the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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Romans 12:20
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But you should do this: "If you have enemies who are hungry, give them something to eat. If you have enemies who are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this you will make them feel ashamed."
No, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head."
Terfore yf thyn enemy honger fede him: yf he thurst geve him drinke. For in so doynge thou shalt heape coles of fyre on his heed:
Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head."
But "if your enemy is hungry, feed him. For if he is thirsty, give him a drink. If you do this, you will pile burning coals on his head."Proverbs 25:21-22">[fn]Exodus 23:4-5; Proverbs 25:21-22; Matthew 5:44;">[xr]
"BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM; IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD."
But you should do this: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. Doing this will be like pouring burning coals on his head." Proverbs 25:21–22
But if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him to drink: for in so doing you shall heap coals of fire on his head.
Therefore if thy enemy hungereth, feed him; if he thirsteth, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
To the contrary, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."
Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in doing so, you will heap coals of fire on his head."
Therefore if thy enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.
On the contrary, therefore, if your enemy is hungry, give him food; if he is thirsty, quench his thirst. For by doing this you will be heaping burning coals upon his head.
But if thin enemy hungrith, fede thou hym; if he thirstith, yyue thou drynke to hym; for thou doynge this thing schalt gidere togidere colis on his heed.
But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.
On the contrary, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head."
The Scriptures also say, "If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat. And if they are thirsty, give them something to drink. This will be the same as piling burning coals on their heads."
"BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM; IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR BY DOING THIS YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD."
But if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him to drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.
But if one who has hate for you is in need of food or of drink, give it to him, for in so doing you will put coals of fire on his head.
On the contrary, "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For by doing this, you will heap fiery coals [of shame] on his head."
If therefore thine enemy should hunger, feed him; if he should thirst, give him drink; for, so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.
And if thy adversary hunger, feed him; and if he thirst, give him drink: and if these things thou do unto him, coals of fire thou wilt heap upon his head.
And if thy adversary be hungry, feed him: and if he be thirsty, give him drink. For if thou doest these things to him, thou wilt heap coals of fire on his head.
Therefore if thine enemie hunger, feed him: if he thirst, giue him drink. For in so doing thou shalt heape coales of fire on his head.
"If the one who hates you is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him water. If you do that, you will be making him more ashamed of himself."
No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads."
Therefore, if thine enemie hunger, feede him: if he thirst, giue him drinke: for in so doing, thou shalt heape coales of fire on his head.
Therefore if your enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for in so doing, you shall heap coals of fire on his head.
But - if thine enemy hunger, be feeding him, if he thirst, be giving him drink; for, this doing, coals of fire, shalt thou heap upon his head.
But if the enemy be hungry, give him to eat; if he thirst, give him to drink. For, doing this, thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.
Therfore, yf thyne enemie hunger, feede hym: yf he thyrst, geue him drinke. For in so doyng, thou shalt heape coales of fyre on his head.
Instead, as the scripture says: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them a drink; for by doing this you will make them burn with shame."
But
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
But "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by doing this, you will heap up coals of fire upon his head."
Then "if one hostile to you hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him drink; for doing this you will heap coals of fire on his head." Prov. 25:21, 22
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;
Therfore yf thine enemye hunger, fede him: Yf he thyrst, geue him drinke. For in so doinge thou shalt heape coales of fyre vpo his heade.
therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing, you will heap coals of fire on his head .
Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.
Rather, if your enemy is hungry , feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head .
Therefore "If your enemy is hungry, feed him;If he is thirsty, give him a drink;For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." Proverbs 25:21, 22 ">[fn]
"Instead, if your enemy is hungry, give them your freshest biscuit. If they're thirsty, give them the rest of your water. In doing so, you will shame them with God's love and pour coals over their heads."
"BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD."
"But if your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap burning coals on his head."
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
if thine: Exodus 23:4, Exodus 23:5, 1 Samuel 24:16-19, 1 Samuel 26:21, Proverbs 25:21, Proverbs 25:22, Matthew 5:44
coals: Psalms 120:4, Psalms 140:10, Song of Solomon 8:6, Song of Solomon 8:7
Reciprocal: Genesis 50:21 - I will nourish Leviticus 25:35 - then 1 Samuel 24:17 - thou hast 1 Samuel 25:26 - from 1 Samuel 30:11 - gave him 2 Kings 6:22 - set bread 2 Chronicles 28:10 - not with 2 Chronicles 28:15 - gave them Job 22:7 - not given Isaiah 21:14 - brought Isaiah 58:7 - to deal Matthew 5:42 - General Matthew 25:35 - thirsty Luke 10:34 - went Luke 17:4 - I repent 1 Corinthians 4:12 - being reviled Ephesians 4:32 - forgiving
Cross-References
Abram traveled through the land as far as Shechem. There he set up camp beside the oak of Moreh. At that time, the area was inhabited by Canaanites.
As he was approaching the border of Egypt, Abram said to his wife, Sarai, "Look, you are a very beautiful woman.
And sure enough, when Abram arrived in Egypt, everyone noticed Sarai's beauty.
When the palace officials saw her, they sang her praises to Pharaoh, their king, and Sarai was taken into his palace.
Soon after this, Moses said good-bye to his father-in-law, who returned to his own land.
