Bible Strands
Proverbs 29:11
A fool vents all his anger, but a wise man holds it back.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The author addresses a general audience within a didactic collection, placing this instruction between warnings about bloodshed and corrupt leadership.
The words — כְסִיל (khe.Sil) denotes a moral fool, while יְשַׁבְּחֶֽנּוּ (ye.shab.be.Che./nah) literally means he calms or restrains it.
The thread — The contrast between uncontrolled anger and restrained response appears in Proverbs 12:16 and Proverbs 19:11, with Micah 7:5 warning against venting trust to companions.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize that wisdom manifests as deliberate restraint rather than emotional release.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 19:11 A man’s insight gives him patience, and his virtue is to overlook an offense.
- Proverbs 12:16 A fool’s anger is known at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult.
- Micah 7:5 Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.
- Amos 5:13 Therefore, the prudent keep silent in such times, for the days are evil.
- Proverbs 12:23 A shrewd man keeps his knowledge to himself, but a foolish heart proclaims its folly.
- Judges 16:17 Samson told her all that was in his heart: “My hair has never been cut, because I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, my strength will leave me, and I will become as weak as any other man.”
- Proverbs 14:33 Wisdom rests in the heart of the discerning; even among fools she is known.