Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”
Observe here, How the apostle renews his exhortation to all Christians to watch against the sin of private and personal revenge; he urged it before, ver. 17 he reinforces it here, ver. 19 thereby showing how prone our corrupt natures are to commit this sin, and how hard the contrary duty is to flesh and blood.
Dearly beloved,.... 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...
avenge not, &c.--(See on Rom 12:14). but rather give place unto wrath--This is usually taken to mean, "but give room or space for wrath to spend itself." But as the context shows that the injunction is to leave vengeance to God, "wrath" here seems to mean, not the offense, which we are tempted to avenge, but the avenging wrath of God (see Ch2 24:18), which...