Proverbs 22:24 (DRB)

Passage

Be not a friend to an angry man, and do not walk with a furious man:

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:22 Do no violence to the poor, because he is poor: and do not oppress the needy in the gate:

Proverbs 22:23 Because the Lord will judge his cause: and will afflict them that have afflicted his soul.

Proverbs 22:24 Be not a friend to an angry man, and do not walk with a furious man:

Proverbs 22:25 Lest perhaps thou learn his ways, and take scandal to thy soul.

Proverbs 22:26 Be not with them that fasten down their hands, and that offer themselves sureties for debts:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "friend", "angry", "walk", and "furious". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "friend" and "angry", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "Because the Lord will judge his cause..." into verse 25's "Lest perhaps thou learn his ways and...", so "friend" and "angry" 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 "friend" and "angry" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.