A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.
Parallel translations
- WEB He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a quick temper displays folly.
- KJV He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly.
- NKJV He who is slow to wrath has great understanding, But he who is impulsive exalts folly.
- NASB One who is slow to anger has great understanding; But one who is quick-tempered exalts foolishness.
- NLT People with understanding control their anger; a hot temper shows great foolishness.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Patience reflects great understanding, while a quick temper displays folly. Self-control in anger is a mark of wisdom.
Overview
The slow-to-anger person shows depth of understanding, whereas the hasty-tempered one puts his folly on display. The proverb commends the patient self-mastery that wisdom produces. It reflects God's own patience and the fruit of the Spirit, which includes self-control and longsuffering (Galatians 5:22-23).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Jas 1:19My beloved brothers, understand this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger,
- Eccl 7:9Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger settles in the lap of a fool.
- Prov 14:17A quick-tempered man acts foolishly, and a devious man is hated.
- Prov 15:18A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger calms dispute.
- Prov 19:11A man’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.
- Prov 16:32He who is slow to anger is better than a warrior, and he who controls his temper is greater than one who captures a city.
- Prov 25:28Like a city whose walls are broken down is a man who does not control his temper.
- Num 12:3Now Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face of the earth.
- Prov 22:24–25Do not make friends with an angry man, and do not associate with a hot-tempered man,
- Matt 11:29Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
- 1 Cor 13:4–5Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
- Jas 3:17–18But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
- Prov 25:8do not bring hastily to court. Otherwise, what will you do in the end when your neighbor puts you to shame?
- Eccl 10:6Folly is appointed to great heights, but the rich sit in lowly positions.
- Prov 4:8Prize her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you.
- Matt 2:16When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi.
- Dan 3:19–25At this, Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times hotter than usual,
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 14:29 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.