Punishments were Inflicted: On the Guilty
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In the biblical narrative, the concept of justice is deeply intertwined with the idea of punishment for wrongdoing. The Scriptures provide numerous examples where punishments were meted out to the guilty, reflecting the divine principle that sin and disobedience have consequences. These punishments served not only as retribution but also as a deterrent and a means of maintaining order within the community.

Old Testament Examples

1. Adam and Eve: The first instance of punishment for guilt is found in Genesis 3, where Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden for their disobedience. God declares, "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground, because out of it you were taken; for dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19).

2. Cain: After Cain murdered his brother Abel, God pronounced a curse upon him, saying, "When you till the ground, it will no longer yield its produce for you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth" (Genesis 4:12).

3. The Flood: Humanity's widespread wickedness led to the great flood, where God decided to cleanse the earth of its corruption. "So the LORD said, 'I will blot out man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—every man and beast and crawling creature and bird of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them'" (Genesis 6:7).

4. Sodom and Gomorrah: The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by fire and brimstone due to their grievous sins. "Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens" (Genesis 19:24).

5. The Israelites: Throughout their history, the Israelites experienced various punishments for their disobedience. In the wilderness, those who rebelled against God were often met with severe consequences, such as the incident of the golden calf (Exodus 32) and the rebellion of Korah (Numbers 16).

New Testament Examples

1. Ananias and Sapphira: In the early church, Ananias and Sapphira were struck dead for lying to the Holy Spirit about the proceeds of a land sale. "Then Peter said to her, 'How could you conspire to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also'" (Acts 5:9).

2. Herod Agrippa I: King Herod Agrippa I was struck down by an angel of the Lord for his arrogance and failure to give glory to God. "Immediately, because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died" (Acts 12:23).

Principles of Divine Justice

The Bible consistently portrays God as just and righteous, administering punishment to uphold His holiness and moral order. The principle of retributive justice is evident in the law given to Moses, where specific penalties were prescribed for various offenses (Exodus 21-23). The famous lex talionis, or "eye for an eye" principle, underscores the idea of proportional justice (Exodus 21:24).

Purpose of Punishment

Punishments in the Bible served multiple purposes: they were a means of retribution, a deterrent to prevent further sin, a method of purification for the community, and a call to repentance. The ultimate goal was to restore the sinner to a right relationship with God and the community, as seen in the prophetic calls to repentance and the promise of forgiveness for those who turn from their wicked ways (Ezekiel 18:30-32).

Conclusion

The biblical record of punishments inflicted on the guilty underscores the seriousness with which God views sin and the importance of justice in His divine economy. These accounts serve as sobering reminders of the consequences of disobedience and the need for repentance and righteousness.
Torrey's Topical Textbook
Deuteronomy 24:16
The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Proverbs 17:26
Also to punish the just is not good, nor to strike princes for equity.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

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Whether the Judicial Precepts were Suitably Framed as to the ...
... cured of habitual sin except by severe punishments. ... it happened more frequently that
sheep were stolen in ... Consequently the Law inflicted a heavier penalty, by ...
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The Malice of Antipater and Doris. Alexander is Very Uneasy on ...
... told to the king, they were tortured, and found guilty, and presently ... had quarrels,
and lies were easily believed, and punishments were inflicted sooner than ...
/.../chapter 24 the malice of.htm

Whether those who are Guilty of Simony are Fittingly Punished by ...
... world external punishment is not inflicted for the ... go-between, are sentenced to other
punishments, namely, infamy ... character by stealth as it were, and against ...
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Of the Crimes of the Wicked, and the Torture Inflicted on the ...
... Crimes of the Wicked, and the Torture Inflicted on the ... the same cause the people
who were placed in ... torment them with studied kinds of punishments, and think ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap ix of the crimes of.htm

The Eternal Punishment of the Wicked Reconciled with the Goodness ...
... Such would be the case, we admit, if such punishments were unjust"were
not deserved by the person upon whom they are inflicted. ...
/.../chapter iv the eternal punishment.htm

Whether the Punishment of Sacrilege Should be Pecuniary?
... be deterred from sacrilege, at least by temporal punishments. ... from sin, a double
punishment must be inflicted. ... to Objection 3: If money were exacted without a ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the punishment of sacrilege.htm

The Disputes of the Faithful to be Settled by the Decisions of the ...
... Same Punishment is Not to Be Inflicted for Every ... Accordingly the punishments were
different: as death either by crucifixion ... that he may not be guilty of this ...
/.../various/constitutions of the holy apostles/sec vi the disputes of the.htm

Whether Schism is a Graver Sin than Unbelief?
... Q[105], A[2], ad 9), because punishments are medicines ... sin, a more severe punishment
ought to be inflicted. As regards the ten tribes, they were punished not ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether schism is a graver.htm

Chapter ii.
... he laid the guilt, and inflicted the most ... criminals, and deserving the severest
punishments, yet they ... the future, if the Christians were guilty, they should be ...
//christianbookshelf.org/paley/evidences of christianity/chapter ii.htm

