How many times is anger mentioned in the Bible?
The word anger appears 234 times in the King James Version, in 228 verses. Counting every form (anger, angry), it appears 278 times in 268 verses across 44 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses anger 255 times (356 with every form).
Anger in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of anger counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| anger | 234 | 255 |
| angry | 44 | 101 |
| Total | 278 | 356 |
Which books mention anger most
Anger appears in 44 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Jeremiah has the most (36), then Psalms (31) and Isaiah (24).
Also in: Hosea (5), Exodus (4), 1 Samuel (4), 2 Samuel (4), Zephaniah (4), Joshua (3), Nehemiah (3), Ecclesiastes (3), Daniel (3), Micah (2), Nahum (2), Habakkuk (2), Luke (2), Ephesians (2), Colossians (2), Leviticus (1), 1 Chronicles (1), Ezra (1), Esther (1), Song of Solomon (1), Joel (1), Amos (1), Zechariah (1), Matthew (1), Mark (1), John (1), Romans (1), Titus (1), Revelation (1).
First and last mention of anger
And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.
The verse that uses it most is Deuteronomy 32:21, 2 times (tied with 2 Chronicles 25:10, Psalm 85:5, Ecclesiastes 7:9, Isaiah 5:25, Isaiah 12:1 and 4 more):
They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.
Where the two translations differ
10 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 83 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Nehemiah 4:5: counted in the KJV only
And cover not their iniquity, and let not their sin be blotted out from before thee: for they have provoked thee to anger before the builders.
don’t cover their iniquity, and don’t let their sin be blotted out from before you; for they have insulted the builders.”
Psalm 7:11: counted in the KJV only
God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.
God is a righteous judge, yes, a God who has indignation every day.
Genesis 4:5: counted in the World English Bible only
But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
but he didn’t respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell.
Genesis 4:6: counted in the World English Bible only
And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen?
Verses with anger on our topic pages
32 verses that use anger in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
A fool vents all of his anger, but a wise man brings himself under control.
On: Wisdom, Anger, Self Control, Letting Go
So, then, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger;
On: Patience, Anger, Self Control, Revenge
Yahweh is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness.
On: Forgiveness, Anger, Mercy
One who is slow to anger is better than the mighty; one who rules his spirit, than he who takes a city.
On: Patience, Anger, Self Control
“Be angry, and don’t sin.” Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath,
On: Anger, Self Control, Letting Go
Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice.
On: Forgiveness, Anger, Bitterness
for the anger of man doesn’t produce the righteousness of God.
On: Anger, Self Control, Revenge
He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a quick temper displays folly.
A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.
On: Anger, Letting Go
A wrathful man stirs up contention, but one who is slow to anger appeases strife.
Don’t befriend a hot-tempered man, and don’t associate with one who harbors anger:
On: Anger, Friendship
Common questions
How many times is anger in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 266 of the 278 uses are in the Old Testament and 12 in the New Testament. Anger appears in 44 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Jeremiah has the most (36), then Psalms (31) and Isaiah (24).
Where is anger first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 18:30: "And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there." The last is Revelation 11:18.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Anger (28 Verses).
More word counts: sleep, debt, tattoo, love, God, Jesus, Christ, Lord, or all 107 words.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-02.