Ephesians 4:26 says something most readers skip past: be ye angry, and sin not. Anger is not forbidden. What follows is a time limit — don't let the sun go down on it — which treats the danger as duration rather than the feeling itself.
Proverbs is practical to the point of bluntness. A soft answer turns away wrath; grievous words stir it up. The whole mechanism is described in one sentence, and it puts the outcome in the hands of whoever speaks second.
The comparison in Proverbs 16:32 was provocative in its own time. In a culture that honoured the taking of cities, ranking a man who rules his own spirit above a conqueror was not a gentle thought.
The verses
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Proverbs 15:1A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
Open → James 1:19Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
Open → Ephesians 4:26Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Open → Proverbs 16:32He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.
Open → Proverbs 15:18A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.
Open → Ecclesiastes 7:9Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
Open → Colossians 3:8But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Open → Proverbs 29:11A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
Open → Romans 12:19Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
Open → Colossians 3:21Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
Open → Search this and more on FirstVerseIf your anger frightens the people around you, that is worth telling someone. These verses describe the goal, not the road to it.
Related subjects
Scripture: King James Version, public domain. Last updated August 15, 2026.