Be angry (3710) (orgizo from orge [word study] = wrath) describes a brooding, simmering anger that is nurtured and not allowed to die. It is seen in the holding of a grudge, in the smoldering bitterness that refuses to forgive. It is the anger that cherishes resentment and does not want reconciliation.
TDNT...
(Root word orge) denotes “upsurging” (of sap of vigor), comes to be used for “impulsive nature.” This is a tragic element in drama, since it inclines people to decisive acts. A demonic excess of will combines with fate to bring disaster. A second and resultant meaning is “anger” as the most striking manifestation of impulsive passion. Unlike thumos, a complementary term, orge is especially oriented to revenge or punishment. Thus it is applied to rulers who must avenge injustice. There then develops the sense of “punishment.” Apart from this legitimate form, however, orge is recognized to be an evil, or the source of other evils.
It is interesting that in the NT orgizo is used only of human and satanic anger whereas in the OT uses (Lxx) it is used frequently of Jehovah (do a "mini-study" on the Psalms below).
Note that Paul uses the present imperative commanding us to manifest a righteous anger as our lifestyle. This command should bring us to our knees for not one of us is able to carry it out in our own strength. The moment we think we can, God allows some person or some circumstance to come into our life that tests us (God is not tempting but testing, testing to show us what is in our hearts just as He did Israel - read Dt 8:1, 2, 3)
Thayer...
from Sophocles, Euripides, and Thucydides down; to provoke, arouse to anger; passive to be provoked to anger, be angry, be wroth
Orgizo - 8x in 8v - Mt 5:22; 18:34; 22:7; Lk 14:21; 15:28; Eph 4:26; Rev 11:18; 12:17. NAS = angry(4), enraged(3), moved with anger(1).
Matthew 5:22-note "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, 'You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, 'You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.
Matthew 18:34 "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.
Comment: 21" class="scriptRef">Mt 18:21, 21, 23-33, 34, 35, is one of the most important Biblical teachings on forgiveness, for Jesus knows that an unforgiving spirit will lock a person in a jail cell of their own making and they will remain in bondage and torment until they cancel the debt (= sins as shown by comparing Luke 11:4) and release (totally, unconditionally, completely, supernaturally) those who have offended them. (See related resources appended to notes on Exposition of "Forgiveness" in Ephesians 4:32)
Matthew 22:7 "But the king was enraged, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire.
Luke 14:21 "And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.'
Luke 15:28 "But he became angry and was not willing to go in; and his father came out and began pleading with him.
Ephesians 4:26 BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN (see the 2 verses below for anger of men and Satan); do not let the sun go down on your anger,
Revelation 11:18-note "And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth."
Comment: Warren Wiersbe makes a very astute observation: "In Rev 11:18, we have a “table of contents” for the remainder of the Book of Revelation. These events did not take place the instant the angel blew his trumpet; he simply signaled the beginning of the process, and now these events would take place as planned.
“The nations were angry.” What do the nations have to be angry about? Certainly the Lord has been good and gracious to them. He has provided their needs (Acts 14:15, 16, 17; 17:24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31), assigned their territories, and graciously postponed His judgment to give men opportunity to be saved. Even more, He sent His Son to be the Saviour of the world. Today, God offers forgiveness to the nations! What more could He do for them?
