G1556 — ἐκδικέω (ekdikéō)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G1556
Original: ἐκδικέω
Transliteration: ekdikéō
Pronunciation: ek-dik-eh'-o
Part of Speech: Verb
Root: ἐκ (G1537, "out of") + δίκη (G1349, "justice/right") — to execute justice out of a situation, i.e., to vindicate or avenge
Occurrences: 6 verses (6 tokens) in NT
First Occurrence: Luke 18:3 — "And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From ἐκ and δίκη; to vindicate, retaliate, punish: — a(re-)venge.

Verb Form Distribution¶

Form	Morphology	Occurrence
Ἐκδίκησόν	Aorist Active Imperative 2S	Luke 18:3
ἐκδικήσω	Future Active Indicative 1S	Luke 18:5
ἐκδικοῦντες	Present Active Participle Nom Pl M	Romans 12:19
ἐκδικῆσαι	Aorist Active Infinitive	2 Corinthians 10:6
ἐκδικεῖς	Present Active Indicative 2S	Revelation 6:10
ἐξεδίκησεν	Aorist Active Indicative 3S	Revelation 19:2

All 6 occurrences are Active voice. Tense distribution: Aorist 3× (50%), Present 2× (33%), Future 1× (17%). No passive or middle forms attested in the NT.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Domain 39.006: Revenge
Other words in subdomain: ἐκδίκησις (G1557)
Domain 38.001: Punish
Other words in subdomain: βασανίζω (G928), δίκη (G1349), ἐκδίκησις (G1557), ἔκδικος (G1558), κολάζω (G2849), κόλασις (G2851), κρίσις (G2920)
Domain 56.006: Obtain Justice
Other words in subdomain: ἐκδίκησις (G1557)
Domain 56: Courts and Legal Procedures (broader)

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
avenge	5	83.3%
revenge	1	16.7%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Revelation	2	0.50
2 Corinthians	1	0.39
Luke	2	0.17
Romans	1	0.23

Concentrated in eschatological/apocalyptic contexts (Revelation) and the parable of the unjust judge (Luke 18). Absent from other Gospels, Acts, Hebrews, and the General Epistles.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Plea for Vindication (Human Appeal to a Judge)¶

Luke 18:3 — "And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary."
Luke 18:5 — "Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me."

The widow's cry is for judicial vindication — she asks the judge to grant her justice against her opponent. The verb here carries the sense of obtaining a legal ruling on behalf of the wronged party.

2. Prohibition Against Self-Vindication¶

Romans 12:19 — "Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord."

The present participle ἐκδικοῦντες with the negative forbids the ongoing practice of personal retaliation. The right to avenge is reserved for God.

3. Apostolic Disciplinary Authority¶

2 Corinthians 10:6 — "And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled."

Here the verb denotes corrective punishment of disobedience within the church community, exercised by apostolic authority. The aorist infinitive frames it as a decisive future action.

4. Divine Eschatological Vengeance¶

Revelation 6:10 — "And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?"
Revelation 19:2 — "For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand."

The martyrs' plea (Rev 6:10, present tense) finds its answer in divine action (Rev 19:2, aorist — completed act). In both cases, αἷμα (blood) co-occurs, linking the verb to blood-justice.

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
αἷμα (haima)	G129	2× (33%)	"avenge our/his blood" — blood-vengeance formula
κρίνω (krinō)	G2919	2× (33%)	"judge and avenge" — paired judicial actions
χήρα (chēra)	G5503	2× (33%)	"avenge the widow" — plea for justice by the vulnerable
ἀληθινός (alēthinos)	G228	2× (33%)	"holy and true... dost thou not avenge" — divine character grounding vengeance
ἀντίδικος (antidikos)	G476	1× (17%)	"avenge me of mine adversary" — legal opponent
ἐκδίκησις (ekdikēsis)	G1557	1× (17%)	cognate noun co-occurring in Rom 12:19 context

Word Family / Cognates¶

G1349 δίκη (dikē) — root noun: justice, penalty, vengeance (3v)
G1557 ἐκδίκησις (ekdikēsis) — cognate noun: vindication, vengeance, punishment (9v)
G1558 ἔκδικος (ekdikos) — cognate adjective: an avenger, one who carries out justice (2v)

Synonyms¶

G2919 κρίνω (krinō) — to judge, decide; broader judicial term covering all judgment, not limited to punitive action
G2917 κρίμα (krima) — judgment, sentence, verdict — the result of κρίνω
G2920 κρίσις (krisis) — judgment, justice — the process or standard of judgment

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
ἐκδίκησις (ekdikēsis)	G1557	"avenge/vengeance"	G1557 is the noun (the act/result); G1556 is the verb (performing the action)
נָקַם (naqam)	H5358	"avenge"	Hebrew OT equivalent; naqam carries the visceral sense of grudge-bearing (from which vengeance springs), while ekdikeo frames it as executing justice
ποιέω (poieō)	G4160	"avenge" (1×)	Generic "do/make"; only contextually rendered "avenge" in "avenge the blood" constructions

Hebrew Source (via LXX)¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI	Notes
נָקַם (naqam)	H5358	22×	8.04	Primary bridge — "to avenge, take vengeance"
פָּקַד (paqad)	H6485	24×	5.06	"to visit/attend to" — used for divine intervention, both favorable and punitive
נָקָם (naqam)	H5359	4×	6.54	Noun cognate of H5358 — "revenge, vengeance"
שָׁפַט (shaphat)	H8199	10×	4.35	"to judge" — broader juridical term
נְקָמָה (neqamah)	H5360	3×	5.88	Feminine noun — "avengement, vengeance"

The primary Hebrew-Greek bridge is H5358 naqam → G1556 ekdikeo (22 co-occurrences, PMI 8.04). The LXX translators consistently chose ekdikeo to render the Hebrew concept of divine and human vengeance.

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 039.006 — Revenge)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation
G1557	ἐκδίκησις	5	vengeance, avenge

A very narrow subdomain — only the verb (G1556) and its cognate noun (G1557) populate the "Revenge" category.