Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife; quarrels and insults are ended—an exhortation to remove the scoffer from community, establishing that the mocker is the source of contention and that his removal brings peace. The verb 'drive out' (garesh) describes forcible removal; the mocker must be actively expelled. The consequence 'out goes strife' suggests that conflict ceases when the mocker is removed. The theological significance involves the principle that some people are corrosive to community and that their removal is sometimes necessary.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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