Proverbs 12:16 - Meaning and Application

1. Passion is foolishness. Some read the verse this way: a fool is known by his anger. A wise person may feel anger when there is good reason, but he keeps it under control. He rules his anger, while a fool is ruled by it. When someone reacts with rude words or wild behavior, when anger changes his face and makes him lose self-control, that person is showing folly. Like Nabal, whose name became linked with foolishness, such a person shows what he is by his open anger.

A fool’s anger shows itself right away. He tells everyone he is offended, no matter who is around. Or, as the verse can mean, the moment he is provoked, he cannot wait to show his resentment. People who flare up quickly, who are set on fire by the smallest spark, do not have the self-control they should have over their own spirit.

2. Gentleness is wisdom. A prudent person covers shame. First, he covers the passion rising in his own heart. When his spirit is stirred and his heart is hot within him, he keeps his mouth in check and holds back his angry thoughts. Anger is a kind of shame, and though a wise person is not fully free from it, he is ashamed of it, corrects it, and does not let his sinful nature speak.

Second, he covers the provocation done to him, the insult or wrong he has received. He overlooks it as much as he can, hiding it even from himself so he will not go too far in his resentment. It is a kindness to ourselves, and it helps us rest in peace, to lessen and excuse the injuries and insults we receive, instead of making them seem worse, as we are so ready to do.