Then, why are the nations angry? Because they want to have their own way. “Why do the heathen [the nations] rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His anointed [Christ], saying, ‘Let us break Their bands asunder, and cast away Their cords from us’ ” (Ps 2:1, 2, 3). They want to worship and serve the creature instead of the Creator (Ro 1:25-note). Like adolescent children, the nations want to cast off all restraint; and God will permit them to do so. The result will be another “Babylon” (Rev 17,18), man’s last attempt to build his Utopia, a “heaven on earth. In Rev 11:2-note, the nations ruthlessly take over Jerusalem. In Rev 11:9-note, they rejoice at the death of the two witnesses. But now they are angry; their arrogance and joy did not last very long. This belligerent attitude finally will cause the nations to unite to fight God at the great battle of Armageddon.” (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor or Logos)
Revelation 12:17-note So the dragon was enraged with the woman (Metaphorical allusion to Israel in the time of the Great Tribulation), and went off to make war (Note: Here we see one of the sequelae/associations of the inner attitude of anger - make war! Husbands and wives be careful what comes out of your mouth, that it not be angry in tone or intent!) with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Orgizo - 61x in the Septuagint (LXX): Ge 31:36; 40:2; 41:10; 45:24; 15.14" class="scriptRef">Ex 15:14; 22.24" class="scriptRef">22:24; 9" class="scriptRef">32:19, 22; Num 22:22; 25:3; 31:14; 32:10, 13" class="scriptRef">13; Deut 6:15; 7:4; 29:27; 31:17; Jdg 2:14, 20; 3:8; 6:39; 30" class="scriptRef">9:30; 10:7; 14:19; 1 Kgs 11:9; 2 Kgs 13:3; 19:28; 16.10" class="scriptRef">2 Chr 16:10; 29:8; 35:19; Neh 4:1; Esth 1:12; Job 32:2f; Ps 2:12; 4:4; 18:7; 60:1; 74:1; 79:5; 80:4; 85:5; 99:1; 103:9; 106:40; 112:10; 124:3; Prov 29:9; Eccl 5:6; Isa 12:1; 28:28; 57:6, 16; 64:5, 9; Lam 5:22; Dan 11:11, 30; Hab 3:8; Zech 1:2, 15. Take a moment and study the uses in Psalms, 10/13 of which refer to God's anger (exceptions = Ps 4:4, 99:1, 112:10, 124:3) Here are few examples of OT uses...
Psalm 2:12-note Do homage (Piel imperative > Heb = Kiss the son) to the Son, that He not become angry (Hebrew = anaph [0599] [study the OT uses - Dt 1:37, 4:21, 9:8, 20; 1Ki 8:46; 11:9; 2Ki 17:18; 2Chr 6:36; Ezra 9:14; Ps 2:12; 60:1; 79:5; 85:5; Isa 12:1], anaph = to breath through the nose which comes from the heavy breathing and snorting we have all seen when one is angry. This verb is only of God’s anger with His people; Lxx = orgizo), and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!
Psalm 18:7-note Then the earth shook and quaked; And the foundations of the mountains were trembling And were shaken, because He was angry (He = charah = to burn or be kindled with anger!; Lxx = orgizo).
Isaiah 64:9 Do not be angry (Heb = qasap; Lxx = orgizo - In the Greek this is a present imperative) beyond measure, O LORD, Nor remember iniquity forever; Behold, look now, all of us are Your people.
Zechariah 1:2 "The LORD was very angry (Heb = qasap; Lxx = orgizo) with your fathers.
Zechariah 1:15 "But I am very angry (Heb = qasap; Lxx = orgizo) with the nations who are at ease; for while I was only a little angry, they furthered the disaster."
Aristotle said,
Anybody can become angry—that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way—that is not easy.
Warren Wiersbe writes that...
Anger is an emotional arousal caused by something that displeases us. In itself, anger is not a sin, because even God can be angry (Dt 9:8, 20; Ps 2:12). The Bible often speaks of anger “being kindled” (Ge 30:2; Dt 6:15), as though anger can be compared to fire. It is difficult for us to practice a truly holy anger or righteous indignation because our emotions are tainted by sin, and we do not have the same knowledge that God has in all matters. God sees everything clearly and knows everything completely, and we do not. The NT principle seems to be that the believer should be angry at sin but loving toward people. The fire of anger, if not quenched by loving forgiveness, will spread and defile and destroy the work of God. According to Jesus, anger is the first step toward murder (Mt 5:21-26), because anger gives the devil a foothold in our lives, and Satan is a murderer (Jn 8:44). Satan hates God and God’s people, and when he finds a believer with the sparks of anger in his heart, he fans those sparks, adds fuel to the fire, and does a great deal of damage to God’s people and God’s church (Ed: Cf the effects of the closely related sin of unforgiveness - 2Cor 2:10, 11). Both lying and anger “give peace to the devil” (Ep 4:27). (Wiersbe, W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)
Aristotle said...
“Anyone can become angry. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way—this is not easy.”
Solomon has a good solution
A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. (Pr 15:1).
Spurgeon said that...
Anger is one of the holy feet of the soul when it goes in the right direction....To be angry against sin is high and holy thing.
