THE POPULAR ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLE PROPHECY

VENGEANCE

Vengeance

Topical Encyclopedia

Definition and Context
Vengeance, in the biblical context, refers to the act of retribution or punishment inflicted in response to wrongdoing. It is a theme that appears throughout the Scriptures, reflecting both divine justice and human response to injustice. The concept of vengeance is closely tied to God’s holiness and justice, as well as the moral order He has established.

Divine Vengeance
The Bible frequently speaks of vengeance as belonging to God alone. In Deuteronomy 32:35, God declares, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay.” This assertion is echoed in the New Testament in Romans 12:19, where believers are instructed, “Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: ‘Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.'” These passages emphasize that God is the ultimate judge and arbiter of justice, and He will execute vengeance in His perfect timing and righteousness.

Human Vengeance
While divine vengeance is portrayed as just and righteous, human vengeance is often depicted as flawed and discouraged. The Bible warns against taking personal revenge, as it can lead to further sin and conflict. Proverbs 20:22 advises, “Do not say, ‘I will avenge this evil!’ Wait on the LORD, and He will deliver you.” This teaching encourages believers to trust in God’s justice rather than seeking to right wrongs through personal retaliation.

Vengeance in the Old Testament
In the Old Testament, instances of vengeance are often seen in the context of God’s covenant with Israel. God promises to avenge His people against their enemies, as seen in passages like Nahum 1:2: “The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and full of wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on His foes and reserves wrath for His enemies.” Here, God’s vengeance is an expression of His protective love for His people and His commitment to uphold justice.

Vengeance in the New Testament
The New Testament continues to affirm the principle that vengeance belongs to God. Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, particularly in Matthew 5:38-39, challenge the traditional understanding of retribution: “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” This radical call to non-retaliation underscores the transformative power of grace and forgiveness.

Eschatological Vengeance
The theme of vengeance also appears in eschatological contexts, where God’s final judgment is depicted as the ultimate act of divine vengeance against sin and evil. Revelation 19:2 proclaims, “For true and just are His judgments. He has condemned the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the blood of His servants that was poured out by her hand.” This passage highlights the culmination of God’s justice, where evil is fully and finally addressed.
Practical Implications for Believers
Believers are called to live in light of God’s justice, trusting Him to right wrongs and bring about His righteous purposes. This trust in divine vengeance frees Christians from the burden of personal retaliation and empowers them to pursue peace and reconciliation. As Romans 12:20-21 instructs, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

In summary, the biblical concept of vengeance underscores God’s role as the ultimate judge and the call for believers to trust in His justice while responding to wrongdoing with grace and forgiveness.

ATS Bible Dictionary

Vengeance

In De 32:35 Romans 12:19 Hebrews 10:30 Jude 1:7, means retributive justice- a prerogative of God with which those interfere who seek to avenge themselves. So also in Acts 28:4; though many suppose that the islanders meant the goddess of justice, Dike, whom the Greeks and Romans regarded as a daughter of Jupiter, and feared as an independent, just, and unappeasable deity.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (n.) Punishment inflicted in return for an injury or an offense; retribution; — often, in a bad sense, passionate or unrestrained revenge.

2. (n.) Harm; mischief.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

VENGEANCE

ven’-jans.

See AVENGE; GOEL; RETRIBUTION; REVENGE.

Greek

1557. ekdikesis — vengeance, vindication
… vengeance, vindication. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: ekdikesis
Phonetic Spelling: (ek-dik’-ay-sis) Short Definition: a defense, vengeance …
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1557.htm – 7k

5098. timoria — punishment, vengeance
… punishment, vengeance. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: timoria Phonetic
Spelling: (tee-mo-ree’-ah) Short Definition: punishment, penalty …
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5098.htm – 6k

3709. orge — impulse, wrath
… Feminine Transliteration: orge Phonetic Spelling: (or-gay’) Short Definition: anger,
wrath, passion Definition: anger, wrath, passion; punishment, vengeance. …
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3709.htm – 7k

1349. dike — right (as self-evident), justice (the principle, a …
… a) (originally: custom, usage) right, justice, (b) process of law, judicial hearing,
(c) execution of sentence, punishment, penalty, (d) justice, vengeance. …
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1349.htm – 7k

Strong’s Hebrew

5358. naqam — to avenge, take vengeance
… 5357, 5358. naqam. 5359 . to avenge, take vengeance. Transliteration: naqam
Phonetic Spelling: (naw-kam’) Short Definition: avenge. Word Origin a prim. …
/hebrew/5358.htm – 6k

5360. neqamah — vengeance
… 5359, 5360. neqamah. 5361 . vengeance. Transliteration: neqamah Phonetic Spelling:
(nek-aw-maw’) Short Definition: vengeance. Word Origin fem. …
/hebrew/5360.htm – 6k

5359. naqam — vengeance
… 5358, 5359. naqam. 5360 . vengeance. Transliteration: naqam Phonetic Spelling:
(naw-kawm’) Short Definition: vengeance. Word Origin …
/hebrew/5359.htm – 6k

