'He Who Is Quick-Tempered Exalts Folly'—50 Bible Verses About Anger

In a book that gives instructions such as "an eye for an eye," and "turn the other cheek," it can be confusing to know what we should do about our negative emotions. Indeed, some Christians might question whether they should feel such things as anger at all. Anger, by itself, however, is not wrong, and does not always lead to sin.

There are plenty of Bible verses about anger, in its various forms. It's a complex topic, handling emotions often can be, and there's no one-size-fits-all formula for dealing with anger. A good guide to navigating the overwhelming feelings can be found in the proverbs: "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it" (Proverbs 4:23).

Anger at its root is a heart issue. As we let God form our hearts, we'll better know what to do with our anger. We'll likely feel less of it too, as we place our burdens in the hands of our Great Healer.

Here are 50 scriptures that address anger, taken from a variety of translations. Prayerfully consider what God might be teaching you about anger through his word today. Ask him to take your anger to its root in you, and see if there's spiritual work to be done.

50 Bible Verses About Anger

1. So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Genesis 4:6-7

2. The Lord is gracious and merciful; slow to anger and great in lovingkindness. Psalm 145:8

3. For anger slays the foolish man, and jealousy kills the simple. Job 5:2

4. My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. James 1:19-20

5. He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick-tempered exalts folly. Proverbs 14:29

6. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Ephesians 4:27

7. A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 15:1

8. He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” Mark 7:20-23

9. Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered. Proverbs 22:24

10. Wrath is fierce and anger is a flood, But who can stand before jealousy? Proverbs 27:4

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11. You have heard what was said to people who lived long ago. They were told, "Do not commit murder. Anyone who murders will be judged for it." But here is what I tell you. Do not be angry with a brother or sister. Anyone who is angry with them will be judged. Matthew 5:21-22a

12. Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. Ephesians 4:26

13. Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil. Psalm 37:8

14. Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:9

15. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness." Exodus 34:6

16. "Return, faithless Israel," declares the Lord, "I will frown on you no longer, for I am faithful," declares the Lord, "I will not be angry forever." Jeremiah 3:12b

17. Jesus looked around at them with anger and sorrow at their hardness of heart. Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out, and it was restored. Mark 3:5

18. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. Nahum 1:3a

19. A wrathful man stirs up discord, but one slow to anger calms strife. Proverbs 15:18

20. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty. Psalm 30:5

21. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." Romans 12:19

22. So, the Lord was very angry with Israel and removed them from his presence. 2 Kings 17:18

23. What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you? James 4:1

24. Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Psalm 4:4

25. Angry people without God pile grievance upon grievance, always blaming others for their troubles. Job 36:13

26. A man of great anger will bear the penalty, for if you rescue him, you will only have to do it again. Proverbs 19:19

27. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged. Colossians 3:21

28. For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife. Proverbs 30:33

29. As an overseer of God’s household, he must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not an excessive drinker, not a bully, not greedy for money. Titus 1:7

30. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21

31. O LORD, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage. Psalm 6:1

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32. If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest. Ecclesiastes 10:4

33. I tell you, love your enemies. Help and give without expecting a return. You’ll never—I promise—regret it. Luke 6:35

34. Remind the people to respect the government and be law-abiding, always ready to lend a helping hand. No insults, no fights. God’s people should be bighearted and courteous. Titus 3:1-2

35. Moses heard the whining, all those families whining in front of their tents. God’s anger blazed up. Moses saw that things were in a bad way. Numbers 11:10

36. The way we know we’ve been transferred from death to life is that we love our brothers and sisters. Anyone who doesn’t love is as good as dead. Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know very well that eternal life and murder don’t go together. 1 John 3:14-15

37. Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city. Proverbs 16:32

38. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 2 Timothy 2:24

39. Pour out Your rage on them, and let Your burning anger overtake them. Psalm 69:24

40. So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion, during the time of testing in the wilderness, where your ancestors tested and tried me, though for forty years they saw what I did. That is why I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
and they have not known my ways. ’So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’" Hebrews 3:7-11

41. A gift in secret pacifies anger, and a bribe behind the back, strong wrath. Proverbs 21:14

42. Help us again, God of our help; don’t hold a grudge against us forever. You aren’t going to keep this up, are you? scowling and angry, year after year? Psalm 85:4-5

43. “Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. ‘It is written’ he said to them, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers’” Matthew 21:2-13

44. Others among them said, “Well, if he loved him so much, why didn’t he do something to keep him from dying? After all, he opened the eyes of a blind man.” Then Jesus, the anger again welling up within him, arrived at the tomb. It was a simple cave in the hillside with a slab of stone laid against it. Jesus said, “Remove the stone. The sister of the dead man, Martha, said, “Master, by this time there’s a stench. He’s been dead four days!” Jesus looked her in the eye. “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” John 11:37-40

45. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Colossians 3:8

46. And the Lord said, “Do you do well to be angry?” Jonah 4:4

47. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Ephesians 4:31

48. Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray—not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God. 1 Timothy 2:8

49. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Psalm 103:8

50. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. I Corinthians 13:4-5

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