Romans 12:20 (YLT)

Passage

I will recompense again, saith the Lord;' if, then, thine enemy doth hunger, feed him; if he doth thirst, give him drink; for this doing, coals of fire thou shalt heap upon his head;

Nearby Context

Romans 12:18 If possible--so far as in you--with all men being in peace;

Romans 12:19 not avenging yourselves, beloved, but give place to the wrath, for it hath been written, `Vengeance <FI>is<Fi> Mine,

Romans 12:20 I will recompense again, saith the Lord;' if, then, thine enemy doth hunger, feed him; if he doth thirst, give him drink; for this doing, coals of fire thou shalt heap upon his head;

Romans 12:21 Be not overcome by the evil, but overcome, in the good, the evil.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "recompense", "again", "saith", "lord", "thine", "enemy", "doth", and "hunger". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "recompense" and "again", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "not avenging yourselves beloved but give place..." into verse 21's "Be not overcome by the evil but...", so "recompense" and "again" belong inside that flow. In Romans context, the local focus is righteousness by faith, union with Christ, life in the Spirit, and God's covenant faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "recompense" and "again" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.