Proverbs 22:24 (ASV)

Passage

Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger; And with a wrathful man thou shalt not go:

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:22 Rob not the poor, because he is poor; Neither oppress the afflicted in the gate:

Proverbs 22:23 For Jehovah will plead their cause, And despoil of life those that despoil them.

Proverbs 22:24 Make no friendship with a man that is given to anger; And with a wrathful man thou shalt not go:

Proverbs 22:25 Lest thou learn this ways, And get a snare to thy soul.

Proverbs 22:26 Be thou not one of them that strike hands, [Or] of them that are sureties for debts.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "make", "friendship", "given", "anger", "wrathful", "thou", and "shalt". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "make" and "friendship", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "For Jehovah will plead their cause And..." into verse 25's "Lest thou learn this ways And get...", so "make" and "friendship" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "make" and "friendship" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.