Do (not) sin (264) (hamartano) means to miss the mark (and so not share in the prize) err, esp sin, offend, sin, trespass. It is to act contrary to the will and law of God. Here the present imperative with the negative is a command for them to stop a process which is already in progress. The idea is "Be righteously angry but don't miss the mark. Keep your anger under (Spirit) control (Gal 5:23-note on Spirit enabled 'self control')"
EXAMPLE OF
MOSES'
"RIGHTEOUS ANGER"
Moses is an example of "righteous anger" gone awry and a study of this episode in his life serves to instruct believers today regarding how steep a precipice we stand on when we claim "righteous anger". Understandably, Moses felt anger over the unjust treatment of his Hebrew brethren, but what he did with that anger got him into trouble. Why? Because he allowed his emotions (aka, flesh) to control him with the result that he committed a crime of passion (murder - cf Jesus' association of anger with murder Mt 5:21, 22-note). Although he was right about the injustice (cp "righteous anger"), his reaction was wrong. His hot-blooded volatility revealed how unprepared he was for the task God had planned for him and as result God trained him with 40 years of "desert duty", so that he would realize that rescuing his own people in his own way would ultimately fail. Moses needed to learn what we all need to learn over and over - that to accomplish God's work in God's way, we must rely on God's power (His Spirit). Spurgeon was right when he said, “Anger is momentary insanity" as demonstrated by Moses' actions.
John Trapp reminds us of the fine line between righteous and unrighteous anger observing that...
It is not a sin to be angry, but hard not to sin when we are angry.
See the example of Cain (Ge 4:4, 5, 6, 7) and the result his failure to "master" his anger (Ge 4:8)! When one studies those passages one truth that comes out is that anger at God was simply a symptom of Cain's more basic problem of unbelief (cp Heb 11:4-note, 1Jn 3:11, 12)
Matthew Henry commented that...
When anger was in Cain's heart, murder was not far off... (adding that) When passion is on the throne reason is out of doors.
Thomas Adams adds that...
He that is inebriated with a passion is unfit for an action.
Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured or as Matthew Henry said "Anger is a sin that is its own punishment".
Matthew Henry...
If we would be angry and not sin, we must be angry at nothing but sin; and we should be more jealous for the glory of God than for any interest or reputation of our own.
I like William Cowper's poem on what we should rightly hate...
Hate Sin
Holy Lord God! I love Thy truth,
Nor dare Thy least commandment slight;
Yet pierced by sin, the serpent's tooth,
I mourn the anguish of the bite.
But though the poison lurks within,
Hope bids me still with patience wait;
Till death shall set me free from sin,
Free from the only thing I hate.
Had I a throne above the rest,
Where angels and archangels dwell,
One sin, unslain, within my breast,
Would make that heaven as dark as hell.
The prisoner sent to breathe fresh air,
And blest with liberty again,
Would mourn were he condemn'd to wear
One link of all his former chain.
But, oh! no foe invades the bliss,
When glory crowns the Christian's head;
One view of Jesus as He is
Will strike all sin for ever dead.
DO NOT LET THE SUN GO DOWN ON YOUR ANGER: o helios me epidueto (2PPAM) epi [to] parorgismo humon: (Deuteronomy 24:15)
John Trapp rightly warned that...
Anger may rush into a wise man's bosom, but should not rest there.
Go down (1931) (epiduo from epí = upon + dúo = to sink) means to go down, to sink down or to set fully. Again Paul uses the present imperative with the negative which functions as a command for the believers to stop a process which is already in progress - "Stop letting the sun go down on your anger!"
Sun (2246) (helios from hele = shining, the splendor of the sun) is the heavenly body the sun.
Plutarch tells us that the disciples of Pythagoras had a rule of their society, that if, during the day, anger had made them speak insultingly to each other, before the sun set they shook hands and kissed each other and were reconciled.
There was a Jewish Rabbi whose prayer it was that he might never go to sleep with any bitter thought against a brother man within his mind. Paul's advice is sound, because the longer we postpone mending a quarrel, the less likely we are ever to mend it.
In short the day of anger is to be the day of reconciliation!
Anger (3950) (parorgismos from parorgízo = make angry, provoke to violent or bitter anger) is that which is provoked to wrath or rage. Parorgismos is not momentary outward, boiling over rage or inward, seething resentment, but rather a deep seated, determined and settled conviction. It describes that irritation, exasperation or anger to which one is provoked. It can refer to an angry mood (we all know what this is like!) or a violent irritation which is expressed by either hiding oneself from others or by flaming looks ("if looks could kill", he "stared daggers at me"), harmful/hurtful words or inconsiderate actions. Note how damaging these various aspects of anger can be to interpersonal relations (especially in marriages and in parent/child relationships!).
