Proverbs 22:25

Do not associate with him; contract not a familiarity with him; make him not a companion; take him not into an intimacy, or use him as a particular friend and acquaintance: a man should be courteous, and carry it civilly to all men; but he should take care whom he admits as his bosom friend; he should be cautious in his choice of a familiar friend, and not receive any; and, among the rest, avoid an angry and passionate man, one who is much given to passion himself, and stirs it up in others; for there can be no lasting peace and pleasure in such a man's company and conversation; and with a furious man thou shall not go: not take a walk with him, much less a journey; or shall not be frequently together. It may be rendered, "unto a man of wraths", or of great wrath and "fury, thou shall not come"; not enter into his house, nor seek his company, and court his conversation, which rather should be shunned. Proverbs 22:25 Ver. 25. Lest thou learn his ways,.... And be as wrathful and furious, as quarrelsome and contentious, as he is. Evil works and ways are soon learned; men are more ready to imitate what is evil than what is good: Joseph learned to swear in Pharaoh's court; and the Israelites learned the works of the Heathen, among whom they were mingled; "evil communications corrupt good manners", 1 Corinthians 15:33.

22:17-21. To these words, to this knowledge, the ear must be bowed down, and the heart applied by faith and love. To live a life of delight in God and dependence on him, is the foundation of all practical religion. The way to know the certainty of the word of truth, is to make conscience of our duty. 22,23. He that robs and oppresses the poor, does so at his peril. And if men will not appear for them, God will. 24,25. Our corrupt hearts have so much tinder in them, that it is dangerous to have to do with those that throw about the sparks of their passion.

Lest thou learn his ways,.... And be as wrathful and furious, as quarrelsome and contentious, as he is. Evil works and ways are soon learned; men are more ready to imitate what is evil than what is good: Joseph learned to swear in Pharaoh's court; and the Israelites learned the works of the Heathen, among whom they were mingled; "evil communications corrupt good manners", 1 Corinthians 15:33 . Many men, naturally mild and gentle, tenderhearted and compassionate, by being brought up among or conversing with bloodthirsty Papists, and imbibing their cruel notions and sentiments, have become fierce, and as furious persecutors of others; and get a snare to thy soul; be drawn into sin, by speaking passionate words, or doing rash actions, which will bring on punishment, either in this world, or in that to come, or in both; which may affect the soul or life here; the taking of it away, or the eternal damnation of the soul hereafter.

Lest thou learn his ways; lest thou be infected by his example, or provoked by this passion to return the like to him. A snare; either, 1. A mischief, which is oft the effect of unbridled rage. Or, 2. An occasion of sin; either by drawing thee to an imitation or requital of his rage; or by tempting thee to unfaithfulness in performing the great office of a friend, to wit, admonition or reproof, which, by reason of his furious temper, thou either canst not or wilt not do.

i. e., "Do not be tempted by the helplessness of the poor man to do him wrong:" some prefer, "Refrain from doing him wrong through pity for his helplessness." The gate - The place where the rulers of the city sit in judgment. The words point to the special form of oppression of which unjust judges are the instruments.

Another tetrastich follows: 24 Have no intercourse with an angry man, And with a furious man go thou not; 25 Lest thou adopt his ways, And bring destruction upon thy soul. The Piel רעה, Judges 14:20, signifies to make or choose any one as a friend or companion (רעה, רע); the Hithpa. התרעה (cf. at Proverbs 18:24), to take to oneself (for oneself) any one as a friend, or to converse with one; אל־תּתרע sounds like אל־תּשׁתּע, Isaiah 41:10, with Pathach of the closed syllable from the apocope. The angry man is called בּעל אף, as the covetous man בּעל נפשׁ, Proverbs 23:2, and the mischievous man בּעל מזמּות, Proverbs 24:8; vid., regarding בּעל at Proverbs 1:19 and Proverbs 18:9. אישׁ חמות is related superlat. to אישׁ חמה, Proverbs 15:18 (cf. Proverbs 29:22), and signifies a hot-head of the highest degree. לא תבוא is meant as warning (cf. Proverbs 16:10). בּוא את, or בוא עם, Psalm 26:4, to come along with one, is equivalent to go into fellowship or companionship with one, which is expressed by הלך את, Proverbs 13:20, as בוא ב means, Joshua 23:7, Joshua 23:12, to enter into communion with one, venire in consuetudinem. This בוא את is not a trace of a more recent period of the language.

