Do not make friends with a hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered—an exhortation to avoid relationship with the chronically angry, establishing that such people are dangerous and corrosive. The verb 'do not make friends' (lo titaber) describes avoiding intimate relationship. The reason is not judgment of the person's character but recognition of contagion; angry people spread anger. The theological significance involves the principle that we become like those with whom we associate.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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