel to a particular culture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/of-temple-presence-and-sacrifice-of-covenant-and-faithfulness-of/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“Finally, you are ready to launch your church. Begin by developing action steps and goals that can be used as benchmarks to track your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/finally-you-are-ready-to-launch-your-church-begin-by-developing/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [If you are a child of God, you don’t lose your status if you have a bad week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-a-child-of-god-you-don-t-lose-your-status-if-you-have-a/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [God's salvation does not come in response to a changed life. A changed life comes in response to the salvation, offered as a free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/god-s-salvation-does-not-come-in-response-to-a-changed-life-a-changed/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [“When anything in life is an absolute requirement for your happiness and self-worth, it is essentially an ‘idol,’ something you are actually worshiping. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/when-anything-in-life-is-an-absolute-requirement-for-your-happiness/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Suffering is the stripping of our hope in finite things, therefore we do not put our ultimate hope in anything finite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/suffering-is-the-stripping-of-our-hope-in-finite-things-therefore-we/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Christ will do everything for you or nothing. He's either all of your righteousness or none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/christ-will-do-everything-for-you-or-nothing-he-s-either-all-of-your/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [If we give God things in hope that they'll earn us blessings, we're really not doing anything for him. It's for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-we-give-god-things-in-hope-that-they-ll-earn-us-blessings-we-re/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) [Explore all 843 Timothy Keller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) ## More Best friend quotes > [“But my best friend from college was silent for a long time. She, of all of my friends, had seen the parade of sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/but-my-best-friend-from-college-was-silent-for-a-long-time-she-of-all/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/before-you-were-my-enemy-you-were-my-best-friend/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [I fell in love with my best friend, but I know that if it doesn't last, it will never be the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-yang/i-fell-in-love-with-my-best-friend-but-i-know-that-if-it-doesn-t-last/) [Shelly Yang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-yang/) > [A best friend isn't someone who's just always there for you.Its someone who understands you a bit more than you understand yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/a-best-friend-isn-t-someone-who-s-just-always-there-for-you-its/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Back home I get to see my old friends!(: But they don't understand the change in me and I can't explain it to them...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade/back-home-i-get-to-see-my-old-friends-but-they-don-t-understand-the/) [Jade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade/) > [This goes out to someone that was Once the most important person in my life I didn't realize it at the time I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aviation/this-goes-out-to-someone-that-was-once-the-most-important-person-in/) [Aviation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aviation/) > [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [Sometimes the right people can make your day. They're called best friends :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/sometimes-the-right-people-can-make-your-day-they-re-called-best/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Here is your third gift from Me once again..I had a fourth gift it was about me making a video telling you how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilbear/here-is-your-third-gift-from-me-once-again-i-had-a-fourth-gift-it-was/) [LilBear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilbear/) > [Our friendship is like a cup of tea¦a special blend of you and me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orebela-gbenga/our-friendship-is-like-a-cup-of-tea-a-special-blend-of-you-and-me/) [Orebela Gbenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orebela-gbenga/) > [When you have the most beautiful best friend in the world what more could I ask for I love you Tay :) you mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick/when-you-have-the-most-beautiful-best-friend-in-the-world-what-more/) [Nick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick/) > [I believe in God, because he is the only thing that kept me going. He's my best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-hahn/i-believe-in-god-because-he-is-the-only-thing-that-kept-me-going-he-s/) [Jessica Hahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-hahn/) > [ONE stone enough to break a glass,,, ONE sentence is enough to break a heart,,, FIRST sight is enough to fall in love,,, ONE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-stone-enough-to-break-a-glass-one-sentence-is-enough-to-break-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A Real Man will help build his woman's self esteem not break it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-s-voice/a-real-man-will-help-build-his-woman-s-self-esteem-not-break-it/) [Lisa's Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-s-voice/) [Browse all 6,524 Best friend quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-friend/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When God brought the first man his spouse, he brought him not just a lover but the friend his heart had been seeking. 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