Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written,
Vengeance is mine; I will repay,
says the Lord.
All Commentaries on Romans 12:19 Go To Romans 12
Ambrosiaster
AD 400
Paul warns us to avoid anger, especially because so often anger is the chief cause of sin. Someone who is motivated by wrath will demand more than the cause of the sin merits or will put himself out to do more harm while seeking revenge…. In the end he will destroy someone when he could have corrected and restored him instead. Paul forbids us to seek revenge not only from those under us but also from those who are our equals or superiors…. We are not to seek to avenge ourselves against brethren who may have sinned against us but rather to commit everything to God’s judgment, so that an enemy will find no way of promoting or advancing what is against our interest while we are too angry to notice what is happening. Paul quotes Proverbs [:] to back up his point. If we do not do what God teaches, he will show us contempt. But if we give revenge over to God it benefits us in two ways: it overcomes our anger and tends toward our perfection and justification in God’s sight. Commentary on Paul’s Epistles.
