Bible Strands
Hebrews 10:30
For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge His people.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The author of Hebrews addresses Jewish Christians tempted to abandon Christ and return to the Mosaic system, placing this verse as the pivot between the charge of trampling the Son (v. 29) and the verdict that falling into the hands of the living God is fearful (v. 31).
The words — ἐκδίκησις (ekdikēsis) is not generic "payback" but the specific noun for retributive justice, the kind that settles a debt of wrong; ἀνταποδώσω (antapodōsō) carries the prefix ἀντα- ("against, in return"), marking the repayment as measured and reciprocal rather than arbitrary.
The thread — The quotation is Deuteronomy 32:35, the Song of Moses; Paul reuses the same line in Romans 12:19 to forbid self-avengeance; Nahum 1:2 names the LORD as the one who takes vengeance on His foes.
Why it lands — The verse removes the option of treating apostasy as a private matter; God has claimed the debt personally, and the reader is left with no intermediary to negotiate with.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 32:35 Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”
- Romans 12:19 Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.”
- Nahum 1:2 The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and full of wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on His foes and reserves wrath for His enemies.
- Psalms 50:4 He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that He may judge His people:
- 2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive his due for the things done in the body, whether good or bad.
- Psalms 96:13 before the LORD, for He is coming—He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His faithfulness.
- Psalms 135:14 For the LORD will vindicate His people and will have compassion on His servants.
- Psalms 98:9 before the LORD, for He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.
- Isaiah 61:2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of our God’s vengeance, to comfort all who mourn,
- Romans 13:4 For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer.