Bird's-eye view
This brief but potent proverb delivers a crucial piece of wisdom regarding our associations. It is a command to exercise deliberate, spiritual authority over the friendships we cultivate. The central warning is against forming close bonds with individuals characterized by un-governed anger. The reason provided is not sentimental but intensely practical and spiritual: character is contagious. The passage highlights the profound truth that our company shapes us, and the wrong company can lead to the ruin of our souls. It is a call to godly separation, not out of snobbery, but out of a sober recognition of sin's infectious nature and the high calling of Christian discipleship.
Solomon, under the inspiration of the Spirit, is not telling us to be rude or unloving. The Lord Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners. But there is a universe of difference between a missionary lunch and an intimate friendship. We are to love our neighbor, and our enemy, but we are not commanded to make either of them our bosom buddy. This proverb teaches that friendship is a matter of spiritual discernment and self-preservation. To ignore this is to walk willingly into a snare.
Clause-by-Clause Commentary
v. 24. Do not befriend a man of anger;
The prohibition is stark and absolute. "Make no friendship," the original says. This is not a suggestion to be weighed but a command to be obeyed. We are not given leeway here. The issue is with a man "given to anger." This describes a character trait, a pattern of life, not an isolated incident. This is the fellow with a short fuse, the one who defaults to rage when crossed. The Bible takes this sin very seriously. Anger is a brief madness, and a man defined by it is living in a state of perpetual, low-grade insanity. We are to be friendly to all, as a general rule, but friendship is another category entirely. Friendship implies affinity, shared values, and mutual influence. And this is precisely where the danger lies. You have authority over whom you let into the inner circle of your life, and God expects you to use it.
And do not come along with a man of great wrath,
This second clause intensifies the first. It is a classic example of Hebrew parallelism. To "come along with" or "go with" a furious man means you are not to accompany him in his ways. You are not to be his companion on the journey. This is about shared life. If his path is marked by outbursts of wrath, you are to get off that path. Notice the description: "a man of great wrath" or a "furious man." This is not just irritation; it is a deep-seated, destructive force. This kind of wrath is a transgression against God and man, and it abounds in transgression (Prov. 29:22). It stirs up strife. It tears the fabric of fellowship. To walk with such a man is to walk alongside a ticking bomb. You are being told, in no uncertain terms, to keep your distance.
v. 25. Lest you learn his ways
Here is the reason, and it is profoundly simple. You will become like him. This is the principle of moral osmosis. We absorb the attitudes and habits of those we spend our time with. Bad company corrupts good morals (1 Cor. 15:33). This is not a possibility; it is a certainty. The word "learn" here means to grow accustomed to, to pick up, to be trained in. You might think you can be a good influence, that your calm demeanor will rub off on him. But the Bible's diagnosis is that the evangelism will almost certainly go the other way. His anger is a more aggressive spiritual virus than your piety is an antibiotic. Before you know it, you will either be making excuses for his sin, or you will be adopting it as your own. You learn to talk like him, to react like him, to see the world through his red-tinted glasses.
And take on a snare against your soul.
The stakes could not be higher. This is not about avoiding social awkwardness; it is about saving your soul from a trap. The "snare" is the anger itself, which you have now learned and adopted. It entangles you. It trips you up. It binds you. Anger that is nursed and cultivated gives a foothold to the devil (Eph. 4:26-27). This is how a soul is caught. You thought you were just choosing a friend, but you were actually choosing a spiritual trajectory. The path of the angry man ends in destruction, and by joining him, you set your own soul in the same trap. The final consequence is not just a damaged reputation or a few broken relationships, but a compromised and ensnared soul. This is a deadly serious warning. The choice of friends is a choice of destiny.
The Gospel Connection
This proverb, like all of Proverbs, finds its ultimate fulfillment and meaning in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the ultimate friend, the one who is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. In Him, we see perfect self-control, a man who ruled His own spirit perfectly. When He was reviled, He did not revile in return. His anger was reserved for righteous occasions, like the defiling of His Father's house, and it was always constructive, always aimed at holiness and restoration.
We who are by nature children of wrath (Eph. 2:3) are delivered from that bondage by the blood of His cross. He took the full fury of God's wrath against our sin so that we might be reconciled to God. We were the angry men, the furious ones, and He made friendship with us at the cost of His own life. Now, having been saved from wrath through Him, we are called to walk in a manner worthy of this calling. This means putting away all bitterness, wrath, and anger (Eph. 4:31). Our ability to heed the warning of this proverb is not a product of our own willpower, but a fruit of the Spirit's work in our hearts. We avoid the angry man because we have been befriended by the Prince of Peace, and we are learning His ways.
Application
First, take a hard look at your friendships. Are there people in your inner circle who are characterized by anger? If so, you are in a spiritually dangerous situation. This proverb requires you to create distance. This doesn't mean you excommunicate them in a huff. It means you deliberately stop cultivating that intimate friendship. Be kind, be courteous, but stop walking with them. Stop sharing your heart with them.
Second, examine your own heart. Have you learned the ways of an angry man? Are you quick-tempered? Do you make excuses for your outbursts? If so, you are the man this proverb is warning others about. This is a sin that needs to be confessed and mortified. Repent of your wrath and flee to Christ, who is our peace. Ask the Spirit to cultivate in you the fruit of patience and self-control.
Lastly, teach this to your children. One of the most important things you can do as a parent is to oversee the friendships your children make. You have the authority and the responsibility to do this. Teach them that character matters more than charisma. Teach them to spot the folly of anger and to value the wisdom of self-control. In doing so, you are helping them avoid a snare for their souls.