The wrath of a king is a messenger of death, but a wise man will pacify it.
Parallel translations
- WEB The king’s wrath is a messenger of death, but a wise man will pacify it.
- KJV The wrath of a king is as messengers of death: but a wise man will pacify it.
- NKJV As messengers of death is the king’s wrath, But a wise man will appease it.
- NASB The fury of a king is like messengers of death; But a wise person will appease it.
- NLT The anger of the king is a deadly threat; the wise will try to appease it.
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
A king's anger can be deadly, but a wise person knows how to appease it. It matters because wisdom includes discerning how to navigate powerful displeasure.
Overview
This proverb soberly notes the lethal potential of a king's wrath and commends the wisdom that can pacify it. It teaches prudence and tact in dealing with those who hold power. The principle illustrates how wisdom calms anger generally, and points to the greater peace secured by Christ before the wrath of God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Prov 20:2The terror of a king is like the roar of a lion; whoever provokes him forfeits his own life.
- Prov 19:12A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.
- Eccl 10:4If the ruler’s temper flares against you, do not abandon your post, for calmness lays great offenses to rest.
- Prov 17:11An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
- Acts 12:20Now Herod was in a furious dispute with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they convened before him. Having secured the support of Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their region depended on the king’s country for food.
- 2 Cor 5:20Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.
- Dan 3:13–25Then Nebuchadnezzar, furious with rage, summoned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So these men were brought before the king,
- 2 Kgs 6:31–33He announced, “May God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders through this day!”
- Luke 12:4–5I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.
- Mark 6:27So without delay, the king commanded that John’s head be brought in. He sent an executioner, who went and beheaded him in the prison.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 16:14 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.