Proverbs 15:18 - Printer Friendly

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

NIV: A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.

NASB: A hot-tempered person stirs up strife, But the slow to anger calms a dispute.

CSB: A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but one slow to anger calms strife.

NLT: A hot-tempered person starts fights; a cool-tempered person stops them.

KJV: A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.

NKJV: A wrathful man stirs up strife, But he who is slow to anger allays contention.

Self-control is a valuable attribute. The ability to consider one's words and actions, rather than lashing out without thinking, makes an enormous impact on one's life. Few people want to associate with a hot-tempered person, for fear of getting "burned." Solomon points out the reason here: a raging man creates conflict. Prior verses noted how controlling one's words helps avoid undue tension (Proverbs 15:1, 4). Some conflict may be unavoidable, but temperamental reactions add even more friction. Choosing to be "slow to anger"—to moderate one's response to a situation—allows more control and defuses a great deal of strife.

The prior verse spoke of the impact of love on enjoying earthly foods. This has strong implications for a home, or a marriage. In that context, this proverb might also be commentary from Solomon on the need for calm in a relationship. It has been said that when anger gets the best of us, it reveals the worst of us. In English, writers note that anger is just one letter short of danger. Not all anger is sinful, but some is; Jesus denounced unrighteous anger by saying, "Everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment" (Matthew 5:22). In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul exhorts believers to abandon sinful anger. He writes: "Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice" (Ephesians 4:31).

The person who controls his anger helps keep disagreements from reaching a boiling point. This is one mark of a peacemaker, about whom Jesus promised blessing (Matthew 5:9).

Proverbs 15:13–30 continues Solomon's contrasting descriptions of the wise and the foolish. In this book, those ideas are associated with accepting or rejecting God's truth, respectively (Proverbs 1:7). He writes about the gladness of the upright, wise person and the depressing existence of the wicked, foolish person. He contrasts attitudes, thoughts, and actions of both kinds of individuals, and he states that the Lord is far from the wicked but close enough to the righteous to hear their prayers.

Solomon begins this chapter of Proverbs by addressing subjects such as anger and self-control and how those reactions produce different responses from others. That extends to how carefully a person guards their words, and their responses to questions. Wise people seek wisdom and humbly accept it. Foolish people are careless, lazy, or arrogant. Solomon also notes the importance of perspective, and once again commends those who sincerely seek godly wisdom.

Proverbs is best understood in context with the books of Ecclesiastes and Job. In Proverbs, “wisdom” is given in short, simple, general terms. Ecclesiastes represents wisdom based on observation and experience. This often shows how the general principles of the book of Proverbs don’t apply in absolutely every circumstance. Job represents wisdom based on the experience of suffering and injustice. All three come to the conclusion that God does indeed know best, and the most sensible course of action is to follow His will.