Judges 10 Footnotes

10:7 To ascribe anger to the Lord, as the OT often does, is not to compare his attitude with sinful human passions. The Bible identifies at least two kinds of anger: that which is sinful and that which is righteous (Pr 14:29; 16:32; Eph 4:26; Jms 1:19). The former may be self-serving (Gn 4:5; Nm 24:10; 2Sm 6:8) or that which lashes out at others (2Ch 16:10). The latter is that which seeks either God’s good (e.g., an outrage against sin) or God’s will (Dt 4:21). The anger of the Lord, at times, remains within the Lord (i.e., does not initiate action [Ps 86:15]). In Scripture, slow to anger means keeping one’s anger in check for a long period of time, allowing it to subside or to be expressed, as appropriate. At other times, God’s anger is expressed by his words (Hs 8:5) or by his judgment, a judgment that may withhold privileges (Ps 95:11) or invoke punitive measures (Nm 12:9-10; Dt 11:17; Jdg 2:14) that can even lead to the death of the guilty (Dt 6:15; 2Sm 6:7).