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Bible Verses About Anger to Memorize
Anger is the emotion Scripture handles with the most precision. It is not banned outright — “Be ye angry, and sin not,” Paul writes, acknowledging that some anger is righteous — but it is fenced in on every side: deal with it before sundown, be slow to reach it, never let it drive you to sin, and leave vengeance to God.
Proverbs is the Bible’s manual on the angry moment. A soft answer turns away wrath. He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding. A wise man holds his spirit in; a fool lets it all out. These are not platitudes; they are tactical instructions for the exact second your temper flares.
That second is too fast for a Bible search — which is why these twelve verses belong in your memory. A memorized proverb can get between the provocation and your reply, and that small gap is where self-control lives.
KJV verse list
12 Bible verses about anger
Each verse below is shown in the King James Version. Read it slowly, then use the note beneath it to see why it is worth carrying with you.
Ephesians 4:26-27
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.
The boundary lines for anger: do not sin in it, do not sleep on it, and give no place to the devil.
James 1:19-20
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
The sequence to memorize for every conflict: swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.
Proverbs 15:1
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
The most practical sentence in Scripture for an argument: a soft answer turneth away wrath.
Proverbs 25:28
He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.
A vivid warning: a man without rule over his own spirit is a city broken down, without walls.
Proverbs 14:29
He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.
Slowness to wrath is great understanding; a hasty spirit exalts folly — anger management as wisdom.
Ecclesiastes 7:9
Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
A blunt warning: be not hasty to be angry, for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
Psalm 37:8
Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.
A direct command — cease from anger, forsake wrath — with the reason: fretting tends only toward evil.
Proverbs 19:11
The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
Discretion defers anger, and it is your glory to pass over a transgression — overlooking an offense is honor, not weakness.
Romans 12:19
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.
The release valve for vengeful anger: “Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.”
Ephesians 4:31-32
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
What to put off (bitterness, wrath, anger) and what to put on: kindness and forgiveness, as God forgave you.
Colossians 3:8
But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
Anger, wrath, and malice are clothes the believer takes off — a vivid picture for daily practice.
Proverbs 29:11
A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
A fool vents everything; a wise man keeps it in till afterwards — the case for the unsent reply.
Memorization help
How to memorize these verses
Anger verses earn their keep in about three seconds — the gap between provocation and response — so memorize them until they are reflexes, not references. Start with Proverbs 15:1 and James 1:19-20, and rehearse them while imagining the specific situations that set you off: the cutting email, the traffic, the dinner-table debate. Reviewing them right before high-friction parts of your day plants them where you will need them. The Bible Memory App’s short daily reviews (free to start) are ideal for keeping these sharp, because a half-remembered proverb will not slow your temper — a word-perfect one will.
The Bible Memory App turns that practice into a daily habit: type each verse from memory, get instant feedback on every word, and review on a schedule so the verses stay with you for years, not days. It is free to start, and you can add any of the verses above in seconds.
FAQ
Questions about Bible verses on anger
What does the Bible say about anger?
Scripture allows that anger exists — “Be ye angry, and sin not” (Ephesians 4:26) — but commands that it be slow to start, quick to resolve, and never an excuse for sin. James 1:20 gives the bottom line: “the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” Vengeance belongs to God alone (Romans 12:19).
Is it a sin to be angry?
Not automatically. Jesus showed righteous anger at hardness of heart (Mark 3:5), and Ephesians 4:26 assumes believers will feel anger. It becomes sin when it is nursed past sundown, vented in cruelty, or acted out in vengeance. The Bible’s consistent counsel is to be “slow to wrath” and to deal with anger quickly and honestly.
What Bible verse helps with a quick temper?
Proverbs 15:1 — “A soft answer turneth away wrath” — is the verse to have ready in the heated moment, and James 1:19 gives the order of operations: swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. Memorized, they can interrupt a temper mid-flare in a way a verse you vaguely remember cannot.
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