The Hebrew verb garah means to stir up conflict, engage in strife, or provoke. It is used both negatively (reckless meddling in conflict) and in the sense of legitimate warfare. Proverbs frequently uses this term to warn against stirring up strife unnecessarily. The word captures the volatile nature of interpersonal conflict when pride drives people to pick fights beyond their capacity.
Garah in Proverbs represents the foolish man who meddles in quarrels not his own (Prov 26:17) or who stirs up dissension (Prov 15:18; 28:25). The contrast is between the hot-tempered man who stirs up conflict and the patient man who calms it. Theologically, this word calls believers to pursue peace rather than provoke strife, reflecting the character of the God of peace (Rom 15:33).