What does נָקַם (nāqam) mean in the Bible?
Avenging concerns response to wrong, but the passage determines who acts and what is commanded. Leviticus forbids personal revenge and grudges while commanding love of one's neighbor.
Hebrew · H5358
נָקַם
Avenging concerns response to wrong, but the passage determines who acts and what is commanded. Leviticus forbids personal revenge and grudges while commanding love of one's neighbor.
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נָקַםH5358
Pronunciationnāqam
What does נָקַם (nāqam) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for נָקַם (H5358) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H5358?
The BSB source-word alignment has 35 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include avenge (3), and take vengeance (2), Take vengeance (2), . . . (1), [then Cain] will be avenged (1).
Where does נָקַם (nāqam) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 4:15. Its strongest book concentrations include Jeremiah (7), Ezekiel (4), 1 Samuel (3), Exodus (3).
What This Word Actually Means
Avenging concerns response to wrong, but the passage determines who acts and what is commanded. Leviticus forbids personal revenge and grudges while commanding love of one's neighbor. David asks the Lord to judge between him and Saul while refusing to raise his own hand against the king. Nahum names the Lord's avenging action within its burden against Nineveh, and Psalm 99 joins forgiveness with response to misdeeds.
Genesis records the Lord's protection of Cain from killing, then separately records Lamech's escalating boast about vengeance. Jeremiah also brings his persecution into prayer. These speakers and actions cannot be flattened into permission for private retaliation. Teach the real prohibition, attributed appeal and named divine judgment. Seeking protection and accountable justice need not mean adopting an offender's revenge, and a teacher may not identify a current enemy with Nineveh or declare the Lord's punishment timetable for a private dispute.
How the Bible Uses It
Forbidden personal revenge, David's restraint, named divine judgment, forgiveness with accountability, Cain's protection, Lamech's boast and Jeremiah's petition distinguish avenging contexts. Actual actors and commands prevent retaliation from claiming universal authorization.
- Lev.19.18
Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
The instruction forbids revenge and grudges and commands neighbor love, alongside prohibitions on slander and endangering a neighbor's life in the preceding verses.
- 1Sam.24.12
May the Lord judge between you and me, and may the Lord take vengeance on you, but my hand will never be against you.
David appeals to the Lord's judgment while explicitly refusing his own hand against Saul, keeping the appeal and actual restraint together amid the king's pursuit.
- Nah.1.2
The Lord is a jealous and avenging God; the Lord is avenging and full of wrath. The Lord takes vengeance on His foes and reserves wrath for His enemies.
The Lord's avenging action belongs to the named burden against Nineveh, with the next verse retaining both slow anger and the seriousness of guilt.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itavenge3×Jeremiah 5:9, Jeremiah 5:29, Jeremiah 9:9
and take vengeance2×Jeremiah 51:36, Ezekiel 24:8
Take vengeance2×Numbers 31:2, 1 Samuel 24:12
. . .1×Exodus 21:20
[then Cain] will be avenged1×Genesis 4:15
against1×Jeremiah 46:10
and avenge Myself1×Isaiah 1:24
and avenger1×Psalms 8:2
and avenging1×Nahum 1:2
and in [so doing]1×Ezekiel 25:12
as revenge1×1 Samuel 18:25
Avenge me1×Jeremiah 15:15
be punished1×Exodus 21:21
before I have taken vengeance1×1 Samuel 14:24
bent on revenge1×Psalms 44:16
he shall surely be punished1×Exodus 21:20
He will avenge1×Deuteronomy 32:43
I have taken vengeance1×Judges 15:7
I may pay back1×Judges 16:28
is avenged1×Genesis 4:24
is avenging1×Nahum 1:2
seek revenge1×Leviticus 19:18
so that I may avenge1×2 Kings 9:7
take out your vengeance1×Jeremiah 50:15
takes vengeance1×Nahum 1:2
taking1×Ezekiel 25:15
to avenge themselves1×Esther 8:13
to execute1×Leviticus 26:25
took vengeance1×Joshua 10:13
vengefully1×Ezekiel 25:12
yet an avenger1×Psalms 99:8
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 4:15יֻקָּ֑םto[then Cain] will be avengedVerb - Hofal - Imperfect - third person masculine singularGenesis 4:24יֻקַּם־tois avengedVerb - Hofal - Imperfect - third person masculine singularExodus 21:20נָקֹ֖םtohe shall surely be punishedVerb - Qal - Infinitive absoluteExodus 21:20יִנָּקֵֽם׃to. . .Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine singularExodus 21:21יֻקַּ֔םtobe punishedVerb - QalPass - Imperfect - third person masculine singularLeviticus 19:18תִקֹּ֤םtoseek revengeVerb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singularLeviticus 26:25נֹקֶ֙מֶת֙toto executeVerb - Qal - Participle - feminine singularNumbers 31:2נְקֹ֗םtoTake vengeanceVerb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singularDeuteronomy 32:43יִקּ֑וֹםtoHe will avengeVerb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singularJoshua 10:13יִקֹּ֥םtotook vengeanceVerb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowGenesis 4:15
Aligned rows35
Books represented15
Genesis2Exodus3Leviticus2Numbers1Deuteronomy1Joshua1Judges21 Samuel32 Kings1Esther1Psalms3Isaiah1Jeremiah7Ezekiel4Nahum3
Source forms
תִתְנַקֵּ֖ם3xṯiṯ·naq·qêmJeremiah 5:9, Jeremiah 5:29, Jeremiah 9:9
וּמִתְנַקֵּֽם׃2xū·miṯ·naq·qêmPsalms 8:2, Psalms 44:16
לְהִנָּקֵ֖ם2xlə·hin·nā·qêm1 Samuel 18:25, Esther 8:13
בִּנְקֹ֥ם1xbin·qōmEzekiel 25:12
הִנָּ֣קְמוּ1xhin·nā·qə·mūJeremiah 50:15
וְאִנָּקְמָ֧ה1xwə·’in·nā·qə·māhJudges 16:28
וְאִנָּקְמָ֖ה1xwə·’in·nā·qə·māhIsaiah 1:24
וְהִנָּ֤קֶם1xwə·hin·nā·qemJeremiah 15:15
Parsing patterns
Preposition-l | Verb - Nifal - Infinitive construct3x1 Samuel 18:25, Esther 8:13, Jeremiah 46:10
Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - third person feminine singular3xJeremiah 5:9, Jeremiah 5:29, Jeremiah 9:9
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hitpael - Participle - masculine singular2xPsalms 8:2, Psalms 44:16
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular2xJudges 16:28, Isaiah 1:24
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular2x2 Kings 9:7, Jeremiah 51:36
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular2xPsalms 99:8, Nahum 1:2
Verb - Hofal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular2xGenesis 4:15, Genesis 4:24
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular2xDeuteronomy 32:43, Joshua 10:13
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Seek appropriate protection and accountable justice while refusing private retaliation.
