SEV Biblia, Chapter 12:19
No defendindoos a vosotros mismos, amados; antes dad lugar a la ira de Dios , porque escrito est: Mía es la venganza; yo pagar, dice el Seor.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Romans 12:19
Verse 19. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves] Ye are the children of God, and he loves you; and because he loves you he will permit nothing to be done to you that he will not turn to your advantage. Never take the execution of the law into your own hands; rather suffer injuries. The Son of man is come, not to destroy men's lives, but to save: be of the same spirit. When he was reviled, he reviled not again. It is the part of a noble mind to bear up under unmerited disgrace; little minds are litigious and quarrelsome. Give place unto wrath] dote topon th orgh? Leave room for the civil magistrate to do his duty, he holds the sword for this purpose; and if he be unfaithful to the trust reposed in him by the state, leave the matter to God, who is the righteous judge: for by avenging yourselves you take your cause both out of the hands of the civil magistrate and out of the hands of God. I believe this to be the meaning of give place to wrath, orgh, punishment; the penalty which the law, properly executed, will inflict.
This is well expressed by the author of the book of Ecclesiasticus, Eccles. xix. 17: Admonish thy neighbour before thou threaten him, and, not being, angry, GIVE PLACE TO THE LAW OF THE MOST HIGH.
Vengeance is mine] This fixes the meaning of the apostle, and at once shows that the exhortation, Rather give place to wrath or punishment, means, Leave the matter to the judgment of God; it is his law that in this case is broken; and to him the infliction of deserved punishment belongs.
Some think it means, "Yield a little to a man when in a violent passion, for the sake of peace, until he grow cooler." I will repay] In my own time and in my own way. But he gives the sinner space to repent, and this longsuffering leads to salvation. Dr. Taylor, after Dr. Benson, conjectures that the apostle in these directions had his eye upon the indignities which the Jews, and probably the Christians too, (for they were often confounded by the heathen,) suffered by the edict of Claudius, mentioned Acts xviii. 2, which "commanded all Jews to depart from Rome." Upon this occasion Aquila and Priscilla removed to Corinth, where Paul found them, and dwelt with them a considerable time. No doubt they gave him a full account of the state of the Christian Church at Rome, and of every thing relating to the late persecution under Claudius. That emperor's edict probably died with him, if it were not repealed before, and then the Jews and Christians (if the Christians were also expelled) returned again to Rome; for Aquila and Priscilla were there when Paul wrote this epistle, Romans xvi. 3, which was in the fourth year of Nero, successor to Claudius.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 19. Dearly beloved , etc..] This affectionate appellation the apostle makes use of, expressing his great love to them, the rather to work upon then, and move them to an attention to what he is about to say; which they might assure themselves was in great tenderness to them, for their good, as well as the glory of God: moreover, he may hereby suggest to them, not only that they were dear to him, but that they were greatly beloved of God, that they were high in his favour and affection; and this he might him unto them, in order to melt them into love to their fellow Christians and fellow creatures, and even to their enemies, and never think of private revenge: avenge not yourselves ; this is no ways contrary to that revenge, a believer has upon sin, and the actings of it, which follows on true evangelical repentance for it, ( 2 Corinthians 7:11), and lies in a displicency at it, and himself for it, and in abstaining from it, and fighting against it; nor to that revenge a church may take of the disobedience of impenitent and incorrigible offenders, by laying censures on them, withdrawing from them, and rejecting them from their communion; nor to that revenge which civil magistrates may execute upon them that do evil; but this only forbids and condemns private revenge in private persons, for private injuries done, and affronts given: but rather give place to wrath ; either to a man's own wrath, stirred up by the provocations given him; let him not rush upon revenge immediately; let him sit down and breathe upon it; let him give arta , space, unto it, as the Syriac, which may signify time as well as place; and by taking time his wrath will, subside, he will cool and come to himself, and think better on it: or to the wrath of the injurious person, by declining him, as Jacob did Esau, till his wrath was over; or by patiently hearing without resistance the evil done, according to the advice of Christ, ( Matthew 5:39,40); or to the wrath of God, leave all with him, and to the day of his wrath and righteous judgment, who will render to every man according to his works; commit yourselves to him that judgeth righteously, and never think of avenging your own wrongs; and this sense the following words incline to, for it is written , ( Deuteronomy 32:35); vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord ; vengeance belongs to God, and to him only; it is proper and peculiar to him, not to Heathen deities, one of which they call dikh , vengeance; (see Acts 28:4); nor to Satan, who is of a revengeful spirit, and is styled the enemy and the avenger; nor to men, unless to magistrates under God, who are revengers and executioners of his wrath on wicked men; otherwise it solely belongs to God the lawgiver, whose law is broken, and against whom sin is committed: and there is reason to believe he will repay it, from the holiness of his nature, the strictness of his justice, his power and faithfulness, his conduct towards his own people, even to his Son, as their surety; nor will he neglect, but in his own time will avenge his elect, which cry unto him day and night; and who therefore should never once think of avenging themselves, but leave it with their God, to whom it belongs.