anger

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The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “anger” or similar 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”
  • Chichewa: “have a burning heart” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation) (see also anger burned in him)
  • 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)

In Akan, a number of metaphors are used, most importantly abufuo, lit. “weedy chest” (the chest is seen as a container that contains the heart but can also metaphorically be filled with other fluids etc.), but also abufuhyeε lit. “hot/burning weedy chest” and anibereε, lit. “reddened eyes.” (Source: Gladys Nyarko Ansah in Kövecses / Benczes / Szelid 2024, p. 21ff.)

See also God’s anger and angry.

Translation commentary on Proverbs 29:11

“A fool gives full vent to his anger” is literally “A fool brings out all of his spirit [wind, breath].” The sense of this line is that a fool freely expresses his anger. Compare this with 14.29 and 16.32.

“But a wise man quietly holds it back”: It is not entirely clear in this line if the action of the wise person is in regard to his own anger or to that of the fool. It is probably best to take the action of the wise person as holding back his own anger and thus contrasting with the action of the fool in the previous line. “Holds it back” thus has the sense of restraining or controlling his feelings of anger and not giving outward expression to them.

We may translate this saying, for example, “The fool gets angry and shows everyone how he feels, but wise people are patient and control their hearts.” In some languages this thought may be expressed, for example, “The fool’s heart gets hot and he shouts, but the wise person keeps his heart cool” or “The person with no thinking is cross in front of everybody, but the thinking person is patient and holds in his anger.”

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 .

complete verse (Proverbs 29:11)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 29:11:

  • Kupsabiny: “Stupid people show when they are angry,
    but those who have understanding/wise swallow words.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “A foolish person shows his anger,
    but a wise person will suppress it.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “A foolish man can- not -control his anger, but a wise man can-control himself.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “A foolish-person is not able-to-restrain his anger, but as for the wise, he knows how to be-quiet while he causes-to-cool-off his anger.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “People who are wise are patient and restrain/control themselves when they are angry,
    but foolish people quickly show others that they are very angry/do not restrain themselves at all.” (Source: Translation for Translators)