ἐκδικέω
To vindicate, retaliate, punish
Reading a lexicon entry
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Canonical witness: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
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What does ἐκδικέω (ekdikéō) mean in the Bible?
ἐκδικέω (ekdikéō) is a Greek word meaning "to vindicate, retaliate, punish". ἐκδικέω, -ῶ (ἔκδικος), [in LXX for פָּקַד, נָקַם, שָׁפַט, etc. This term runs through the canonical themes of Justice, Messiah.
Full entry for ἐκδικέω (G1556) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
Vindication of the oppressed or enforcement of justice, not personal revenge or retribution.
(ἔκδικος), [in LXX for פָּקַד, נָקַם, שָׁפַט, etc. ;]
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
Imperative command or strong request 1×
Indicative states a fact or reality 3×
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 1×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 6 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Appears In
Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.
Word Pictures (Robertson)
A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.
A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain