During our church service this past Sunday, I believe the Lord gave me a word for the congregation. It went as follows.
“Vengeance is mine, says the Lord
Why are you vengeful?
But you say, I am not vengeful.
I ask you this. Are you unforgiving?
Is not unforgiveness vengeance of the heart?
Repent and forgive and you will be forgiven
Never forget this, vengeance is mine.”
This is the first time I have understood this in all my 49 years as a Christian. The message was as much for me as the congregation. So now, I want to explore this idea a little further.
This argument is scriptural and rooted in the Lord’s Prayer, where Jesus tells us to pray, “Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who have sinned against us.” I had always considered that statement rooted in reciprocity: You get what you are willing to give. You withhold, and it will be withheld from you. And while that may apply, it goes much deeper than that.
Scriptural Statements on Vengeance
The original statement is expressed in three places in the Bible, depending on your translation. I use the New King James.
- Deuteronomy 32:35 “Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.”
- Romans 12:19: “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.”
- Hebrews 10:30 “For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The Lord will judge His people.”
All of these passages point to the same principle, uniting both testaments to explain the same truth.
Before we go deeper into this, let’s look at the biblical definition of vengeance and the meaning of the Hebrew and Greek words. I have very little interest in current English meanings or interpretations. Since a fundamental tenet of biblical interpretation is that scripture is self-interpreting, we must allow the Bible to tell us what vengeance means to God. What we think is independent of that and is functionally irrelevant. However, since we use English translations, it will be essential to note any similarities or differences that may exist to make our reading of the text more accurate and biblically sound.
Greek – The Greek word used both in the New Testament and the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament done in the third century B.C.) is “ἐκδίκησις” (ekdikésis). Its root is δίκη (di-ke’), which means justice. There are some interesting tidbits about this word.
- Grammar – it is classified as having a feminine gender. Lay aside all of your modern pitfalls of the term and realize that the ancient Greek gender system is fundamental for structuring sentences correctly. It affects both clarity in usage and understanding. The Greek goddess of vengeance, Erinyes (one of the Furies), is closely tied to a relentless and emotionally charged femininity in Greek philosophy. There is an active male gender form, ἐκδικητής (ekdikētēs), that is the person who exacts vengeance, but the concept of vengeance in Greek is feminine. We will come back to this but note its important tie to relentless emotions, particularly the consuming force of the Furies.
- Deep Connection – Generally, Greek feminine nouns indicate a deep connection with fate and emotional depth. You didn’t just take vengeance; you were swept up in it.
Hebrew – The biblical Hebrew word is נָקַ (nāqam), primarily carrying a judicial meaning, implying restoration in response to wrongdoing; it can mean to entertain revengeful feelings, but that is not primary. In Hebrew, vengeance belongs to God’s moral order, hence its judicial context. It is an essential element of the holiness of God and his demand for justice. Any emotional context is removed as a motivation, while it may exist secondarily as a response, but it is never a driver of God’s actions. It is the meting out of legally deserved punishments.
If you think about it, these distinctions are important. So, when God says vengeance is mine, He is speaking of a legally deserved punishment, which sometimes can be meted out by human leadership or judicial systems, as Paul makes clear in Romans 13:4, where he says, “For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil.” Paul separates government actions from individual human efforts.
This is contrasted on the personal level with Jesus’ counsel to his disciples on forgiveness in Matthew 18:21-22 where when Peter asks him how many times he must forgive, he says, “Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Nowhere in the New Testament are we counseled to take vengeance.
It should be noted that forgiveness begins as the action of the heart. Vengeance in us is likewise an action of the heart. Without the heart’s deep emotional driver, usually in response to significant pain, vengeance would not be such a problem for us. This is understood when we look at the Greek etymology centered on the relentless revenge of the Furies. They were uncontrollable in Greek lore, and very often, vengeance in us, when not dealt with by forgiveness, becomes an uncontrollable driver of serious issues in our lives. Human history is replete with vengeance-driven catastrophes. Vengeance often becomes an end in itself, driving a person beyond reason since the emotional hold has become ingrained too deeply. That is a serious danger, especially for Christians, since vengeance is antithetical to the love God calls us to in Jesus Christ, as fundamentally expressed in our forgiveness by his blood on the cross and our subsequent redemption.
So, take this word to heart. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. God has called us to listen to Him. Leave vengeance to Him, and embrace the peace that only forgiveness can bring.