Also תּאלף, discas, cannot be an equivalent for it: Heb. poetry has at all times made use of Aramaisms as elegancies. אלף, Arab. אלף, ילף, Arab. âlifa, signifies to be entrusted with anything equals to learn (Piel אלּף, to teach, Job 15:15, and in Elihu's speeches), or also to become confidential with one (whence אלּוּף, companion, confidant, Proverbs 2:17); this אלף is never a Heb. prose word; the bibl. אלּוּף is only used at a later period in the sense of teacher. ארחות .reh are the ways, the conduct (Proverbs 2:20, etc.), or manner of life (Proverbs 1:19) which any one enters upon and follows out, thus manners as well as lot, condition. In the phrase "to bring destruction," לקח is used as in our phrase Schaden nehmen [to suffer injury]; the ancient language also represented the forced entrance of one into a state as a being laid hold on, e.g., Job 18:20, cf. Isaiah 13:8; here מוקשׁ is not merely equivalent to danger (Ewald, falsely: that thou takest not danger for thy soul), but is equivalent to destruction, sin itself is a snare (Proverbs 29:6); to bring a snare for oneself is equivalent to suffer from being ensnared. Whosoever comes into a near relation with a passionate, furious, man, easily accommodates himself to his manners, and, hurried forward by him and like him to outbreaks of anger, which does that which is not right before God, falls into ruinous complications.

## That thou mightest answer the words of truth; that being instructed by me, thou mayst be able to give true, and solid, and satisfactory answers. ## To them that send unto thee, to wit, for thine advice in great and difficult matters. Or, to those that send thee , i.e. that employ the in any business of moment, whereof they expect an account from thee. ## Proverbs 22:22 Because he is poor: this may be mentioned, either, 1. As a motive to this robbery, because he was unable to resist him, or to revenge himself upon him. Do not take advantage of his poverty. Or, 2. As an argument against it, because he is a fitter object for thy pity and charity, than for thy injustice or cruelty. It is base and inhuman to crush such a person. ## In the gate; in the place of judgment, or under pretence of justice, and much less in other ways, where there is no colour of justice. ## Proverbs 22:23 Will plead their cause; which he hath in a peculiar manner undertaken to do. ## Spoil the soul; take away not only their goods, but their lives too; so fully will he recompense their wickedness to them. Proverbs 22:24 Into his company; not converse frequently and familiarly with him, as friends use to do. ## Proverbs 22:25 Lest thou learn his ways; lest thou be infected by his example, or provoked by this passion to return the like to him. ## A snare; either, 1. A mischief, which is oft the effect of unbridled rage. Or, 2.

[Reformed Biblical] 48 EXPOSITION OF THE BOOK OF PROVERBS. we may not run wild.’* Half our virtue we owe to being out of the way of temptation. Observe how the wise man heaps up his words— Enter not into the path —no—not so much as set thy foot into it. If some accident throws thee into it, go not on in it; avoid it with detesta- tion.† Pass not by it, lest thou shouldest unwittingly turn in. (Chap. v. 8.) Not only avoid it when near, but avoid nearness to it. It is like living in the atmosphere of contagion, in the midst of virulent and fatal dis- ease. The earnest repetition of the warning shows at once the imminency of the danger, and the certainty of the injury. The world around us is the action of mind upon mind. We are continually, through the medium of intercourse, moulding ourselves by other minds, and other minds by our own. Intercourse with the ungodly must, therefore, be fraught with fatal contamination. (1 Cor. xv. 33. Ps. cvi. 35. Chap. xxii. 24, 25.) The occasions, the company, the borders of temptation — all must be avoided . (Chap. ix. 10, 15. Gen. xxxi. 9, 10.) Young people are apt to plead with those who have the charge of their best interests--'What harm is there in this or that path?' Apart from other evils--this is plain. It is a contagious atmosphere. You are drinking in poison. It is far more easy to shun the occasion of sin, than the sin when the occasion presents it; to resist the begin- nings, than the progress, of sin