Proverbs 15:18 (WEB)

Passage

A wrathful man stirs up contention, but one who is slow to anger appeases strife.

Nearby Context

Proverbs 15:16 Better is little, with the fear of Yahweh, than great treasure with trouble.

Proverbs 15:17 Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, than a fattened calf with hatred.

Proverbs 15:18 A wrathful man stirs up contention, but one who is slow to anger appeases strife.

Proverbs 15:19 The way of the sluggard is like a thorn patch, but the path of the upright is a highway.

Proverbs 15:20 A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish man despises his mother.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wrathful", "stirs", "contention", "slow", "anger", "appeases", and "strife". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wrathful" and "stirs", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Better is a dinner of herbs where..." into verse 19's "The way of the sluggard is like...", so "wrathful" and "stirs" 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 "wrathful" and "stirs" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.