bible verses about anger

Bible Verses About Anger: 15 Scriptures

Bible verses about anger: 15 Scriptures on slow wrath, righteous anger without sin, and leaving revenge to God—with plain notes and links.

Illustrated portrait of Christopher McAllister

By Christopher McAllister

Founder of theBibleand.Love

Published September 28, 2026Updated October 27, 20266 min readEphesians 4:26 (NIV)

A friend approaches with open hands across a courtyard toward someone standing by a cistern.

"In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry."

— Ephesians 4:26 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about anger want Scripture for hot moments — not a license to explode, and not a demand to pretend nothing hurts. This page is a numbered list of fifteen passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. The wider essay sits under Love and anger. Related lists: Bible verses about forgiveness, Bible verses about peace, Bible verses about self-control, Bible verses about patience, and Bible verses about humility. Anger here is the heat of displeasure that can become sin — distinct from settled calm in Bible verses about peace and from self-mastery in Bible verses about self-control. Being slow to anger is called greater than taking a city in Proverbs 16:32.

Word study (lead theme). In Greek, "anger" and "wrath" often use ὀργή orgē (Strong's G3709) — anger, wrath, settled indignation. See also Bible Hub G3709. In Hebrew, אַף aph (Strong's H639; Bible Hub H639) literally means nose or face, and by extension anger — the flared nostrils of displeasure, including God's slow anger.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Ephesians 4:25-28 warns how quickly anger becomes a foothold: "Take heed of anger and ungoverned passions. If there is just occasion to express displeasure at what is wrong, and to reprove, see that it be without sin" (Bible Hub commentaries on Ephesians 4:26; fuller MHC at Bible Hub MHC Ephesians 4). On James 1:19-21 he ties tongue and temper together: "Instead of blaming God under our trials, let us open our ears and hearts to learn what he teaches by them. And if men would govern their tongues, they must govern their passions" (Bible Hub commentaries on James 1:19; Bible Hub MHC James 1).

15 Bible verses about anger

  1. Ephesians 4:26-27. "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." Anger can be named without being nursed overnight. See Love and anger.

  2. James 1:19-20. "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." Slow anger is wisdom; human rage does not manufacture God's rightness. See Bible verses about patience.

  3. Proverbs 15:1. "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." Tone can escalate or defuse before the argument finds its legs.

  4. Genesis 4:6-7. "Then the Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.'" God names the anger before it becomes murder and tells Cain to rule over the sin at the door. See Love and anger.

  5. Psalm 37:8. "Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil." Fretting and fury share a downhill path.

  6. Proverbs 14:29. "Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly." Quick temper advertises folly; patience advertises understanding. See Bible verses about patience.

  7. Ecclesiastes 7:9. "Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools." Residence matters — anger that moves in is the danger.

  8. Mark 3:5. "He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored." Scripture distinguishes righteous anger from sinful anger: Jesus is angry and grieved, and the anger restores rather than vents. See Love and anger.

  9. Colossians 3:8. "But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." Anger sits in a cluster of sins the new life puts off.

  10. Matthew 5:21-22. "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'You shall not murder…' But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment…" Jesus traces murder's root into the heart's anger. See Bible verses about forgiveness.

  11. Proverbs 19:11. "A person's wisdom yields patience; it is to one's glory to overlook an offense." Overlooking an offense can be glory, not weakness. See Bible verses about humility.

  12. Psalm 4:4. "Tremble and do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent." Nighttime anger needs heart-search, not a speech.

  13. Romans 12:19. "Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord." Personal revenge is not your job; God's justice remains. See Bible verses about justice.

  14. Proverbs 22:24-25. "Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person, do not associate with one easily angered, or you may learn their ways and get yourself ensnared." Anger is contagious company.

  15. Ephesians 4:31-32. "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other…" The put-off of rage pairs with the put-on of kindness and forgiveness. See Bible verses about forgiveness, Bible verses about compassion, and Love and anger.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse for a fight you keep replaying, a workplace slight, or a night when anger will not sleep — not fifteen. Read it out loud. If you need anger that refuses sin, start with Ephesians 4:26. If you need slow listening, start with James 1:19. If you need the essay that frames love and anger, read Love and anger. For peace after the storm, see Bible verses about peace. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about anger?

Ephesians 4:26 is the classic: be angry and do not sin, and do not let the sun go down on your wrath. James 1:19-20 pairs slow anger with the note that human anger does not produce God's righteousness.

What does the Bible say about anger?

Scripture allows named displeasure but warns against ungoverned passion, overnight nursing of wrath, revenge, and the company of hot tempers. God's own anger is slow; ours needs listening and self-control.

Is all anger sin?

Not automatically — Ephesians 4:26 assumes anger can exist without sin. The danger is giving the devil a foothold, settling into rage, or taking revenge that belongs to God.

How is anger different from peace or self-control?

Anger is the heat; Bible verses about peace is settled calm under God; Bible verses about self-control is the bridle that keeps heat from becoming harm.

Start with Love and anger, then Bible verses about forgiveness and Bible verses about humility.

Sources

A woman approaches a man across a courtyard with open hands.

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