This book attempts to clarify the idea of retribution and to propose a reasoned definition of the concept through philological and lexical studies. It faces the question whether a legal system, or even a moral one, is possible without retribution, whether justice - including divine justice - can be conceived without an underlying perspective of retribution. It analyses how the idea of retribution, when is assumed to be present, is articulated with that of mercy, justification, forgiveness, or grace. It considers the functions that this idea can serve in various literary contexts and different discursive registers. But it also raises the question of whether, in the biblical texts, divine justice is not more restorative and not proportional to the act committed than stricto sensu retributive.It is a volume of proceeding of colloquia held at the Institut Catholique de Paris in 2020 and 2021.