A friend and companion never meet amiss: but above both is a wife with her husband. Which verse?

• A. Sirach 40:23
• B. Sirach 36:22
• C. Sirach 27:12
• D. 2 Timothy 3:17

Answer: (A)

This line tests recognizing a wisdom literature verse that ranks relationships and highlights the primacy of marriage. In Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), the author contrasts friendship, companionship, and the bond of marriage to show how the partnership between husband and wife stands above other close ties. The idea is that a wife sharing life with her husband embodies unity and partnership in the highest sense, more foundational than friendship or companionship alone.

The verse identified is the one that states a friend and a companion are valuable, but above both sits the wife with her husband, underscoring the special closeness and stability of marriage. That specific message makes it the best match for the prompt.

The other options don’t convey that exact notion. One speaks to different aspects of wisdom or social conduct, another to the usefulness of Scripture for leading a godly life, and another covers a separate topic altogether. None of them present the explicit contrast and ranking of a wife with her husband above a friend and companion.