- Encourage truthful prayer without claiming to know another person's punishment timetable.
Avoid claiming...
- Every avenging occurrence authorizes private violence or revenge against present opponents.
- Forgiveness removes all accountability or neighbor love requires unsafe continued exposure.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Vengeance rooted in grievance; God's retaliatory justice against covenant-breakers and enemies of Israel.
Strong'sH5358
Lexical occurrences35 versesWord forms4 forms17 referencesVerse guides0 guides
Study linkJeremiah 51:36-37Source Gloss
to grudge , i.e. avenge or punish
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Vengeance rooted in grievance; God's retaliatory justice against covenant-breakers and enemies of Israel.
to grudge, i.e. avenge or punish BDB: avenge Usage: avenge(-r, self), punish, revenge (self), × surely, take vengeance.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups4Aligned forms17
Hophalcausative passive — the subject is caused to perform the action3×
ImperfectExod 21:21 · Gen 4:15 · Gen 4:243×
Hithpaelreflexive or reciprocal — the subject acts on itself or mutually with others3×
ImperfectJer 5:9 · Jer 5:29 · Jer 9:83×
Qalbasic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense8×
Participle activeLev 26:25 · Nah 1:23×
ImperfectDeut 32:43 · Josh 10:13 · Lev 19:183×
Infinitive absoluteExod 21:201×
Sequential imperfectNum 31:21×
Niphalpassive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action3×
ImperfectExod 21:201×
Sequential imperfectJer 50:151×
PerfectJudg 15:71×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
God's action to punish enemies and defend the oppressed people
Showing 1 selected witness from 35 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
נָקַם is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
The same licensed range appears with very different actors and authority. Leviticus actually prohibits revenge and grudges, linking neighbor love with protection against slander and endangered life. David's appeal is accompanied by restraint in a dangerous encounter; his refusal to kill Saul does not remove the stated pursuit or make the king's conduct righteous.
Nahum addresses Nineveh, while Psalm 99 retains forgiveness and accountability together. Genesis distinguishes the Lord's protection of Cain from Lamech's later escalating boast, and Jeremiah petitions rather than carrying out a private sentence. Teaching should follow these differences instead of treating every occurrence as a general endorsement of revenge.
A harmed person may name the wrong and seek appropriate protection. The text does not give a teacher authority to impersonate divine judgment, impose dangerous reconciliation or use a recorded boast as a mandate.
Anchor passage
Lev.19.18
Doctrinal connections
- Leviticus 19:16-18 joins prohibitions of slander, endangered life, hatred, revenge and grudges with neighbor love, retaining accountable concern for the other person.
- First Samuel 24:10-14 records David naming Saul's pursuit, showing his restraint and asking the Lord to judge, without approving the king's threat.
- Nahum 1:1-4 locates avenging language within Nineveh's burden and retains slow anger with judgment, without identifying present opponents as that city.
- Psalm 99:6-9 praises the Lord as forgiving and an avenger of misdeeds, preserving both stated aspects without a modern punishment schedule.
- Genesis 4:13-24 distinguishes the Lord's protection of Cain from Lamech's attributed escalating boast, refusing to make the latter a command.
- Jeremiah 15:15-17 brings persecution and reproach into the speaker's prayer, allowing an appeal for attention without authorizing private violence.
The licensed Hebrew range includes avenging, punishment and revenge. The sentence's actor and kind of speech determine whether the context gives a prohibition, an attributed appeal, a boast or the Lord's named action. The verb alone cannot transfer authority from divine judgment to a private person's retaliation.
From Old to New Testament
Romans 12:17-21 explicitly forbids self avenging and quotes the Lord's repayment claim, then calls for feeding a hungry enemy and overcoming evil with good. Its qualification about peace being possible on one's part must also remain visible. Read this beside Leviticus' neighbor love without using either command to erase wrongdoing, prevent appropriate protection or require continued exposure to abuse.