· Translation: KJV

Proverbs 14:29He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a quick temper displays folly.

The setting

Ancient Israel, ~950 BC. Court observers watching how different advisors handled pressure and conflict, Jerusalem, Israel...

The emotion here: having witnessed the destruction that uncontrolled anger brings to families and kingdoms

The original word

arek (ארך) — long, extended, the opposite of short fuse or quick trigger

Why it matters

Ancient kings often executed messengers who brought bad news — anger was literally deadly

Read with care

What most readers miss in Proverbs 14:29

The word 'displays' means puts on show — your anger is always performing for an audience

Common misconceptionPeople think this means never getting angry, but it's about being slow to anger, not never angry — even Jesus got angry at injustice.

Bible Genome reading

Proverbs 14:29 — Bible Genome reading

EraUnited Kingdom
Primary emotiongrowing
Literary typewisdom

Emotional genome

Comfort power40%
Quotability80%
Memorability80%
Crisis relevance70%
Standalone90%
Themes:self controlwisdom

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open Proverbs 14

Proverbs 14:29 comes from the book of Proverbs, written during the United Kingdom period. The dominant emotion in this verse is growing, with a comfort power of 40% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the wisdom genre of biblical literature. Key themes include self control, wisdom. Notable phrases: slow to anger; great understanding; quick temper.

Your reflection

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