When the World is an Angry Place: 23 Helpful Bible Verses about Anger

Do you ever feel guilty for being angry over something you care about? Or do you find yourself feeling justified in your anger toward certain events or people? There’s no shortage of things that make us angry, and you don’t have to look far to find them. In response to political and social issues, everyday occurrences like bad traffic or being treated poorly by others, anger is a far too common reaction to the world around us.

Add to that the stress that has been generated by being in a pandemic over the last few years, and we have a cocktail of worry and anger. And it’s not just Americans that have been feeling this way. According to the latest Gallup Global Emotions Report, in the last few years, the world has been a more worried and more stressed-out, sadder, and angrier place than it has been at any time in the past fifteen years.

The Bible helps us to come to grips with the complexity of anger, helping us to understand the roots of our anger, as well as the devastating effects of our anger. While we learn from the following Bible verses about anger that God also gets stirred to wrath, we are shown that God gets angry because of sin and that he is slow to anger.

The description of God’s character from Exodus 33:19, for example, emphasizes the merciful and gracious character of the Lord, whose steadfast love and forgiveness extend to thousands in contrast to the few upon whom he visits his anger. Our inclinations often run in the opposite direction. The Bible warns us that anger can be either righteous or sinful, which is just one of many reasons why letting go of anger can be something to aim for.

The Bible verses about anger below speak to very different contexts, but the overall message is clear: anger is something we all feel, but we need to be cautious about what we do and say out of anger. Giving anger its head is one pathway to disaster for our relationships, and we are better off exercising self-control in our dealings with others.

Instead of stoking the flames when emotions are high, it’s better to find ways to calm things down to ensure that no further damage is done. While the language of “putting to death” certain habits and attitudes within us may seem extreme, when we consider how destructive they can be within us and toward other people, we begin to see that perhaps the remedy is appropriate for the ailment.

23 Bible Verses About Anger

Looking for Bible verses about anger? Here are 23 for you to consider:

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

But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. – Psalm 86:15

Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly. – Proverbs 14:29

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

But keep away from foolish and ignorant arguments; you know that they end up in quarrels. As the Lord’s servant, you must not quarrel. You must be kind toward all, a good and patient teacher, who is gentle as you correct your opponents, for it may be that God will give them the opportunity to repent and come to know the truth. – 2 Timothy 2:23-25

A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention. – Proverbs 15:18

Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man. – Proverbs 22:24

A man of wrath stirs up strife, and one given to anger causes much transgression. – Proverbs 29:22

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

In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. – Ephesians 4:26-31

Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. – Ephesians 6:4

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these, the wrath of God is coming. In these, you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. – Colossians 3:5–8

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.’ To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. – Romans 12:19–21

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, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation. – Exodus 34:6–7

I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling. – 1 Timothy 2:8

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. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. – James 1:19-21

A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. – Proverbs 19:11

The Lord responded, ‘Is your anger a good thing?’ – Jonah 4:4

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. – James 4:1-3

Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city. – Proverbs 16:32

But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First, be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. – Matthew 5:22–24

Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret – it leads only to evil. For those who are evil will be destroyed, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land. – Psalm 37:8-9

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. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. – Galatians 5:19–24

Conclusion

The dangerous and destructive effect of human anger is stressed throughout Scripture, and that’s with good reason. Anger typically entails a desire to damage or destroy the other person, either in some personal way or literally in the form of murder. Seemingly innocuous behaviors such as calling someone a fool are closely connected to anger in that they represent a destructive attack on another person’s character and identity.

The Holy Spirit empowers God’s people to walk faithfully and begin embodying virtues such as patience and wisdom, as well as the ability to forgive wrongdoing and seek reconciliation with others. Whether one is a believer or not, properly dealing with anger is difficult, and we need help – that help comes in the form of community, wise individuals that hold us accountable, and professionals such as anger management therapists that can help us navigate anger in healthy ways.

If you find that anger is overwhelming you and causing damage in your life, you can turn to these Scriptures for encouragement, clarity, and rebuke. If you’re looking for additional support beyond these Bible verses about anger, you could also enlist the help of a therapist to journey with you so that you too can walk in the peace and fruitfulness that the Lord desires for people. We invite you to browse our counselor directory today to find the best anger management therapist for your needs.