Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men.
Recompence to no man evil for evil,.... Neither evil words for evil words, railing for railing; nor evil deeds for evil deeds, one ill turn for another; nor the evil of punishment for the evil of fault, unless it be by persons, who under God have an authority to inflict it; as the civil magistrate, who "is the minister of God, a revenger to execute...
By evil here, we are to understand wrongs and private injuries; by not recompensing them, is meant not revenging them. Corrupt nature is very prone to return wrong for wrong, one ill turn for another, but Christianity sets a nobler pattern before us, even the example of him, "who when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he suffered, he threatened not," Provide things honest...
17. Repaying to no one, etc. This differs but little from what shortly after follows, except that revenge is more than the kind of repaying of which he speaks here; for we render evil for evil sometimes, even when we exact not the requiting of an injury, as when we treat unkindly those who do us no good.