The Bible, too, reports that many sins have resulted from the loss of temper. Remember, Cain “grew hot with great anger” and killed his younger brother, Abel. Then there was evil King Herod who “fell into a great rage” and had the baby boys in Bethlehem and vicinity murdered.​—Gen. 4:5-8; Matt. 2:16-18.

Remember the case of Simeon and Levi, sons of the patriarch Jacob. Their sister Dinah was raped by a young man named Shechem from a nearby city. Was that a reasonable cause for anger? Certainly. But the reaction of the brothers was extreme. They killed all the men in the city, including Shechem.​—Gen. chap. 34.

This illustrates an important point. Often there is real provocation for anger. But losing self-control can lead to words and deeds that are later regretted. Then we have not one but two problems: the original irritation and the angry reaction. Often, the outburst of temper will be remembered longer than the provocation that led to it. In the case of Simeon and Levi, which do you think had greater effect on the minds of the inhabitants of those regions​—the rape of Dinah, or the murder of all the men of the city?

Yes, we must be “slow about wrath,” since “man’s wrath does not work out God’s righteousness.” (Jas. 1:19, 20) A bad temper can make us look ridiculous. can damage our relationship with others and can betray a lack of love. Moses, because of losing self-control on one occasion, was not allowed to enter the Promised Land. (Num. 20:9-13)