As seen in this passage, its New Testament use can represent an emotion good or bad, depending on motive and purpose.
Parorgismos and
Orge contrasted
Parorgismos = severe or violent anger which arises from direct provocation, an aroused anger or seething exasperation. Such behavior is contrary to the Spirit and Word of God.
Orge = anger in general and though it is used of sinful anger it is also used of righteous indignation as here and in (Mk 3:5).
Dr Phillips notes...
parorgismos, communicates the idea of provocation. If you have to be angry—if the cause is righteous, the provocation severe—then let the storm burst but make sure the expression of your anger is not promiscuous or prolonged. Let calm follow the storm and be sure that your fellowship with God is not broken. Do not let the day end without quieting your spirit and making sure you have not grieved the Holy Spirit. You must not nurse anger. A converted disposition includes a transformed temper. (Phillips, John: Exploring Ephesians: An Expository Commentary)
John Eadie...
Parorgismos is a term peculiar to biblical Greek, is a fit of indignation or exasperation; para—referring to the cause or occasion; while the orge, to be put away from Christians, is the habitual indulgence of anger. 1Ki 15:30; 2Ki 23:26; Neh. 9:18. Parorgismos is not in this clause absolutely forbidden, as Trench wrongly supposes (Synonyms p. 141), but it is to cease by sunset.
The day of anger
should be the day of reconciliation.
It is to be but a brief emotion, slowly excited and very soon dismissed. If it be allowed to lie in the mind, it degenerates into enmity, hatred, or revenge, all of which are positively and in all circumstances sinful. To harbor ill-will; to feed a grudge, and keep it rankling in the bosom; or to wait a fitting opportunity for successful retaliation, is inconsistent with Christian discipleship—“Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.” .... The Pythagorean disciple was to be placated, and to shake hands with his foe.... (A Commentary on the Greek Text of the Epistle of Paul to the Ephesians - Online - Goto page 349)
Are you one who always wants to get the last word? Well here's the answer you may not have been waiting to hear - An apology is a good way to have the last word!
Wayne Barber explains that the new garment displays a controlled temper noting that..
We have a controlled temper. "Wait a minute. Are you telling me I can have a temper and it still be under control?" Yes. Look at what he says here in verse 26:
"Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger."
We think anger in itself is sin. No. It is what you do with anger. I am grateful for all the ones who have worked for the Pro-life cause. Hey, folks, we need to get mad. But what you do with that anger? James 1:20 (note) says
"the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God."
In other words, this anger is not really just you getting mad. It is the Lord Jesus in you. He was not a mild person all the time. He drove the moneychangers out of the Temple. This Man Who came to this earth, the God-Man Who was so virtuous, stood in a perfect balance between the extremes. He got angry, but He knew what to be angry at. He knew the target of His anger. He knew exactly how to express that anger. He never sinned at all.
So we are to be angry, but not sin with the anger. Go back to Eph 4:2-note. Here is a good example of it. It is all in relationships. Obviously it means that provocation has taken place. Somebody has provoked you. Look at what he says:
"with all humility and gentleness, with patience." (note)
Those three words show you that somebody is standing in the balance (walking worthy of their calling). They are upset. Nobody likes provocation. But they are letting their righteous anger rise up to where they know that they are not going to hate the sinner. They are going to hate the sin and still love the sinner. They are willing to trust God through the whole thing. The word "gentleness" simply means an inward calm so tamed by the Holy Spirit of God that when it happens, you know God is in control. Now that is a person who knows how to be angry, but not to sin with the anger. It is not really him being angry. It is the Lord Jesus rising up in him. There is such a thing as a righteous anger, and I believe that is what he is talking bout. But there is no sin with that righteous anger.
The word "sin" means missing the mark. We don’t miss the mark with righteous anger within us.
Paul goes on to say in Ephesians 4:26,
"do not let the sun go down on your anger."
Personally, in my own heart, Paul is telling to me,
"When the sun goes down, make sure your spirit is quiet. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger."
You know, my wife and I have done this over the years. We have tried never to go to bed without solving whatever difference we have. We have tried our best to make sure that we have dealt with what has angered us. We try to disassociate it from unrighteous anger and righteous anger to make sure we don’t sin with our anger. We have not always done it, but it has been a helpful thing in our marriage.