The king's heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord ; he guides it wherever he pleases.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him,.... These words are taken from Proverbs 25:21, and to be understood, as a Jewish o writer observes, כמשמעו, according to "their literal sense"; though some of the Rabbins explain them in an allegorical way, of the corruption of nature. The Alexandrian copy and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version, reads "but if"; so far should the saints be from meditating revenge upon their enemies, that they should do good unto them, as Christ directs, Matthew 5:44, by feeding them when hungry, and giving drink unto them when thirsty:
if he thirst give him drink; which includes all offices of humanity and beneficence to be performed unto them: the reason, or argument inducing hereunto is,
for in so doing, thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head; not to do him hurt, not to aggravate his condemnation, as if this would be a means of bringing down the wrath of God the more fiercely on him, which is a sense given by some; as if this would be an inducement to the saints to do such acts of kindness; which is just the reverse of the spirit and temper of mind the apostle is here cultivating; but rather the sense is, that by so doing, his conscience would be stung with a sense of former injuries done to his benefactor, and he be filled with shame on account of them, and be brought to repentance for them, and to love the person he before hated, and be careful of doing him any wrong for the future; all which may be considered as a prevailing motive to God's people to act the generous part they are here moved to: in the passage referred to, Proverbs 25:21, "bread" and "water" are mentioned as to be given, which include all the necessaries of life: and it is added for encouragement, "and the Lord shall reward thee". The sense given of this passage by some of the Jewish commentators on it agrees with what has been observed in some measure; says one p of them,
"when he remembers the food and drink thou hast given him, thou shall burn him, as if thou puttest coals upon his head to burn him, וישמור מעשות לך רע, and "he will take care of doing thee any ill";''
that is, for the time to come: and another of them observes q that
"this matter will be hard unto him, as if thou heapest coals on his head to burn him, מרוב בשתו, "because of the greatness of his shame", on account of the good that he shall receive from thee, for the evil which he hath rendered to thee.''
This advice of showing kindness to enemies, and against private revenge, is very contrary to the dictates of human nature, as corrupted by sin. The former of these Julian the emperor represents r as a "paradox", though he owns it to be lawful, and a good action, to give clothes and food to enemies in war; and the latter, to revenge an injury, he says s, is a law common to all men, Greeks and Barbarians; but the Gospel and the grace of God teach us another lesson.
o Jarchi in Prov. xxv. 21. p R. Aben Ezra in loc. q R. Levi ben Gersom in loc. Vid. Tzeror Hammor, fol. 147. 2. r Fragment. inter opera, par. 1. p. 533. s Ad Atheniens. p. 501.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Therefore, if thine enemy hunger ... - This verse is taken almost literally from Proverbs 25:21-22. Hunger and thirst here are put for want in general. If thine enemy is needy in any way, do him good, and supply his needs. This is, in spirit, the same as the command of the Lord Jesus Matthew 5:44, “Do good to them that hate you,” etc.
In so doing - It does not mean that we are to do this “for the sake” of heaping coals of fire on him, but that this will be the result.
Thou shalt heap ... - Coals of fire are doubtless emblematical of “pain.” But the idea here is not that in so doing we shall call down divine vengeance on the man; but the apostle is speaking of the natural effect or result of showing him kindness. Burning coals heaped on a man’s head would be expressive of intense agony. So the apostle says that the “effect” of doing good to an enemy would be to produce pain. But the pain will result from shame, remorse of conscience, a conviction of the evil of his conduct, and an apprehension of divine displeasure that may lead to repentance. To do this, is not only perfectly right, but it is desirable. If a man can be brought to reflection and true repentance, it should be done. In regard to this passage we may remark,
(1) That the way to promote “peace” is to do good even to enemies.
(2) The way to bring a man to repentance is to do him good. On this principle God is acting continually. He does good to all, even to the rebellious; and he designs that his goodness should lead people to repentance; Romans 2:4. People will resist wrath, anger, and power; but “goodness” they cannot resist; it finds its way to the heart; and the conscience does its work, and the sinner is overwhelmed at the remembrance of his crimes.
(3) If people would act on the principles of the gospel, the world would soon be at peace. No man would suffer himself many times to be overwhelmed in this way with coals of fire. It is not human nature, bad as it is; and if Christians would meet all unkindness with kindness, all malice with benevolence, and all wrong with right, peace would soon pervade the community, and even opposition to the gospel might soon die away.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Romans 12:20. If thine enemy hunger, feed him — Do not withhold from any man the offices of mercy and kindness; you have been God's enemy, and yet God fed, clothed, and preserved you alive: do to your enemy as God has done to you. If your enemy be hungry, feed him; if he be thirsty, give him drink: so has God dealt with you. And has not a sense of his goodness and long-suffering towards you been a means of melting down your heart into penitential compunction, gratitude, and love towards him? How know you that a similar conduct towards your enemy may not have the same gracious influence on him towards you? Your kindness may be the means of begetting in him a sense of his guilt; and, from being your fell enemy, he may become your real friend! This I believe to be the sense of this passage, which many have encumbered with difficulties of their own creating. The whole is a quotation from Proverbs 25:21; Proverbs 25:22, in the precise words of the Septuagint; and it is very likely that the latter clause of this verse, Thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, is a metaphor taken from smelting metals. The ore is put into the furnace, and fire put both under and over, that the metal may be liquefied, and, leaving the scoriae and dross, may fall down pure to the bottom of the furnace. This is beautifully expressed by one of our own poets, in reference to this explanation of this passage:-
"So artists melt the sullen ore of lead,
By heaping coals of fire upon its head.
In the kind warmth the metal learns to glow,
And pure from dross the silver runs below."
It is most evident, from the whole connection of the place and the apostle's use of it, that the heaping of the coals of fire upon the head of the enemy is intended to produce not an evil, but the most beneficial effect; and the following verse is an additional proof of this.
