to avenge
na.qam denotes acting in retribution against enemies or wrongdoers, including the punishment sought for a victim.
The attested uses chiefly describe retributive action directed against enemies, persecutors, or those who have acted wrongly; the same action may be commanded, promised, prohibited, or described as God’s. A smaller group presents the resulting punishment or redress as something that comes upon a killer or other offender.
Senses in use
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Carry out retribution against an adversary · dominant
The verb marks action directed against a specified opponent or wrongdoer. In Numbers 31:2 the Qal imperative commands action against the Midianites; in 2 Kings 9:7 the Piel sequential perfect occurs in the declaration concerning the blood of the LORD’s servants from Jezebel’s hand. Leviticus 19:18 uses a Qal imperfect in a prohibition against such action toward one’s own people, while Nahum 1:2 repeats Qal active participles in the description of God’s action against adversaries.
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Receive punitive redress for a killing · occasional
In the legal and protective clauses, the verb presents punishment as falling upon the person responsible for death. Genesis 4:15 states that whoever kills Cain will suffer vengeance, and Exodus 21:20 sets out the consequence when a servant dies under a master’s hand; Exodus 21:21 contrasts the case in which the servant remains alive for a day or two.
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses, the APB commonly uses “avenge,” “take vengeance,” and “vengeance,” including both commands and declarations of punishment. Because the APB is a whole-verse translation, these English expressions indicate the clauses’ overall presentation rather than a fixed one-to-one rendering.