What does the Bible say about punishments?
Bible Topic · WEB
The Bible teaches that punishment is a serious but necessary part of God’s justice, intended to restrain evil, uphold righteousness, and warn others, while never becoming arbitrary or cruel. Cain’s anguish in Genesis 4:13-14 shows the weight of divine judgment, and Job 31:11 calls grave sin deserving of judgment. In Israel’s law, penalties were meant to deter wrongdoing and preserve the community’s fear of God, as Deuteronomy 13:11, 17:13, and 19:20 teach. Yet justice must be proportionate and personal: Deuteronomy 19:13 requires evil to be addressed, while Deuteronomy 24:16 forbids punishing children for their parents’ sins. Civil authorities serve God by punishing evildoers, according to Romans 13:4.
Study outline
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- Antiquity of Genesis 4:13; Genesis 4:14
- Power of inflicting, given to magistrates Job 31:11; Romans 13:4
- Designed to be a warning to others Deuteronomy 13:11; Deuteronomy 17:13; Deuteronomy 19:20
- Were inflicted
- On the guilty Deuteronomy 24:16; Proverbs 17:26
- Without pity Deuteronomy 19:13; Deuteronomy 19:21
- Without partiality Deuteronomy 13:6-8
- By order of magistrates Acts 16:22
- By order of kings 2 Samuel 1:13-16; 1 Kings 2:23-46
- Immediately after sentence was passed Deuteronomy 25:2; Joshua 7:25
- By the witnesses Deuteronomy 13:9; Deuteronomy 17:7; John 8:7; Acts 7:58; Acts 7:59
- By the people Numbers 15:35; Numbers 15:36; Deuteronomy 13:9
- By soldiers 2 Samuel 1:15; Matthew 27:27-35
- Sometimes deferred until God was consulted Numbers 15:34
- Sometimes deferred for a considerable time 1 Kings 2:5; 1 Kings 2:6; 1 Kings 2:8; 1 Kings 2:9
- Secondary kinds of
- Imprisonment Ezra 7:26; Matthew 5:25
- Confinement in a dungeon Jeremiah 38:6; Zechariah 9:11
- Confinement in stocks Jeremiah 20:2; Acts 16:24
- Fine, or giving of money Exodus 21:22; Deuteronomy 22:19
- Restitution Exodus 21:36; Exodus 22:1-4; Leviticus 6:4; Leviticus 6:5; Leviticus 24:18
- Retaliation or injuring according to the injury done Exodus 21:24; Deuteronomy 19:21
- Binding with chains and fetters Psalms 105:18
- Scourging Deuteronomy 25:2; Deuteronomy 25:3; Matthew 27:26; Acts 22:25; 2 Corinthians 11:24
- Selling the criminal Matthew 18:25
- Banishment Ezra 7:26; Revelation 1:9
- Torturing Matthew 18:34; Hebrews 11:37
- Putting out the eyes Judges 16:21; 1 Samuel 11:2
- Cutting off hands and feet 2 Samuel 4:12
- Mutilating the hands and feet Judges 1:5-7
- Cutting off nose and ears Ezekiel 23:25
- Plucking out the hair Nehemiah 13:25; Isaiah 50:6
- Confiscating the property Ezra 7:26
- Inflicting of capital, not permitted to the Jews by the Romans John 18:31
- Capital kinds of
- Burning Genesis 38:24; Leviticus 20:14; Daniel 3:6
- Hanging Numbers 25:4; Deuteronomy 21:22; Deuteronomy 21:23; Joshua 8:29; 2 Samuel 21:12; Esther 7:9; Esther 7:10
- Crucifying Matthew 20:19; Matthew 27:35
- Beheading Genesis 40:19; Mark 6:16; Mark 6:27
- Slaying with the sword 1 Samuel 15:33; Acts 12:2
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