You have a controlled temper when you have on the new garment of Christ. Not only do you have a transformed tongue, but you have a controlled temper....
...What is in the new garment? Honesty, no lying. You don’t protect the flesh. You confess it. Not only that, you have a controlled temper. Then when you do that you have frustrated the tempter. He can’t get into the body of Christ. He can’t begin to tempt you to where you fall again. You start walking and living like you ought to walk and like you ought to live.
Put on the new garment. Put on the new clothes and you will have a transformed tongue. What you say to people will edify and not tear down. You will have a controlled temper. You will be angry, but it will be God’s anger in you and you won’t miss the mark with your anger. Thirdly, you will definitely frustrate the tempter because he doesn’t know how to handle you when Jesus is Jesus in your life. (Ephesians 4:22-27: A Brand New Way of Life - 3)
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Lamesa, Texan Don Nut says he and his wife have been married fifty years. He says that the secret is that they never went to bed without settling any differences between them. But Don concedes there have been times when he went ten days without sleep. -- Associated Press
Pastor Steven Cole...
A 27-year-old man pleaded guilty to assault after he was arrested for accosting a 59-year-old woman in St. Paul, Minnesota. They were waiting for a bus when he began yelling at her, “Why don’t you show me some respect?” When she took out a cell phone to call police, he hit her in the face. When a 63-year-old man intervened, the angry young man hit him with a folder, which fell on the ground as he fled. Police tracked the man down after finding his name in the folder, along with his homework from an anger management class, where he was headed when he lost his temper and hit the woman (Flag Live [March 6-12, 2008])! Well, I guess we can be glad that he’s working on the problem!
Anger is a huge problem, not only in the world, but also in the evangelical church. During my years in the ministry, I’ve seen many Christian marriages break up because of abusive anger. I’ve even heard of pastors who use anger to intimidate and control their families and to dominate others in the church. I have seen fathers and mothers who are abusively angry towards their children, usually
under the excuse of exercising biblical discipline. I’ve seen church members angry with other church members to the point of leaving the church, rather than be reconciled. Almost always, those who are angry deny it. I once had an elder at my church in California whose face was red, the veins on his neck were bulging, and his fists were clenched as he vehemently said to me through clenched teeth, “I am not angry!” I would venture to say that there are some here today who may put on a happy face for church, but the rest of the week, you are like a smoldering volcano, waiting to erupt. (Ephesians 4:26-27 How to Be Both Good and Mad)
Ephesians 4:27 and do not give the devil an opportunity. (NASB: Lockman)
Greek: mede didote (2PPAM) topon to diabolo.
Amplified: Leave no [such] room or foothold for the devil [give no opportunity to him]. (Amplified Bible - Lockman)
ESV: and give no opportunity to the devil. (ESV)
NKJV: nor give place to the devil.
NLT: for anger gives a foothold to the devil., (NLT - Tyndale House)
Phillips: Never go to bed angry - don't give the devil that sort of foothold. (Phillips: Touchstone)
Wuest: And stop giving an occasion for acting [opportunity] to the devil. (Eerdmans)
Young's Literal: and do not leave room for the Devil.
AND DO NOT GIVE THE DEVIL AN OPPORTUNITY: mede didote (2PPAM) topon to diabolo: (Ep 4:11,16; Acts 5:3; 2Corinthians 2:10,11; James 4:7; 1Peter 5:8)
Phillips...
Note where Ephesians 4:27 finds its home in the text. Its immediate neighbors are temper (Ep 4:26) and theft (Ep 4:28). The devil lurks between anger and dishonesty, waiting to exploit them to ruin our testimonies and dishonor the Lord's name. (Ibid)
The Puritan writer Thomas Manton said that...
Nothing makes room for Satan more than wrath.
Spurgeon speaking of unrighteous anger said that...
Anger is temporary insanity....I have no more right as a Christian to allow a bad temper to dwell in me than I have to allow the devil himself to dwell there.
Give (1325) (didomi) grant someone the opportunity or occasion to do something. The present imperative with the negative represents a command for the believers to stop a process which is already in progress - "Stop giving the devil a foothold [in your heart and life]!"
John Eadie...
“Also give no place to the devil” is the true reading, upon preponderant authority, and closely connects this clause with the preceding exhortation, not certainly logically or as a developed thought, but numerically as an allied injunction. Ho diabolos ("the devil") is plainly the Evil One, not viewed simply in his being, but in some special element of his character...
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