On the Righteousness and Efficacy of the Providence of God ...
... the sale of their brother, they were unconcerned about ... of the wickedness of him on
whom it is inflicted. ... he is free from those spiritual punishments which have ...
/.../the works of james arminius vol 1/disputation 9 on the righteousness.htm

Resources
Is The Divine Comedy / Dante's Inferno a biblically accurate description of Heaven and Hell? | GotQuestions.org

What is retribution theology? | GotQuestions.org

What does it mean that God is just? | GotQuestions.org

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Subtopics

Punishments

Punishments for Murder not to be Commuted

Punishments were Inflicted by Order of Kings

Punishments were Inflicted by Order of Magistrates

Punishments were Inflicted by Soldiers

Punishments were Inflicted by the People

Punishments were Inflicted by the Witnesses

Punishments were Inflicted without Partiality

Punishments were Inflicted without Pity

Punishments were Inflicted: Immediately After Sentence Was Passed

Punishments were Inflicted: On the Guilty

Punishments were Sometimes Commuted

Punishments: Antiquity of

Punishments: Capital Kinds of Beheading

Punishments: Capital Kinds of Bruising in Mortars

Punishments: Capital Kinds of Burning

Punishments: Capital Kinds of Casting Headlong from a Rock

Punishments: Capital Kinds of Casting Into the Sea

Punishments: Capital Kinds of Crucifying

Punishments: Capital Kinds of Cutting in Pieces

Punishments: Capital Kinds of Exposing to Wild Beasts

Punishments: Capital Kinds of Hanging

Punishments: Capital Kinds of Sawing Asunder

Punishments: Capital Kinds of Slaying With the Sword

Punishments: Capital Kinds of Stoning

Punishments: Designed to be a Warning to Others

Punishments: Inflicting of Capital, not Permitted to the Jews by The

Punishments: Power of Inflicting, Given to Magistrates

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Banishment

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Binding With Chains and Fetters

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Confinement in a Dungeon

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Confinement in Stocks

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Confiscating the Property

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Cutting off Hands and Feet

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Cutting off Nose and Ears

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Fine, or Giving of Money

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Imprisonment

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Mutilating the Hands and Feet

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Plucking out the Hair

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Putting out the Eyes

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Restitution

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Retaliation or Injuring According to the Injury Done

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Scourging

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Selling the Criminal

Punishments: Secondary Kinds of Torturing

Punishments: Sometimes Deferred for a Considerable Time

Punishments: Sometimes Deferred Until God Was Consulted

Punishments: Strangers not Exempted From

Related Terms

Asunder (37 Occurrences)

Off (5363 Occurrences)

Cutting (178 Occurrences)

Pharisees (86 Occurrences)

Sounds (64 Occurrences)

Diseases (38 Occurrences)

Nero

Hair (135 Occurrences)

Visitation (17 Occurrences)

Vice (2 Occurrences)

Zoroastrianism

Unpeopled (38 Occurrences)

Oath (286 Occurrences)

Longs (11 Occurrences)

Whoredom (58 Occurrences)

Whore (14 Occurrences)

Fears (40 Occurrences)

Furious (28 Occurrences)

Faint (76 Occurrences)

Famine (99 Occurrences)

Travellers (8 Occurrences)

Evilspeaking

Experiences (7 Occurrences)

Evil-speaking (5 Occurrences)

Ended (146 Occurrences)

Dash (30 Occurrences)

Disasters (5 Occurrences)

Divine (39 Occurrences)

Plucking (8 Occurrences)

Paradise (6 Occurrences)

Prophet's (22 Occurrences)

Prostitution (48 Occurrences)

Parent (2 Occurrences)

Punite (1 Occurrence)

Perjury (3 Occurrences)

Bands (130 Occurrences)

Burn (206 Occurrences)

Blinding (2 Occurrences)

Bribery (2 Occurrences)

Chains (100 Occurrences)

Citizenship (4 Occurrences)

Countries (86 Occurrences)

Crucifixion (4 Occurrences)

Chastisements (5 Occurrences)

Consumption (20 Occurrences)

Accountability

Attacks (45 Occurrences)

Assassination (1 Occurrence)

Seducer

Seduce (8 Occurrences)

Stretching (84 Occurrences)

Sodomy

Slander (34 Occurrences)

Swearing (17 Occurrences)

Stretched-out (21 Occurrences)

Restoration (4 Occurrences)

Addition (112 Occurrences)

Cruel (196 Occurrences)

Chain (21 Occurrences)

Stock (16 Occurrences)

Vessels (210 Occurrences)

Hanging (82 Occurrences)

Purity (16 Occurrences)

Curse (211 Occurrences)

Wondered (45 Occurrences)

Egypt (596 Occurrences)

Leviticus (1 Occurrence)

Prisoner (87 Occurrences)

Everlasting (192 Occurrences)

Yoke (79 Occurrences)

Vine-gardens (41 Occurrences)

Vengeance (63 Occurrences)

Imputation

Pontius (4 Occurrences)

Pilate (60 Occurrences)

Execute (83 Occurrences)

Wild (147 Occurrences)

Quite (55 Occurrences)

Future (88 Occurrences)

Punishments were Inflicted: Immediately After Sentence Was Passed
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