John Calvin Commentary Romans 12:19

"Avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath [of God]: for it is written, Vengeance belongeth unto me; I will recompense, saith the Lord." — Romans 12:19 (ASV)

Avenge not yourselves, etc. The evil which he corrects here, as we have reminded you, is more serious than the preceding one, which he has just stated; yet both of them arise from the same source—namely, from an inordinate love of self and innate pride, which makes us very indulgent toward our own faults and unyielding toward those of others. Since this disease produces in almost all people a furious passion for revenge whenever they are in the least degree offended, he commands here that however seriously we may be injured, we are not to seek revenge but to commit it to the Lord. And because those who are once seized with this wild passion do not easily accept restraint, he lays, as it were, his hand upon us to restrain us, by kindly addressing us as beloved.

The precept, then, is this: that we are not to avenge, nor seek to avenge, injuries done to us. The manner is added: a place is to be given to wrath. To give place to wrath is to commit to the Lord the right of judging, which those who attempt revenge take away from him. Therefore, as it is not lawful to usurp the office of God, it is not lawful to take revenge; for we thus anticipate the judgment of God, who will have this office reserved for himself. He at the same time intimates that those who patiently wait for his help will have God as their defender, but that those who anticipate him leave no place for the help of God.

But he prohibits here not only executing revenge with our own hands, but also our hearts being influenced by such a desire. It is therefore unnecessary to make a distinction here between public and private revenge, for someone who, with a malevolent mind and a desire for revenge, seeks the help of a magistrate, has no more excuse than when he devises means for self-revenge. Indeed, revenge, as we shall presently see, is not always to be sought from God; for if our petitions arise from a private feeling, and not from pure zeal produced by the Spirit, we do not make God our judge so much as the executioner of our depraved passion.

Therefore, we only give place to wrath when, with quiet minds, we wait for the opportune time of deliverance, praying at the same time that those who are now our adversaries may by repentance become our friends.

For it is written, etc. He brings proof, taken from the song of Moses in Deuteronomy 32:35, where the Lord declares that he will be the avenger of his enemies; and God’s enemies are all who without cause oppress his servants. He who touches you, he says, touches the pupil of mine eye. With this consolation, then, we ought to be content: that those who undeservedly oppress us shall not escape unpunished, and that we, by enduring, shall not make ourselves more subject or vulnerable to the injuries of the wicked, but, on the contrary, shall give place to the Lord, who is our only judge and deliverer, to bring us help.

Though it is indeed not lawful for us to pray to God for vengeance on our enemies, but rather to pray for their conversion, that they may become friends, yet if they persist in their impiety, what is to happen to the despisers of God will happen to them.

But Paul did not quote this testimony to show that it is right for us to be, as it were, on fire as soon as we are injured and, according to the impulse of our flesh, to ask in our prayers that God may become the avenger of our injuries. Instead, he first teaches us that it does not belong to us to take revenge, unless we would assume for ourselves the office of God. Secondly, he intimates that we are not to fear that the wicked will rage more furiously when they see us bearing patiently, for God does not in vain take upon himself the office of executing vengeance.