Bits of Torah Truths – #Torah Concept in the NT: Put Away Anger – Episode 671
Ephesians 4:31
הָסִירוּ מִכֶּם כָּל מְרִירוּת וְחֵמָה וְכַעַס וּצְעָקָה וְגִדּוּף וְכָל רִשְׁעָה.
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Ephesians 4:31
4:31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. (NASB)
https://www.matsati.com/index.php/category/bits-of-torah-truths/
The Torah parallels Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians 4:31 to “put away… anger.”
– Torah Parallels to “Put Away Anger” –
- Leviticus 19:17–18 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart… You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge… but you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This is the prohibition of hatred and grudges. In the Torah anger is forbidden; love replaces hostility.
- Genesis 49:5–7 Jacob rebukes Simeon and Levi: “Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel.” In the Torah anger is condemned as destructive, the Torah warns against uncontrolled anger.
- Numbers 20:10–12 Moses strikes the rock in anger, leading to his punishment. Note the consequences of anger. This shows how anger can disqualify one from blessing.
- Deuteronomy 9:7–8 Moses recalls God’s anger at Israel’s rebellion but intercedes to avert destruction. According to the Torah, anger is to be redirected through intercession, Moses models turning away wrath and seeking mercy.
- Exodus 23:4–5 Command to help an enemy’s donkey if it is struggling. The Torah teaches to have compassion toward adversaries. Note how in the Torah anger is displaced by kindness and reconciliation.
– Key Observations –
- Anger as Destructive: Torah narratives (Jacob’s rebuke, Moses striking the rock) show anger leading to cruelty, rashness, and loss of blessing.
- Anger vs. Love: Leviticus 19:18 is the clearest parallel, forbidding vengeance and grudges, commanding love instead. This is essentially “put away anger.”
- Anger Redirected: Torah often depicts intercession (Moses pleading for Israel) as the antidote to divine anger, modeling how humans should redirect anger into mercy.
- Anger and Justice: Commands like helping an enemy’s donkey show that Torah replaces anger with acts of compassion and justice, preventing bitterness from festering.
The Torah frames anger as dangerous, cruel, and incompatible with covenantal love. We are commanded to avoid grudges, vengeance, and hatred, replacing them with compassion and reconciliation. Paul’s exhortation in Ephesians 4:31 echoes this ethic. This is how Paul taught Torah in the NT, the Torah has not passed away!
