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Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but<\/span> <\/strong>rather<\/em><\/strong><\/span> <\/span>give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n There is only one Judge and we need to let Him do His job.<\/p>\n The word translated \u201cavenge<\/span>\u201d in the first part of this verse and \u201cVengeance<\/span>\u201d in the second part is ekdike\u014d<\/em><\/span>. This is made up of ek<\/em><\/span>, meaning \u201cout of\u201d or \u201cfrom\u201d and a form of dike<\/em><\/span>, which means \u201cjustice,\u201d \u201cjudgment,\u201d or \u201cthat which is right.\u201d Hence, ekdike\u014d<\/em> <\/span>means \u201cto hand out your own justice.\u201d In other words, it means to take punitive action against someone whom you have judged to be guilty of causing you harm.<\/p>\n \u201cWrath<\/span>\u201d is translated from the Greek word org\u0113<\/em><\/span>, which refers to \u201cexcitement of the mind.\u201d This word can be interpreted as \u201cstrong desire,\u201d but it can also be interpreted as \u201cviolent passion\u201d or \u201canger.\u201d<\/p>\n Paul now caps off what he has been saying in the past two verses. Not only has he told us that we should be proactive about doing good things to others and peacefully coexisting with them, he now commands us, \u201cdo not avenge yourselves.<\/span>\u201d Why not? Because when we take matters into our own hands we sinful humans are notorious for making incorrect judgments based on our biased perception of the facts. God, on the other hand, is a perfect judge and always judges rightly based on the real truth.<\/p>\n A similar admonition was given to the Jews:<\/p>\n You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I <\/span>am<\/em><\/span> <\/span>the LORD.<\/span> (Leviticus 19:18<\/strong><\/span>)<\/p>\n The second phrase in today\u2019s verse, \u201cbut <\/span>rather<\/em> <\/span>give place to wrath<\/span>\u201d is a literal translation, but it has been the subject of much discussion among Greek scholars as to what it really means. In the Greek text there is a definite article before \u201cwrath<\/span>\u201d so it reads \u201cthe wrath<\/span>,\u201d which is likely a reference to God\u2019s wrath. Based on all the evidence I would paraphrase the first part of today\u2019s verse as, \u201cinstead of stepping in and taking on the responsibility of executing judgment for yourself, back-off and let God decide who\u2019s guilty.\u201d Paul follows this phrase with a quotation from Deuteronomy 32:35<\/strong><\/span>,<\/p>\n Vengeance is Mine, and retribution; their foot shall slip in<\/span> due<\/em> <\/span>time; for the day of their calamity <\/span>is<\/em> <\/span>at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them.<\/span><\/p>\n God promises that He will take retribution on those who oppose Him and cause harm to His children. But He will do so in a righteous manner, pouring out His wrath on those who deserve it based on truth.<\/p>\n Instead of executing revenge on those whom we think have wronged us, let us humble ourselves before Almighty God and trust that He understands the situation correctly and trust that as our Holy Father, He will do what is right and just.<\/p>\n God, grant us the ability to resist the temptation to retaliate. Give us the love of Christ that we might be forgiving even of those who truly wrong us, and give us the faith to understand that You always judge rightly.<\/p>\n In God\u2019s service, for His glory,<\/strong><\/p>\nTruth to Learn<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Behind the Words<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Meaning Explained<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
Application<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n
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