Proverbs 22:25 (GNV)

Passage

Least thou learne his wayes, and receiue destruction to thy soule.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 22:23 For the Lord will defende their cause, and spoyle the soule of those that spoyle them.

Proverbs 22:24 Make no friendship with an angrie man, neither goe with the furious man,

Proverbs 22:25 Least thou learne his wayes, and receiue destruction to thy soule.

Proverbs 22:26 Be not thou of them that touch the hand, nor among them that are suretie for debts.

Proverbs 22:27 If thou hast nothing to paye, why causest thou that he should take thy bed from vnder thee?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "least", "thou", "learne", "wayes", "receiue", "destruction", and "soule". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "least" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 24's "Make no friendship with an angrie man..." into verse 26's "Be not thou of them that touch...", so "least" and "thou" 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 "least" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.