anger

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The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “anger” or similar in English in this verse is translated with a variety of solutions (Bratcher / Nida says: “Since anger has so many manifestations and seems to affect so many aspects of personality, it is not strange that expressions used to describe this emotional response are so varied”).

  • Chicahuaxtla Triqui: “be warm inside”
  • Mende: “have a cut heart”
  • Mískito: “have a split heart”
  • Tzotzil: “have a hot heart”
  • Mossi: “a swollen heart”
  • Western Kanjobal: “fire of the viscera”
  • San Blas Kuna: “pain in the heart”
  • Chimborazo Highland Quichua: “not with good eye”
  • Chichewa: “have a burning heart” (source: Mawu a Mulungu mu Chichewa Chalero Back Translation) (see also anger burned in him)
  • Citak: two different terms, one meaning “angry” and one meaning “offended,” both are actually descriptions of facial expressions. The former can be represented by an angry stretching of the eyes or by an angry frown. The latter is similarly expressed by an offended type of frown with one’s head lowered. (Source: Graham Ogden)

In Akan, a number of metaphors are used, most importantly abufuo, lit. “weedy chest” (the chest is seen as a container that contains the heart but can also metaphorically be filled with other fluids etc.), but also abufuhyeε lit. “hot/burning weedy chest” and anibereε, lit. “reddened eyes.” (Source: Gladys Nyarko Ansah in Kövecses / Benczes / Szelid 2024, p. 21ff.)

See also God’s anger and angry.

Translation commentary on Wisdom 10:3

But when an unrighteous man departed from her in his anger: Presumably Cain had Wisdom, but became so angry that he left her and went out to kill his brother. It is hard to suggest an English verb that is appropriate here; neither departed from nor “abandoned” (Good News Translation) sounds natural. “Rejected” is close. The idea of “turn one’s back on” probably fits this context more naturally; for example, “But there was an evil [or, unrighteous] man who turned his back on [or, refused to follow] Wisdom.” Good News Translation has moved in his anger to the end of the verse by combining it with in rage and translating “in a fit of anger,” which means “he became so angry that.” This works well.

He perished because in rage he slew his brother: Good News Translation (so also New English Bible) renders perished as “destroyed himself,” which is better in the context. This must not be mistaken for suicide, however. It means that by killing his brother Cain brought about his own ruin. He did not, of course, die immediately. His punishment is reported in Gen 4.9-16.

An alternative model for this verse is:

• There was an evil man who turned his back on Wisdom. He became terribly angry and killed his brother. Because of this he brought about his own ruin [or, destruction].

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Wisdom of Solomon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2004. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.