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 29:22

“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 .

complete verse (Proverbs 29:22)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Proverbs 29:22:

  • Kupsabiny: “Sinners bring quarrelling,
    and hot-tempered people do bad things.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “One who is quickly angered
    only creates disputes.
    One who shows great anger commits sin.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “A person who easily gets-angry starts-up trouble, and he/she always sins.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The one who easily becomes-angry, he is the one who starts quarrels and many are his occasions-of-sinning.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • English: “Those who quickly become angry cause many arguments,
    and they also commit many sins.” (Source: Translation for Translators)