VENGEANCE — but in the precise sense of JUSTICE CARRIED OUT, not private revenge; from ekdikeō (ek, 'out', + dikē, 'justice'), to give someone their full legal due, to vindicate. ⚠ At 2 Thessalonians 1:8 the Lord comes 'dealing out ekdikēsin', and the word belongs with the courtroom vocabulary that runs through the whole chapter (dikaia krisis at v5, dikaion at v6, dikēn tisousin at v9) — which is why it should not be flattened to spite or malice. It is the same word in the Greek of Deuteronomy 32:35, 'vengeance is mine, I will repay', quoted at Romans 12:19 to FORBID believers from taking it — the point being precisely that ekdikēsis is God's office and not theirs. → first discussed at 2 Thessalonians 1:8