Lexical Summary
neqamah: vengeance, full vengeance, revenge
Original Word:נְקָמָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:nqamah
Pronunciation:neh-kaw-MAH
Phonetic Spelling:(nek-aw-maw')
KJV: + avenge, revenge(-ing), vengeance
NASB:vengeance, full vengeance, revenge, avenged
Word Origin:[feminine ofH5359 (נָקָם - vengeance)]
1. avengement, whether the act of the passion
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
avenge, revenge, vengeance
Feminine ofnaqam; avengement, whether the act of the passion -- + avenge, revenge(-ing), vengeance.
see HEBREWnaqam
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfem. of
naqamDefinitionvengeance
NASB Translationavenged (1), full vengeance (2), revenge (2), vengeance (22).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(on formation compare Lag
BN 143); —
Jeremiah 46:10 3t.; construct
Numbers 31:2 7t.;
suffixEzekiel 25:14 7t. suffixes; plural
Judges 11:36 5t.;
2 Samuel 22:48; —
vengeance of God, absoluteEzekiel 25:14;Jeremiah 51:36;Psalm 79:10;Psalm 94:1 (twice in verse);Jeremiah 51:6;Jeremiah 46:10;Jeremiah 50:15,28;Jeremiah 51:11;Jeremiah 50:28;Jeremiah 51:11; with of adversary,Ezekiel 25:14,17;Ezekiel 25:17; with of adversary2 Samuel 4:8Judges 11:36;Jeremiah 11:20;Jeremiah 20:12; with whom2 Samuel 22:48 =Psalm 18:48.
Numbers 31:2 (P); with ,Numbers 31:3 (P);Psalm 149:7.
Lamentations 3:60; ;Ezekiel 25:15; of JeremiahJeremiah 20:10.
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Scopeנְקָמָה (neqamah) denotes vengeance, recompense, or avenging justice. Scripture applies it almost exclusively to God’s righteous response to sin, occasionally authorizing human agents under His command, while forbidding private retaliation.
Occurrences in the Old Testament
The form appears about twenty-seven times, spread across the Torah, Historical Books, Wisdom literature, and, most prominently, the Prophets. Representative texts include:
•Numbers 31:2–3; 31:8 – the sanctioned campaign against Midian.
•Deuteronomy 32:35 – “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay.”
•Psalm 149:7 – “to execute vengeance on the nations.”
•Isaiah 34:8; 35:4; 61:2 – the day of the Lord’s vengeance.
•Jeremiah 50:15, 28; 51:6, 11, 36 – vengeance for the desecrated temple.
•Ezekiel 25:12–17 – retribution upon Edom and Philistia.
•Nahum 1:2 – “The LORD is a jealous and avenging God.”
•Micah 5:15 – the Messiah’s future acts of vengeance.
Theological Themes
1.Divine Vengeance as Righteous Justice
Vengeance belongs intrinsically to God’s holiness.Deuteronomy 32:35 affirms both His exclusive right and His perfect timing: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay”. Far from capricious anger, neqamah serves covenant faithfulness by upholding moral order, vindicating the oppressed, and displaying God’s glory.
2.Human Prohibition from Personal Vengeance
Leviticus 19:18 forbids private revenge, preparing the ethical ground later reiterated inProverbs 20:22 andRomans 12:19. Where men are commanded to execute vengeance (Numbers 31;1 Samuel 24:12 speaks of trusting God for it), they act only as ordained instruments, never as autonomous avengers.
3.Covenantal and Prophetic Contexts
Prophets employ נְקָמָה to announce judgment on nations that violated Israel or God’s sanctuary (Jeremiah 50–51;Ezekiel 25). The language vindicates His covenant promises: He will not allow injustice or idolatry to stand unpunished.
4.Eschatological Horizon
Isaiah 61:2 looks ahead to “the day of vengeance of our God,” an age-consummating event linked to the Messiah.Luke 4:19 records Jesus stopping short of that clause in His Nazareth reading, highlighting a present age of grace that precedes the final administration of vengeance at His second coming (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9;Revelation 19:11-16).
5.Liturgical and Pastoral Implications
Psalms that invoke vengeance (for example,Psalm 149:7) teach believers to bring grievance to God rather than retaliate. Such prayers entrust justice to Him, nurturing humility and hope.
6.Christological Fulfillment
At the cross, divine vengeance against sin falls upon the Substitute (Isaiah 53:5, 10;2 Corinthians 5:21). Thus the believer’s penalty is satisfied, while unrepentant evil still awaits “the day of vengeance.” The Gospel therefore both reveals the depth of neqamah and offers shelter from it.
Practical Ministry Applications
• Justice and Mercy: Ministry balances proclamation of God’s sure vengeance against sin with the offer of mercy in Christ.
• Counseling Victims: Passages on נְקָמָה encourage victims to trust God’s future justice, freeing them from consuming bitterness.
• Social Ethics: The state’s legitimate punitive authority (Romans 13:4) echoes the divine pattern—vengeance executed under God-ordained structures, not private vendetta.
• Evangelism: Warning of coming vengeance motivates compassionate witness (2 Corinthians 5:11).
In sum, נְקָמָה highlights the unwavering consistency of God’s moral governance, satisfied either in the atoning work of Christ or in final judgment, and calls the faithful to wait upon the LORD who says, “I will repay.”
Forms and Transliterations
בִּנְקָמָ֑ה בנקמה נְ֭קָמָה נְקָמ֛וֹת נְקָמ֣וֹת נְקָמ֥וֹת נְקָמָ֥ה נְקָמָה֙ נְקָמֹ֖ת נְקָמוֹת֙ נִ֝קְמַ֗ת נִקְמַ֖ת נִקְמַ֤ת נִקְמַ֨ת נִקְמַת֙ נִקְמַת־ נִקְמָֽתְךָ֙ נִקְמָתִ֔י נִקְמָתִ֖י נִקְמָתִ֜י נִקְמָתֵ֑ךְ נִקְמָתֵ֖נוּ נִקְמָתָ֔ם נקמה נקמות נקמת נקמת־ נקמתי נקמתך נקמתם נקמתנו bin·qā·māh binkaMah binqāmāh nə·qā·māh nə·qā·mō·wṯ nə·qā·mōṯ Nekamah nekaMot nəqāmāh nəqāmōṯ nəqāmōwṯ nikMat nikmaTam nikmaTech nikmateCha nikmaTenu nikmaTi niq·mā·ṯām niq·mā·ṯə·ḵā niq·mā·ṯê·nū niq·mā·ṯêḵ niq·mā·ṯî niq·maṯ niq·maṯ- niqmaṯ niqmaṯ- niqmāṯām niqmāṯêḵ niqmāṯəḵā niqmāṯênū niqmāṯî
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