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נְקָמָה

𐤍𐤒𐤌𐤄

nᵉqâmâh

H5360 noun

SILEX Entry

Root נקם to avenge, to take revenge, to retaliate

Definition

A response of retribution or payback for a perceived wrong, typically involving the infliction of harm or punishment upon the offender. 'Nᵉqâmâh' refers both to the act of taking vengeance and the resulting state of vengeance, and can denote human or divine retributive action. The word can express judicial or personal retribution, as well as Yahweh's execution of justice in the form of punishment for wrongdoing. In some contexts, it carries strong connotations of righteous justice, while in others it may bear overtones of personal revenge.

Semantic Range

vengeance, avenging, act of retribution, punishment (especially divinely sanctioned), payback, revenge

Root / Etymology

From the root נָקַם (naqam), meaning 'to avenge, take vengeance.' The noun formation נְקָמָה is a feminine abstract form, indicating the concept or state of taking vengeance, deriving its sense from the underlying verb yet possessing a more abstract, institutional force.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Across the Hebrew Bible, 'nᵉqâmâh' often designates both human acts of revenge and, importantly, divine acts of judgment or retribution—particularly Yahweh's justice against enemies (e.g., Isaiah 34:8, Nahum 1:2). In early Israelite contexts, interpersonal vengeance was sometimes tolerated in the absence of formal judicial processes but was regulated (Numbers 35, Deuteronomy 19) to prevent cycles of escalating violence. Later prophetic and post-exilic texts increasingly stress Yahweh as the sole legitimate agent of vengeance, shifting the emphasis from personal to divine justice. English translations—using 'vengeance' or 'revenge'—often fail to capture this distinction or may narrow the concept to personal retaliation. The term contrasts with related words such as שָׁפַט (to judge, administer justice), which imply an ordered or legal process, while 'nᵉqâmâh' centers on retributive action, sometimes outside formal structures. The noun is used both for lawful payback (as in divine justice) and, on occasion, for condemned acts of personal retaliation.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

feminine of נָקָם; avengement, whether the act of the passion; [phrase] avenge, revenge(-ing), vengeance.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

נקם (n-q-m) — to avenge, to take revenge, to retaliate

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H5358 נָקַם in avenging
H5359 נָקָם and retribution

Word Forms

9 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H5360-04 נִקְמַת֙ niqemat HNcfsc the vengeance vengeance-of 8
H5360-03 נְקָמ֛וֹת neqamot HNcfpa vengeance acts of vengeance 7
H5360-02 נְקָמָה֙ neqamah HNcfsa vengeance avenging retribution 3
H5360-09 נִקְמָתִ֜/י niqemati HNcfsc/Sp1cs my-vengeance my vengeance 3
H5360-06 נִקְמָֽתְ/ךָ֙ niqematekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your vengeance your retribution 2
H5360-05 נִקְמָתָ֔/ם niqematam HNcfsc/Sp3mp their vengeance their vengeance 1
H5360-08 נִקְמָתֵ֖/נוּ niqematenu HNcfsc/Sp1cp our revenge our vengeance 1
H5360-01 בִּ/נְקָמָ֑ה bineqamah HR/Ncfsa with-revenge in vengeance 1
H5360-07 נִקְמָתֵ֑/ךְ niqematekhe HNcfsc/Sp2fs your-vengeance your avenging 1

Occurrences in Scripture

27 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H5360-04 Numbers 31:2 נִקְמַת֙ niqemat HNcfsc the vengeance vengeance-of
H5360-04 Numbers 31:3 נִקְמַת niqemat HNcfsc vengeance vengeance-of
H5360-03 Judges 11:36 נְקָמ֛וֹת neqamot HNcfpa vengeance acts of vengeance
H5360-03 2 Samuel 4:8 נְקָמוֹת֙ neqamot HNcfpa vengeance acts of vengeance
H5360-03 2 Samuel 22:48 נְקָמֹ֖ת neqamot HNcfpa vengeance acts of vengeance
H5360-06 Jeremiah 11:20 נִקְמָֽתְ/ךָ֙ niqematekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms your vengeance your retribution
H5360-08 Jeremiah 20:10 נִקְמָתֵ֖/נוּ niqematenu HNcfsc/Sp1cp our revenge our vengeance
H5360-06 Jeremiah 20:12 נִקְמָֽתְ/ךָ֙ niqematekha HNcfsc/Sp2ms Your vengeance your retribution
H5360-02 Jeremiah 46:10 נְקָמָה֙ neqamah HNcfsa vengeance avenging retribution
H5360-04 Jeremiah 50:15 נִקְמַ֨ת niqemat HNcfsc the vengeance vengeance-of
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