Romans 12:20 – Mercy, Not Vengeance
Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”
Truth to Learn
Do not take vengeance. Instead, show mercy.
Behind the Words
“Heap” is from the Greek verb sōreuō, meaning “to pile up.”
The word “coals” is from the Greek noun anthrax, from which we get the term “anthracite,” a type of coal which glows red-hot rather than producing a noticeable flame.
Meaning Explained
This verse is one of those which is often misunderstood and misapplied. Remember what Paul has said in the previous few verses: do not retaliate with evil when evil is done to you. Do not take vengeance because that is God’s exclusive domain. God will take vengeance on those who genuinely deserve vengeance. Therefore, “If your enemy is hungry …”
Here is Paul’s point: because God will take care of the vengeance part, we are to take care of the part that will do the most in terms of producing ultimate good. The expression, “you will heap coals of fire on his head” has been interpreted by some to mean that by doing good to those who do evil to you, you will produce pain and suffering in them. But isn’t that just the same as taking vengeance? If we do good for the purpose of giving them pain, then we are taking vengeance and we are being hypocrites, aren’t we?
This verse is quoted from the Old Testament.
If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the LORD will reward you. (Proverbs 25:21,22)
Heaping coals of fire is a method that was used in refining metals like silver and gold. The ore was ground up, placed in an ingot, and placed on the fire. Then hot coals were heaped on top. As the ore melted, it separated into the precious metal and what we now call slag. The slag would rise to the top, and if the coals on top were hot enough, the slag would burn off, thus producing a purified metal. This is the analogy that many early Rabbis provided in explaining these two verses in Proverbs.
So now let’s apply this to what Paul is teaching us. If we are not to retaliate, letting God handle the vengeance part, then what are we to do? Nothing for the time being! Just wait! It is entirely possible that the one who has done evil to you will have a need, the most basic of which are hunger and thirst. When he, or she, has that need and comes to you for help, don’t send him away with harsh words and an empty stomach; instead, provide for his needs in a humble, loving way because in so doing you are being a witness to the love that God has for us. Your deeds of kindness may produce repentance and reconciliation with God. Thus, in doing good to those who have done evil to you, you may be doing that which will purify them just like heaping coals of fire on the refining process.
Application
What Paul has described here is the act of mercy, doing something good to someone who doesn’t deserve it. Because God has shown us such great mercy, we should be constantly on the lookout for ways of showing mercy to others. Let me challenge you to show mercy to someone this week.
In God’s service, for His glory,
Copyright © 2011 Will Krause. All rights reserved.
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