Proverbs 29:1-16: a reflection

Among the proverbs of this chapter is a plain contrast in the handling of anger: a fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise person holds it back and brings himself under control. A fool vents all of his anger, the proverb says, but a wise man brings himself under control. The contrast is between two ways of handling anger. The fool vents it all, letting it out unchecked, holding nothing back, giving full expression to every angry impulse. The wise person, by contrast, brings himself under control, holding his anger back, not letting it spill out unrestrained. Self-control over anger is the mark of wisdom; unrestrained venting is the mark of folly. This shows the wisdom of holding back and controlling anger rather than venting it all. Hold back and control your anger rather than venting it all. Venting all your anger unrestrained is folly; self-control is wisdom. Do not let every angry impulse spill out unchecked. Bring yourself under control when anger rises.

Notice the contrast the proverb draws in handling anger. On one side is the fool, who vents all of his anger: when angry, he lets it out fully and unchecked, holding nothing back, giving full expression to every angry impulse, saying and doing whatever the anger prompts. On the other side is the wise person, who brings himself under control: when anger rises, he holds it back, restrains it, does not simply let it spill out unrestrained, but masters himself. The difference is self-control. This holds practical wisdom for handling our anger. Anger rises in all of us; the question is what we do with it. To vent it all, unrestrained, letting every angry impulse out in word and action, is the way of folly; it does harm, damages relationships, and often leads to things we regret. But the wise way is self-control: to hold our anger back rather than letting it all spill out, to restrain the angry impulse, to master ourselves rather than being mastered by our anger. This does not mean pretending we feel no anger, but not giving it full, unchecked vent; bringing ourselves under control rather than letting anger control us. We do well, when anger rises, to hold it back and bring ourselves under control, rather than venting it all in the way of folly. When anger rises, hold it back and bring yourself under control. Venting all your anger unchecked is folly and does harm. Master your anger rather than letting it master you. Do not give every angry impulse full expression in word and action.

That is worth taking to heart, for it is wisdom to hold back and control our anger rather than vent it all, as the proverb contrasts the fool and the wise. We can vent all our anger unchecked, in the way of folly; but the wise person holds it back and brings himself under control. Control it. When anger rises, do not vent it all unrestrained; hold it back and bring yourself under control, in the way of wisdom rather than folly. Hold back and bring yourself under control when anger rises, rather than venting it all unrestrained in the way of folly, as among the proverbs of this chapter is a plain contrast in the handling of anger, that a fool gives full vent to his anger but a wise person brings himself under control; for the contrast is between two ways of handling anger, the fool venting it all and letting it out unchecked and holding nothing back and giving full expression to every angry impulse, and the wise person bringing himself under control and holding his anger back rather than letting it spill out unrestrained, so that self-control over anger is the mark of wisdom and unrestrained venting the mark of folly, which holds practical wisdom for handling our anger, since anger rises in all of us and the question is what we do with it, and to vent it all unrestrained and let every angry impulse out in word and action is the way of folly that does harm and damages relationships and leads to things we regret, but the wise way is self-control, to hold our anger back rather than letting it all spill out and to master ourselves rather than being mastered by our anger, which does not mean pretending we feel no anger but not giving it full, unchecked vent and bringing ourselves under control rather than letting anger control us, so that we do well when anger rises to hold it back and bring ourselves under control.