anger

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The Hebrew and Greek that is translated as “anger” in English in this verse is translated with a variety of solutions (Bratcher / Nida says: “Since anger has so many manifestations and seems to affect so many aspects of personality, it is not strange that expressions used to describe this emotional response are so varied).”

  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “be warm inside”
  • Mende: “have a cut heart”
  • Mískito: “have a split heart”
  • Tzotzil: “have a hot heart”
  • Mossi: “a swollen heart”
  • Western Kanjobal: “fire of the viscera”
  • San Blas Kuna: “pain in the heart”
  • Chimborazo Highland Quichua: “not with good eye”
  • Citak: two different terms, one meaning “angry” and one meaning “offended,” both are actually descriptions of facial expressions. The former can be represented by an angry stretching of the eyes or by an angry frown. The latter is similarly expressed by an offended type of frown with one’s head lowered. (Source: Graham Ogden)

See also God’s anger.

Translation commentary on Proverbs 29:22

“A man of wrath stirs up strife”: This line is very similar to 15.18a. See there for comments. “A man of wrath” is expressed in some languages, for example, as “a person with a hot liver,” “a person with a fever in the stomach,” or “a person who fires up quick.”

“And a man given to anger causes much transgression”: “A man given to anger”, as in 22.24, is literally “a master or possessor of heat,” where “heat” refers to rage, fury, or anger. “Causes transgression” is literally “great in transgression” and, as Good News Translation suggests, may refer to causing trouble in the community. However, some versions take this in a general sense as “commits many sins” (New International Version) or “gets into all kinds of sin” (New Living Translation).

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, William D. and Fry, Euan McG. A Handbook on Proverbs. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2000. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .