Proverbs 20:22

20:22 Do not say, ¹  “I will pay back ²  evil!”

Wait ³  for the Lord, so that he may vindicate you. ⁴ 

Proverbs 25:21-22

25:21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,

and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink,

25:22 for you will heap coals of fire on his head, ⁵ 

and the Lord will reward you. ⁶ 

Matthew 5:39-44

5:39 But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer. ⁷  But whoever strikes you on the ⁸  right cheek, turn the other to him as well. 5:40 And if someone wants to sue you and to take your tunic, ⁹  give him your coat also. 5:41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, ¹⁰  go with him two. 5:42 Give to the one who asks you, ¹¹  and do not reject ¹²  the one who wants to borrow from you.

Love for Enemies

5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ ¹³  and ‘hate your enemy.’ 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemy and ¹⁴  pray for those who persecute you,

Romans 12:17-21

12:17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people. ¹⁵  12:18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people. ¹⁶  12:19 Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, ¹⁷  for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” ¹⁸  says the Lord. 12:20 Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. ¹⁹  12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:1

Consecration of the Believer’s Life

12:1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters, ²⁰  by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice – alive, holy, and pleasing to God ²¹  – which is your reasonable service.

Romans 5:15

5:15 But the gracious gift is not like the transgression. ²²  For if the many died through the transgression of the one man, ²³  how much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one man Jesus Christ multiply to the many!

¹ tn The verse is directly instructive; it begins with the negated jussive in the first colon, and follows with the imperative in the second. It warns that the righteous should not take vengeance on the wicked, for only God can do that.

² tn The form is the Piel cohortative of resolve – “I am determined to pay back.” The verb שָׁלֵם (shalem) means “to be complete; to be sound.” In this stem, however, it can mean “to make complete; to make good; to requite; to recompense” (KJV, ASV). The idea is “getting even” by paying back someone for the evil done.

³ sn To “wait” (קַוֵּה, qavveh) on the Lord requires faith in him, reliance on divine justice, and patience. It means that the wrongs done to a person will have to be endured for a time.

⁴ tn After the imperative, the jussive is subordinated in a purpose or result clause: “wait for the Lord so that he may deliver you.” The verb יֹשַׁע (yosha’) means “to save (KJV, ASV, NASB); to deliver (NIV); to give victory”; in this context it means “deliver from the evil done to you,” and so “vindicate” is an appropriate connotation. Cf. NCV “he will make things right.”

⁵ sn The imagery of the “burning coals” represents pangs of conscience, more readily effected by kindness than by violence. These coals produce the sharp pain of contrition through regret (e.g., 18:19; 20:22; 24:17; Gen 42-45; 1 Sam 24:18-20; Rom 12:20). The coals then would be an implied comparison with a searing conscience.

⁶ sn The second consequence of treating enemies with kindness is that the Lord will reward the act. The fact that this is promised shows that the instruction here belongs to the religious traditions of Israel.

⁷ tn The articular πονηρός (ponhro", “the evildoer”) cannot be translated simply as “evil” for then the command would be “do not resist evil.” Every instance of this construction in Matthew is most likely personified, referring either to an evildoer (13:49) or, more often, “the evil one” (as in 5:37; 6:13; 13:19, 38).

⁸ tc ‡ Many mss (B D K L Δ Θ Ë¹³ 565 579 700 1424 pm) have σου (sou) here (“your right cheek”), but many others lack the pronoun (א W ˹ 33 892 1241 pm). The pronoun was probably added by way of clarification. NA²⁷ has σου in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

⁹ tn Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, citwn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a “tunic” was any more than they would be familiar with a “chiton.” On the other hand, attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “Shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.

¹⁰ sn If anyone forces you to go one mile. In NT times Roman soldiers had the authority to press civilians into service to carry loads for them.

¹¹ sn Jesus advocates a generosity and a desire to meet those in dire need with the command give to the one who asks you. This may allude to begging; giving alms was viewed highly in the ancient world (Matt 6:1-4; Deut 15:7-11).

¹² tn Grk “do not turn away from.”

¹³ sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.

¹⁴ tc Most mss ([D] L [W] Θ Ë¹³ 33 Ï lat) read “bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you,” before “those who persecute you.” But this is surely a motivated reading, importing the longer form of this aphorism from Luke 6:27-28. The shorter text is found in א B ˹ pc sa, as well as several fathers and versional witnesses.

¹⁵ tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic and refers to both men and women.

¹⁶ tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used as a generic and refers to both men and women.

¹⁷ tn Grk “the wrath,” referring to God’s wrath as the remainder of the verse shows.

¹⁸ sn A quotation from Deut 32:35.

¹⁹ sn A quotation from Prov 25:21-22.

²⁰ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:13.

²¹ tn The participle and two adjectives “alive, holy, and pleasing to God” are taken as predicates in relation to “sacrifice,” making the exhortation more emphatic. See ExSyn 618-19.

²² tn Grk “but not as the transgression, so also [is] the gracious gift.”

²³ sn Here the one man refers to Adam (cf. 5:14).