Anger in the Bible: Perspective on a Powerful Emotion

The world we live in doesn’t yield to us as much as we would want it to. Things don’t always work out, not everyone agrees with us, people have different abilities, personalities, and skills, and our most fervent hopes get disappointed. Traffic is bad, people claim our ideas as their own, we aren’t recognized for our hard work, we lose loved ones to serious illnesses, we lose our jobs, or we must move to a new city and leave old friends behind.

All these things and more that make up our lives and the frustrations we sometimes face can trigger a wide range of emotions. One of those emotions is anger, and it is a powerful one.

Anger can let us know when something is wrong and needs to be remedied. Expressed the right way, anger can be a useful force for positive change and growth. Expressed negatively, (such as by employing verbal abuse or physical violence), or if it’s allowed to rampage unchecked and not reined in, anger is a destructive force. It can destroy lives and shatter relationships.

Anger in the Bible

When the Bible speaks about anger, it does so in realistic ways and gives us practical wisdom to help us engage well with anger, but also to help us let go of anger and make room for gratitude and joy. Here are a few of the verses about anger in the Bible, specifically from the Old Testament.

The Psalms

The Psalms are a collection of prayers and songs. They talk about all kinds of emotions, from anger, despair, grief, fear, and so much more. They talk about life and they give us the words with which to pray when we have no words of our own.

They acknowledge that life can be very messy, and by that very admission it helps us to feel normal and hold on through rough times. It’s normal to feel anger at a friend’s betrayal. It’s normal to feel fear when you’re overwhelmed. It is okay to grieve when you experience loss.

God is a judge who is perfectly fair. He is angry with the wicked every day. – Psalm 7:11

We get angry over any number of things. Some of them probably take up more room in our hearts than they should. Being angry is one thing, but it’s important to ask what you’re angry about.

In this verse we see God being angry with the wicked. Wickedness – things such as injustice, cruelty, people taking advantage of the weak, etc. – is the source of all that is wrong with the world. We feel what we feel; however, if you get angry, rather be angry and direct your anger toward a meaningful end.

Stop your anger! Turn from your rage! Do not envy others – it only leads to harm. – Psalm 37:8

Rather than indulging our anger and feeding it, it is better to turn from it. Anger can become all-consuming, and rather than letting it have its head, making the conscious choice to stop may be the best decision you make for yourself and your loved ones.

To round out our picture of God (lest we think God is just angry, grumpy, and surly), consider this verse that helps us understand God better:

But you, O Lord, are a merciful and gracious God, slow to get angry, full of unfailing love and truth. – Psalm 86:15

God doesn’t anger easily or quickly. His anger is not a snappy, unpredictable thing that breaks out at a moment’s notice over the slightest provocation. Being full of love and truth means that when God does get angry, he’s getting angry for good and legitimate reasons.

Sin angers God, but we see time and again in the Bible how God gives people and nations time to repent and turn from their evil deeds. His grace extends to all people. When they refuse it and choose to keep doing what is evil, his anger is rightly aroused.

Proverbs

The book of Proverbs is a collection of wisdom gleaned from observing human beings in real-life situations. Usually, it dispenses this wisdom through pithy sayings. Anger is a part of our lives now in the same way it was thousands of years ago. In several places, more than we’ll quote here, the book of Proverbs addresses anger and its impact on our lives.

A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted – Proverbs 12:16

Those who control their anger have great understanding; those with a hasty temper will make mistakes. – Proverbs 14:29

Don’t be quick-tempered, for anger is the friend of fools. – Ecclesiastes 7:9

Being easily angered isn’t wise. It can lead you to make mistakes, like overreacting and saying or doing something you regret later. It’s not worth rising to an insult and responding in kind, or worse. Staying calm takes you further and allows you to respond rationally.

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger. – Proverbs 15:1

A hothead starts fights; a cool-tempered person tries to stop them. – Proverbs 15:18

These verses about anger in the Bible also pick up on the theme of easing tensions instead of escalating them. When someone comes at you in anger, you can either match their temperature and things can quickly get out of control, or you can try to calm things down and diffuse the situation by being gentle.

Relationships can be broken in an instant by harsh words spoken in the heat of anger. Instead of starting or escalating fights, it is better to stop them. That way, neither you nor they say or do something in the heat of the moment that they later regret.

Keep away from angry, short-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul. – Proverbs 22:24-25

This verse reminds us of the value of picking your friends wisely. The people we hang out with influence us in subtle, powerful ways. We learn from one another, especially from the people we keep close to our hearts.

The verse isn’t referring to someone who has an outburst occasionally, when they hear the latest statistics about global child trafficking. It’s talking about people who are generally angry, who lose their temper at the drop of a hat and let it carry them away. Those habits can carry over and become our own if we are not careful.

Jonah

Another key question to ask yourself is whether your anger is accomplishing anything. Anger can become such a familiar and comfortable feeling that we stop questioning its presence in our lives. Anger shows us that something isn’t quite right. From there, it’s healthy to express that anger in a positive way towards resolution. If the anger lingers and festers, it can become like poison.

Another example of anger in the Bible can be found in the book of Jonah. The prophet Jonah felt deep abiding anger toward the people of Nineveh. So much so that when God asked him to go to them and share a message, he refused and ran in the opposite direction. The rest of the story is a dramatic showcase of God giving grace to this wayward prophet.

Jonah relents and goes to Nineveh. He preaches the message, and the people respond positively. They choose to leave their wicked ways and follow God. That’s exactly the kind of result a prophet wants and should be looking for!

But Jonah is angered by this turn of events because he hoped and wanted God to destroy them. Consumed by anger, he goes outside the city and waits to see if God would destroy these people. God doesn’t.

Instead, God asks Jonah the question, “Is it right for you to be angry about this?” (Jonah 4:4). Our anger can lead us down some very dark paths, so it is wise for us to examine ourselves and ask what our anger is doing for us, and if it is the most appropriate response.

For Jonah, his anger overshadowed the joy he ought to have been feeling because a whole city turned from their evil ways and acknowledged God. Instead, because of his deep-seated hatred of the people of Nineveh, anger overrode that joy and left him feeling bitter and sullen.

Similarly, anger can sap our joy and blot out the room to feel other feelings like gratitude. It is important to deal with anger by keeping it in check and expressing it in ways that don’t harm others, giving us room to experience other emotions.

Christian Counseling for Anger Issues

Beyond reading verses about anger in the Bible, you may benefit from anger management therapy. Browse our counselor directory to find a professional Christian counselor who can help you learn how to overcome your anger issues.