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 17-21 - Since men became enemies to God, they have been very ready to be enemies one to another. And those that embrace religion, must expect to meet with enemies in a world whose smiles seldom agree with Christ's Recompense to no man evil for evil. That is a brutish recompence befitting only animals, which are not conscious of any being abov them, or of any existence hereafter. And not only do, but study an take care to do, that which is amiable and creditable, and recommend religion to all with whom you converse. Study the things that make for peace; if it be possible, without offending God and woundin conscience. Avenge not yourselves. This is a hard lesson to corrup nature, therefore a remedy against it is added. Give place unto wrath When a man's passion is up, and the stream is strong, let it pass off lest it be made to rage the more against us. The line of our duty i clearly marked out, and if our enemies are not melted by perseverin kindness, we are not to seek vengeance; they will be consumed by the fiery wrath of that God to whom vengeance belongeth. The last vers suggests what is not easily understood by the world; that in all strif and contention, those that revenge are conquered, and those tha forgive are conquerors. Be not overcome of evil. Learn to defeat il designs against you, either to change them, or to preserve your ow peace. He that has this rule over his spirit, is better than the mighty. God's children may be asked whether it is not more sweet unt them than all earthly good, that God so enables them by his Spirit thus to feel and act __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
μη 3361 PRT-N εαυτους 1438 F-3APM εκδικουντες 1556 5723 V-PAP-NPM αγαπητοι 27 A-VPM αλλα 235 CONJ δοτε 1325 5628 V-2AAM-2P τοπον 5117 N-ASM τη 3588 T-DSF οργη 3709 N-DSF γεγραπται 1125 5769 V-RPI-3S γαρ 1063 CONJ εμοι 1698 P-1DS εκδικησις 1557 N-NSF εγω 1473 P-1NS ανταποδωσω 467 5692 V-FAI-1S λεγει 3004 5719 V-PAI-3S κυριος 2962 N-NSM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
19. Give place unto wrath (dote topon th orgh). Wrath has the article: the wrath, referring to the divine wrath. Give place is give room for it to work. Do not get in its way, as you will do by taking vengeance into your own hands. Hence as Rev., in margin, and American Rev., in text, give place unto the wrath of God.Vengeance is mine (emoi ekdikhsiv). Lit., unto Me is vengeance. The Rev. brings out better the force of the original: Vengeance belongeth unto Me. The quotation is from Deut. xxxii. 35. Hebrew, To me belongs vengeance and requital. Septuagint, In the day of vengeance I will requite. The antithesis between vengeance by God and by men is not found in Deuteronomy. Compare Heb. x. 30. Dante, listening to Peter Damiano, who describes the abuses of the Church, hears a great cry.
Beatrice says:
"The cry has startled thee so much, In which, if thou hadst understood its prayers, Already would be known to thee the vengeance Which thou shalt look upon before thou diest. The sword above here smiteth not in haste, Nor tardily, howe'er it seem to him Who, fearing or desiring, waits for it." "Paradiso," 22, 12-18.
Compare Plato: Socrates, "And what of doing evil in return for evil, which is the morality of the many - is that just or not? Crito, Not just. Socrates, For doing evil to another is the same as injuring him? Crito, Very true. Socrates, Then we ought not to retaliate or render evil for evil to any one, whatever evil we may have suffered from him.... This opinion has never been held, and never will be held by any considerable number of persons" ("Crito," 49). Epictetus, being asked how a man could injure his enemy, replied, "By living the best life himself." The idea of personal vindictiveness must be eliminated from the word here. It is rather full meting out of justice to all parties.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
12:19 {Avenge not} (m ekdikountes). Independent participle again of late verb ekdikew from ekdikos, exacting justice (#13:4). See already #Lu 18:5; 2Co 10:6. {But give place unto wrath} (alla dote topon tei orgei). Second aorist active imperative of didwmi, to give. "Give room for the (note article as in #5:9; 1Th 2:16) wrath" of God instead of taking vengeance in your own hands. See #Eph 4:27 for didote topon. Paul quotes #De 32:35 (the Hebrew rather than the LXX). So have #Heb 10:30 and the Targum of Onkelos, but the relation between them and Paul we cannot tell. Socrates and Epictetus condemned personal vindictiveness as Paul does here. {I will recompense} (antapod"s"). Future active of the double compound verb quoted also in #11:35.
