English · KJV
H5360

נְקָמָה

nᵉqâmâh /nek-aw-maw'/ Ask about this word
Rootfeminine of נָקָם
Meaningavengement, whether the act of the passion
KJV usagerevenge(-ing), vengeance.
Idioms & phrasesphrase avenge

Word Study

In depth

A plain-language study of nᵉqâmâh — the range of meaning it carries, how Scripture actually uses it, and where it points. Written for readers who don’t know the original language.

Core Meaning & Semantic Range

The Hebrew word nᵉqâmâh, represented by H5360, denotes avengement, revenge, or vengeance. As the feminine form of H5359, it appears 27 times across 22 unique verses, describing a powerful act of justice or retribution. The term primarily refers to divine judgment, but can also describe human actions.

Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis

In scripture, H5360 is most frequently associated with God's actions. It is often described as "the vengeance of the LORD H3068" Jeremiah 50:15, a divine retribution against nations like Babylon for their opposition to God and His people Jeremiah 51:6. This is sometimes called "the vengeance of his temple" Jeremiah 51:11. Prophets like Jeremiah appeal to God for this righteous judgment, asking, "let me see H7200 thy vengeance on them" (Jeremiah 11:20, Jeremiah 20:12). The term is also used for human-driven revenge, which can be done with a "despiteful H7589 heart H5315" Ezekiel 25:15 or be the subject of scheming among familiars Jeremiah 20:10.

Related Words & Concepts

Several related words clarify the concept of vengeance and its execution:

  • H5358 nâqam: The primitive root meaning to avenge or punish. It is the action behind H5360, as seen when the LORD H3068 declares He will "take vengeance H5358 for thee H5360" Jeremiah 51:36.
  • H5359 nâqâm: The masculine noun for revenge. It is used alongside H5360 to describe how the Philistines H6430 acted with both revenge H5360 and vengeance H5359 Ezekiel 25:15.
  • H341 ʼôyêb: This word for enemy or foe identifies the target of vengeance. The LORD H3068 is praised for having taken vengeance H5360 on the enemies H341 of His people Judges 11:36.

Theological Significance

The theological concept of H5360 is centered on divine justice and sovereignty.

  • Divine Prerogative: Vengeance ultimately belongs to God. The psalmist proclaims, "O LORD H3068 God H410, to whom vengeance H5360 belongeth" Psalms 94:1. This establishes that true justice originates from Him, not from human anger.
  • Instrument of Judgment: God can use His people as agents of His vengeance. For instance, He declares, "I will lay H5414 my vengeance H5360 upon Edom H123 by the hand H3027 of my people H5971 Israel H3478" Ezekiel 25:14. This demonstrates that human action can be aligned with God's divine purpose of judgment.
  • A Day of Reckoning: The concept is tied to a specific time of judgment, "the day H3117 of vengeance H5360," when the LORD H3068 will avenge Himself of His adversaries H6862 Jeremiah 46:10.

Summary

In summary, H5360 is a term loaded with theological weight, signifying far more than simple retaliation. It primarily points to the righteous and sovereign judgment of God against wickedness, sin, and the enemies of His people. Whether executed directly by God or through human agents, nᵉqâmâh is fundamentally an expression of divine justice and the ultimate triumph of God's will.

How the KJV Renders It

Translation

Strong’s lists the renderings but not their weight. These are counted from the King James text of the tagged verses — the bar under each is how often the translators actually reached for it. Select one to filter the occurrences below.

Grammatical Forms

Morphology

In the Hebrew Old Testament, this word appears as a noun across 27 occurrences, inflected in 3 grammatical forms — each row is one form, and the bar is how often it is that form. Select any form to read what each part of its name means, and to filter the occurrence list to it.

  • נִקְמַת
  • נְקָמוֹת
  • נְקָמָה

Related Words

Related

Other entries the study above points to — each one is drawn from a reference it makes. Follow the trail to see how the words connect.

H5359 נָקָם from נָקַם; revenge; [phrase] avenged, quarrel, vengeance. H3068 יְהֹוָה from הָיָה; (the) self-Existent or Eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God; Jehovah, the Lord. Compare יָהּ, יְהֹו H7200 רָאָה a primitive root; to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransit H7589 שְׁאָט from an unused root meaning to push aside; contempt; despite(-ful). H5315 נֶפֶשׁ from נָפַשׁ; properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accomm H5358 נָקַם a primitive root; to grudge, i.e. avenge or punish; avenge(-r, self), punish, revenge (self), [idiom] surely, take venge

Theographic Context

Context

The people, places, and span of history the verses containing this word touch on — drawn from the theographic tagging of Scripture. Select any name to isolate its verses in the occurrence list.

Biblical Distribution

Distribution

Appears in 22 verses across 7 of the 39 books. Most frequent in Jeremiah (9 verses); never once in the other 32.

2
Numbers
1
Judges
2
2 Samuel
4
Psalms
9
Jeremiah
1
Lamentations
3
Ezekiel

Every Occurrence

Concordance

Every verse where the word is tagged in the King James text. Filter by book, by the English word the translators chose, by grammatical form, or search within the verses.

Sources. Definition and numbering: James Strong, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890). Morphology: STEPBible / Tyndale House (CC BY). Verse tagging: the King James text keyed to Strong’s numbers. Every count on this page is computed from the tagged corpus, not estimated.