Proverbs 27:4 (GNV)

Passage

Anger is cruell, and wrath is raging: but who can stand before enuie?

Nearby Context

Proverbs 27:2 Let another man prayse thee, and not thine owne mouth: a stranger, and not thine owne lips.

Proverbs 27:3 A stone is heauie, and the sand weightie: but a fooles wrath is heauier then them both.

Proverbs 27:4 Anger is cruell, and wrath is raging: but who can stand before enuie?

Proverbs 27:5 Open rebuke is better then secret loue.

Proverbs 27:6 The wounds of a louer are faithful, and the kisses of an enemie are pleasant.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "anger", "cruell", "wrath", "raging", "stand", "before", and "enuie". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "anger" and "cruell", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "A stone is heauie and the sand..." into verse 5's "Open rebuke is better then secret loue...", so "anger" and "cruell" belong inside that flow. In Proverbs context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "anger" and "cruell" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.