Romans 12:19

12:19 Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, ¹  for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” ²  says the Lord.

Proverbs 20:22

20:22 Do not say, ³  “I will pay back ⁴  evil!”

Wait ⁵  for the Lord, so that he may vindicate you. ⁶ 

Matthew 5:39

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.

Matthew 5:1

The Beatitudes

5:1 When ⁹  he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. ¹⁰  After he sat down his disciples came to him.

Matthew 5:15

5:15 People ¹¹  do not light a lamp and put it under a basket ¹²  but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.

Matthew 5:1

The Beatitudes

5:1 When ¹³  he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. ¹⁴  After he sat down his disciples came to him.

Matthew 3:9

3:9 and don’t think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!

¹ tn Grk “the wrath,” referring to God’s wrath as the remainder of the verse shows.

² sn A quotation from Deut 32:35.

³ 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.

⁴ 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.

⁵ 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.

⁶ 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.”

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 Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

¹⁰ tn Or “up a mountain” (εἰς τὸ ὄρος, eis to oro").

¹¹ tn Grk “Nor do they light.” The plural in Greek is indefinite, referring to people in general.

¹² tn Or “a bowl”; this refers to any container for dry material of about eight liters (two gallons) capacity. It could be translated “basket, box, bowl” (L&N 6.151).

¹³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

¹⁴ tn Or “up a mountain” (εἰς τὸ ὄρος, eis to oro").