The Bible is not squeamish about anger. It records it, attributes it to God, and permits it — while being unusually blunt about what a short temper costs the people around you.
These twenty Bible verses about anger are grouped by the practical questions: whether anger itself is wrong, what to do in the moment, what a quick temper does over time, how words either cool or feed it, and what God’s own patience looks like.
Is anger itself a sin?
Scripture distinguishes between the feeling and what is done with it. Paul assumes his readers will get angry; his concern is what happens next and how long it is carried.
“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath.”
Ephesians 4:26 (KJV)
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: for the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.”
James 1:19–20 (KJV)
“Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.”
Psalm 4:4 (KJV)
“Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.”
Psalm 37:8 (KJV)
In the moment
Most of the damage anger does happens in the first sixty seconds. Proverbs is remarkably practical about the value of simply not speaking yet.
“A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.”
Proverbs 29:11 (KJV)
“A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.”
Proverbs 15:1 (KJV)
“The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.”
Proverbs 19:11 (KJV)
“Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.”
Ecclesiastes 7:9 (KJV)
What a short temper costs over time
These are the verses about pattern rather than incident — what happens to a person, and to a household, when anger becomes the usual response.
“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.”
Proverbs 16:32 (KJV)
“He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.”
Proverbs 25:28 (KJV)
“He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.”
Proverbs 14:29 (KJV)
“Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go.”
Proverbs 22:24 (KJV)
Words that cool it or feed it
Anger is rarely a private matter for long. Scripture pays close attention to the person who calms a room and the person who lights it.
“A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.”
Proverbs 15:18 (KJV)
“But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.”
Colossians 3:8 (KJV)
“From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?”
James 4:1 (KJV)
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.”
Galatians 5:22–23 (KJV)
The God who is slow to anger
The phrase recurs so often it becomes a description of character. It is also the standard the rest of these verses are measured against.
“The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.”
Psalm 103:8 (KJV)
“The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.”
Exodus 34:6 (KJV)
“Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
Romans 12:19 (KJV)
“The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power.”
Nahum 1:3 (KJV)
Keeping one verse close
The verse that helps with anger is the one you already know when your temper rises — not the one you go looking for afterwards. That is an argument for keeping one close: on a card, or marking the passage with a leather Bible bookmark.
Free Bible and prayer tools
To get a verse into memory rather than only into a bookmark, the Bible verse memorization flashcards work one verse at a time with your progress saved on your device. Bible verses for every emotion covers what usually sits underneath anger, and the short daily prayers help when you would rather pray than speak.
Anger that has been set down still leaves something to do, and verses about forgiveness take it from there. For the slower work of not being provoked in the first place, see verses about patience.
A verse for the pause before the reply
Most verses about anger are about the pause. The “Be Still and Know” leather Bible bookmark carries Psalm 46:10 — “Be still, and know that I am God” — debossed into full-grain cowhide, a small physical reminder to stop before answering. See all leather Bible bookmarks.
Common questions about bible verses about anger
Is it a sin to be angry?
Not in itself. Ephesians 4:26 says “Be ye angry, and sin not,” which assumes anger will happen and concerns itself with what is done with it — and with how long it is held onto.
What does the Bible say about a quick temper?
Proverbs is blunt about it: a person with no rule over their own spirit is “like a city that is broken down, and without walls” (Proverbs 25:28), while being slow to anger is rated above military strength (Proverbs 16:32).
How can I control my anger biblically?
The practical counsel is mostly about delay and speech: be “slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19), keep it in until afterwards (Proverbs 29:11), and answer softly, since “a soft answer turneth away wrath” (Proverbs 15:1).
Which translation are these verses in?
The King James Version (KJV), which is in the public domain.