Vocabulary word נקם (n-q-m) "vengeance" from the Bible #biblestudy #hebrewbible

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]Today's word is the root nakam. The Hebrew root nakam, along with its derived nouns nakam and nakamah, centers on the concept of vengeance, avenging, and retribution. The linguistic footprint of this root is extensive across the ancient Near East, appearing in Ugaritic, Phoenician, Aramaic, Arabic, and Ethiopic, though it is notably absent from Akkadian. The concept of vengeance was common enough to be incorporated into ancient names.

[00:00:27]For example, the Ugaritic name Nikmad comes from the root with the name of the storm god Hadad, and the Phoenician proper name Nukmel uh means vengeance of El or God.

[00:00:41]There is an interesting text variant regarding this root in the Samaritan Pentateuch. In Leviticus 19:18, it commands against taking vengeance. The Samaritan text reads the word as coming from a completely different root, kum, to rise up, instead of nakam.

[00:00:57]Linguistically related concepts are also found in Ethiopic, where the cognate kim shares a sense of being intent on revenge.

[00:01:06]In the Hebrew Bible, the usage of nakam generally falls into two categories, human vengeance and divine retribution.

[00:01:14]When referring to human revenge, the word often describes personal vendettas or retaliation. In Judges 16:28, Samson uses the masculine noun nakam when he prays for strength to exact vengeance for one of my two eyes from the Philistines. In the hiphil stem, the verb describes a character trait of being vengeful or vindictive, such as Psalms 8:3. It also describes the incurred consequence of a vendetta, such as the sevenfold revenge promised if anyone kills Cain in Genesis 4:15.

[00:01:51]The theological usage of the root describes divine retribution rather than human vindictiveness. This reflects God's justice or the settling of accounts on behalf of his people. Psalm 79:10 uses the feminine noun nakamah to cry out for divine blood vengeance against the nations that have shed the blood of God's servants. Leviticus 26:25 speaks of a covenant of vengeance, illustrating that divine retribution is formally tied to covenant loyalty.

[00:02:20]Biblical authors utilize grammatical features to emphasize the magnitude of this divine justice. In Psalm 94:1, God is addressed as the God of vengeance.

[00:02:30]Here the text uses a plural form, nakamot, rather than meaning multiple distinct acts of revenge, scholar Dean Mickel identifies this as a plural of amplification, indicating a thorough vengeance or absolute retribution.

[00:02:45]The root nakam captures a wide semantic range encompassing the human desire to settle a personal score, legal and cultural vendettas, and the theological concept of God's thorough justice.