The interpretation timeline

Prov 15:18

How this passage has been read — the sources, oldest to newest.

From the early Church Fathers to now.

1 Jewish · 3 Reformed · 1 Lutheran

Prov 15:18 · Douay-Rheims
“A passionate man stirreth up strifes: he that is patient appeaseth those that are stirred up.”
Scholastic c. 1100 – 1500
1105
A.D.
Rashi Jewish
1040–1105
“A man of wrath stirs up quarrel A man who has no control over his anger, to be slow to anger, stirs up quarrels. but he who is slow to anger Who does not hasten to take revenge and to quarrel. abates strife It ends and abates by itself.”
609 years pass — nothing from this stretch is hosted yet
Post-Reformation c. 1650 – 1900
1714
A.D.
Matthew Henry Reformed
1662–1714
“Here is, 1. Passion the great make-bate. Thence come wars and fightings. Anger strikes the fire which sets cities and churches into a flame: A wrathful man, with his peevish passionate reflections, stirs up strife, and sets people together by the ears; he gives occasion to others to quarrel, and takes the occasion that others give, though ever so trifling. When men carry their resentments too far, one quarrel still produces another. 2. Meekness the great peace-maker: He that is slow to anger not only prevents strife, that it be not kindled, but appeases it if it be already kindled, brings water to the flame, unites those again that have fallen out, and by gentle methods brings them to mutual concessions for peace-sake.”
Source
1771
A.D.
John Gill Reformed
1697–1771
“A wrathful man stirreth up strife,.... A man of a wrathful disposition, of a furious spirit, of an angry temper; that is under the power and dominion of such a passion, and indulges it, and takes all opportunities to gratify it; he stirs up strife and contention where there was none, or where it was laid; as a man stirs up coals of fire and raises a flame; see Pro 26:21. He stirs up strife in families, sets one relation against another, and the house in an uproar; he stirs up contentions in neighbourhoods, and sets one friend and neighbour against another, whence proceed quarrels and lawsuits: he stirs up strife in churches, breaks brotherly love, and causes animosities and divisions; he stirs up strife in kingdoms and states, whence come wars and fightings, confusion, and every evil work; but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife: a man of a quiet and peaceable disposition, possessed of the true grace of charity; who is not easily provoked, longsuffering, bears and endures all things; he allays the heat of anger; he quenches the coals of contention; he calms the storm and makes it quiet, as the word (o) signifies; he "mitigates strifes raised,'' as the Vulgate Latin version renders it; he composes differences, reconciles the parties at variance, and makes all hush and still; and so prevents the ill consequences of contention and strife. (o) "faciet quiescere", Pagninus, Montanus; "sedat", Mercerus, Michaelis; so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus; "sedabit", Schultens.”
Source
1871
A.D.
1875
A.D.
Keil & Delitzsch Lutheran
1861–1875
“Two proverbs of two different classes of men, each second line of which terminates with a catchword having a similar sound (וארך, וארח). 18 A passionate man stirreth up strife, And one who is slow to anger allayeth contention. Pro 28:25 and Pro 29:22 are variations of the first line of this proverb. The Pih. גּרה occurs only these three times in the phrase גּרה מדון, R. גר, to grind, thus to strike, to irritate, cogn. to (but of a different root from) the verb עורר, to excite, Pro 10:12, and חרחר, to set on fire, Pro 26:21, cf. שׁלּח, Pro 6:14. Regarding חמה, vid., Pro 15:1; we call such a man a "hot-head;" but the biblical conception nowhere (except in the Book of Daniel) places the head in connection with spiritual-psychical events (Psychologie, p. 254). Regarding ארך אפּים, vid., Pro 14:29; the lxx (which contains a translation of this proverb, and after it of a variation) translates μακρόθυμος δὲ καὶ τὴν μέλλουσαν καταπρᾳύνει, i.e., (as the Syr. render it) he suppresses the strife in its origin, so that it does not break out. But both are true: that he who is slow to anger, who does not thus easily permit himself to become angry, allayeth the strife which one enters into with him, or into which he is drawn, and that he prevents the strife, for he places over against provoking, injurious conduct, patient gentleness (מרפּא, Ecc 10:4).”
Source
Modern · 1953 →

The in-app commentary runs from the Fathers to the early-modern record, then stops — that's where the public-domain sources end, not where the reading does. For the modern reading, follow the sources directly.