What Does the Bible Say About God’s Wrath?

It can be painful to think about the wrath of God, but it is an important part of His character. Here is a bit of what the Bible says about God’s wrath:

Nahum 1:2
The LORD is a jealous and avenging God;
the LORD is avenging and wrathful;
the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries
and keeps wrath for his enemies.

Romans 1:18
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

Romans 9:22
What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction,

Ephesians 5:6
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Revelation 6:16–17
calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Revelation 19:15
From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

The wrath (Hebrew ḥēmāh; Greek orgē) of God is not a minor theme in the Bible. The wrath of God is His righteous, angry reaction to sin. God has a righteous aversion to sin (see Hab. 1:13) and is rightly indignant toward sin (see Ps. 145:20). Sin calls forth God’s upright and resolute vengeance. God’s wrath is directed toward and against His enemies and the disobedient— in other words, toward those who deserve it. His wrath is inevitable (it will come) and inexorable (it will be unrelenting). However, the many references to the wrath of God are intended to warn men and to call them to repentance.