5097. timóreó
Lexical Summary
timóreó: To punish, to avenge, to vindicate

Original Word: τιμωρέω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: timóreó
Pronunciation: tee-mo-reh'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (tim-o-reh'-o)
KJV: punish
NASB: punished
Word Origin: [from a comparative of G5092 (τιμή - honor) and ouros (a guard)]

1. (properly) to protect one's honor, i.e. to avenge (inflict a penalty)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
punish.

From a comparative of time and ouros (a guard); properly, to protect one's honor, i.e. To avenge (inflict a penalty) -- punish.

see GREEK time

HELPS Word-studies

5097 timōréō (from 5092 /timḗ, "perceived worth" and ouros, "a guardian") – to act as guardian with the authority to also mete out punishment (literally, assign due retribution) – as it seems best in the eyes of the punisher. See also the root, 5092 /timḗ ("perceived value").

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
perhaps from timé and arnumai (to exact atonment)
Definition
to punish, avenge
NASB Translation
punished (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 5097: τιμωρέω

τιμωρέω, τιμώρω; 1 aorist passive ἐτιμωρήθην; (from τιμωρός, and this from τιμή and οὐρός, see θυρωρός); from Sophocles and Herodotus down; properly, to be a guardian or avenger of honor; hence,

1. to succor, come to the help of:τίνι, one, Sophocles, Herodotus, Thucydides, others,

2. to avenge: τίνι, one, Herodotus, Xenophon, others.

3. in the N. T. τιμώρω τινα, to take vengeance on one, to punish: Acts 22:5; Acts 26:11 (Sophocles O. R. 107; in Greek writings the middle is more common in this sense).

Topical Lexicon
Range of Meaning and Context in Acts

The verb occurs only twice in the Greek New Testament, both times in autobiographical speeches by the Apostle Paul (Acts 22:5; Acts 26:11). In each instance the word is used of punitive measures demanded or executed against believers before Paul’s conversion. The setting is judicial: letters of extradition from the Sanhedrin (Acts 22:5) and corporal discipline administered in synagogues (Acts 26:11). Thus the term functions inside Luke’s narrative as a marker of legal-religious coercion directed at the church.

Historical Background: Sanhedrin and Punitive Authority

First-century Judaism possessed limited self-government under Roman oversight. The Council in Jerusalem could authorize arrest and flogging for perceived blasphemy (cf. Matthew 10:17; John 18:31). Paul, as a zealous Pharisee, became an agent of this authority. By employing the verb, Luke highlights a legal mechanism—synagogue scourging—that resembled the thirty-nine lashes prescribed in Deuteronomy 25:3 and codified by later rabbinic tradition. The Damascus letters show that such jurisdiction was thought to extend into the Diaspora.

Apostolic Testimony: Paul’s Self-Disclosure

Paul twice bears witness that he was “punishing” believers:
• “I went there to bring these prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished” (Acts 22:5).
• “I frequently punished them in all the synagogues and tried to force them to blaspheme” (Acts 26:11).

These confessions underscore both the severity of his former hostility and the magnitude of grace that turned a persecutor into an apostle (1 Timothy 1:13-16).

Theological Reflection on Human Justice Versus Divine Mercy

Scripture affirms that civil authorities are “God’s servant for your good … an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:4). Yet Paul’s misuse of delegated authority demonstrates how zeal without truth corrupts justice. His experience illustrates Proverbs 17:15: “He who condemns the righteous … are both an abomination to the LORD.” The risen Christ intervened, revealing that persecuting the church is tantamount to persecuting the Lord Himself (Acts 9:4).

Connection with Old Testament Judicial Ethics

The Torah differentiates between just retribution and personal vengeance: “Vengeance is Mine, and recompense” (Deuteronomy 32:35). Human judges were to punish within lawful bounds, always preserving covenantal righteousness. Paul’s later writings echo this ethic: “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for God’s wrath” (Romans 12:19). The very apostle who once sought punitive authority now exhorts the church to forgo vengeance.

Christological Transformation of Punishment

At the cross divine wrath and mercy converge. Christ “bore our sins in His body” (1 Peter 2:24), satisfying justice so that believers are no longer “condemned” (Romans 8:1). Paul’s life embodies this gospel: the persecutor deserving punishment becomes the herald of forgiveness, illustrating that God “punishes” sin in Christ so He may justify the ungodly (Romans 3:26).

Pastoral and Missional Applications

1. Zeal Needs Truth: Ministry must be guided by sound doctrine lest righteous intentions inflict harm (Philippians 3:6; John 16:2).
2. Testimony of Grace: Former antagonists can become powerful witnesses; recounting God’s mercy, as Paul does, magnifies the gospel’s reach.
3. Proper Use of Authority: Church discipline (Matthew 18:15-17) and civil punishment (1 Peter 2:14) remain necessary, yet always under the lordship of Christ and tempered by love.

Eschatological Horizon

Scripture promises final vindication: “He will repay, each according to his deeds” (Romans 2:6). Earthly punishment—whether just or misguided—anticipates the ultimate judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10), where perfect justice will prevail and every wrong will be set right.

Summary of Usage

Strong’s 5097 surfaces exclusively in Paul’s recounting of his pre-conversion persecution, spotlighting human punishment employed in opposition to the gospel. Luke’s selective use emphasizes the contrast between coercive religion and the liberating grace Paul later proclaimed.

Forms and Transliterations
ετιμωρήσατο τιμωρηθωσιν τιμωρηθώσιν τιμωρηθῶσιν τιμωρήσομαι τιμωρήσομαί τιμωρούμενον τιμωρων τιμωρών τιμωρῶν timorethosin timorethôsin timōrēthōsin timōrēthō̂sin timoron timorôn timōrōn timōrō̂n
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Englishman's Concordance
Acts 22:5 V-ASP-3P
GRK: Ἰερουσαλὴμ ἵνα τιμωρηθῶσιν
NAS: as prisoners to be punished.
KJV: Jerusalem, for to be punished.
INT: Jerusalem in order that they might be punished

Acts 26:11 V-PPA-NMS
GRK: συναγωγὰς πολλάκις τιμωρῶν αὐτοὺς ἠνάγκαζον
NAS: And as I punished them often in all
KJV: against [them].And I punished them oft
INT: synagogues often punishing them I compelled [them]

Strong's Greek 5097
2 Occurrences


τιμωρηθῶσιν — 1 Occ.
τιμωρῶν — 1 Occ.

5096
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