Library

Whether Vengeance is Lawful?
… OF VENGEANCE (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether vengeance is lawful? Objection 1: It seems
that vengeance is not lawful. For whoever usurps what is God’s sins. …
/…/christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether vengeance is lawful.htm

Whether Vengeance is a Special virtue?
… OF VENGEANCE (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether vengeance is a special virtue? Objection
1: It seems that vengeance is not a special and distinct virtue. …
/…/aquinas/summa theologica/whether vengeance is a special.htm

Of Vengeance (Four Articles)
… OF VENGEANCE (FOUR ARTICLES). We must now consider vengeance, under which head there
are four points of inquiry: (1) Whether vengeance is lawful? …
/…/christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/of vengeance four articles .htm

Hell; Or, the Vengeance of God.
… Hymns. Book 2. Composed on Divine Subjects. Hymn 2:44. Hell; or, The vengeance
of God. 1 With holy fear and humble song, The dreadful …
/…/watts/hymns and spiritual songs/hymn 2 44 hell or the.htm

The Vengeance of Heaven
… BOOK V CHAPTER LX THE VENGEANCE OF HEAVEN. Raro antecedentem scelestum Deseruit
pede Poena claudo.”Horace. … What a delicious thing is vengeance! …
/…/chapter lx the vengeance of.htm

The Vengeance of Rome
… CHAPTER XXXV THE VENGEANCE OF ROME. WE cannot find out what effect this
epistle had upon the clergy to whom it was sent. But the …
/…/bevan/three friends of god/chapter xxxv the vengeance of.htm

Of the Patience and Vengeance of God, the Worship of Demons, and …
… the divine institutes. Book II. Of the Origin of Error. Chap. XVIII.”Of the Patience
and Vengeance of God, the Worship of Demons, and False Religions. …
/…/lactantius/the divine institutes/chap xviii of the patience and.htm

Whether Vengeance Should be Taken on those who have Sinned …
… OF VENGEANCE (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether vengeance should be taken on those
who have sinned involuntarily? Objection 1: It seems that …
/…/aquinas/summa theologica/whether vengeance should be taken.htm

Whether Vengeance Should be Wrought by Means of Punishments …
… OF VENGEANCE (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether vengeance should be wrought by means
of punishments customary among men? Objection 1: It seems …
/…/aquinas/summa theologica/whether vengeance should be wrought.htm

What Vengeance Overtook those who on Account of the Oracle Raised …
… Book II. Chapter LIV.”What Vengeance overtook those who on Account of
the Oracle raised the Persecution. “But why need I longer …
/…/the life of constantine/chapter liv what vengeance overtook those.htm

Thesaurus

Vengeance (63 Occurrences)
…VENGEANCE. ven’-jans. …Vengeance (63 Occurrences). Luke 21:22 For these are days of
vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. …
/v/vengeance.htm – 26k

Revenge (13 Occurrences)
… 2. (vt) To inflict injury for, in a spiteful, wrong, or malignant spirit; to wreak
vengeance for maliciously. 3. (vi) To take vengeance; — with. …
/r/revenge.htm – 12k

Avenge (27 Occurrences)
… 1. (vt) To take vengeance for; to exact satisfaction for by punishing the injuring
party; to vindicate by inflicting pain or evil on a wrongdoer. …
/a/avenge.htm – 17k

Belongeth (36 Occurrences)
… Romans 12:19 Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath ‘of God’:
for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith …
/b/belongeth.htm – 17k

Avenges (4 Occurrences)
… Deuteronomy 32:43 Sing aloud, O ye nations, of His people; for He doth avenge the
blood of His servants, and doth render vengeance to His adversaries, and doth …
/a/avenges.htm – 7k

Avenged (34 Occurrences)
… Psalms 18:47 The ?God who hath avenged me, and hath subjected the peoples to me;
(DBY). Psalms 58:10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. …
/a/avenged.htm – 17k

Furious (28 Occurrences)
… judgment. (YLT). Proverbs 6:34 For jealousy ‘is’ the fury of a man, And he
doth not spare in a day of vengeance. (See RSV). Proverbs …
/f/furious.htm – 14k

Avenger (18 Occurrences)
… Noah Webster’s Dictionary. 1. (n.) One who avenges or vindicates; as, an avenger
of blood. 2. (n.) One who takes vengeance. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. …
/a/avenger.htm – 17k

Wrathful (11 Occurrences)
… Ezekiel 25:17 I will execute great vengeance on them with wrathful rebukes; and
they shall know that I am Yahweh, when I shall lay my vengeance on them. …
/w/wrathful.htm – 9k

Wreak (1 Occurrence)
… 1. (vt) To execute in vengeance or passion; to inflict; as, to wreak vengeance on
an enemy. … 4. (vt) Revenge; vengeance; furious passion; resentment. …
/w/wreak.htm – 6k

Resources

What does the Bible say about revenge? | GotQuestions.org

What is an avenger of blood in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

What is the “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” sermon? | GotQuestions.org
Vengeance: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com
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