Punish

Punish - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

PUN'ISH, v.t. [L. punio, from the root of poena,pain. The primary sense is to press or strain.]

1. To pain; to afflict with pain, loss or calamity for a crime or fault; primarily, to afflict with bodily pain, as to punish a thief with pillory or stripes; but the word is applied also to affliction by loss of property, by transportation, banishment, seclusion from society, _c. The laws require murderers to be punished with death. Other offenders are to be punished with fines, imprisonment, hard labor,_c. God punishes men for their sins with calamities personal and national.

2. To chastise; as, a father punishes his child for disobedience.

3. To regard with pain or suffering inflicted on the offender; applied to the crime; as, to punish murder or theft.

Punished - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

PUN'ISHED, pp. Afflicted with pain or evil as the retribution of a crime or offense; chastised.

Punishment - (Easton's Bible Dictionary)

The New Testament lays down the general principles of good government, but contains no code of laws for the punishment of offenders. Punishment proceeds on the principle that there is an eternal distinction between right and wrong, and that this distinction must be maintained for its own sake. It is not primarily intended for the reformation of criminals, nor for the purpose of deterring others from sin. These results may be gained, but crime in itself demands punishment. (See [513]MURDER; [514]THEFT.)

Endless, of the impenitent and unbelieving. The rejection of this doctrine "cuts the ground from under the gospel...blots out the attribute of retributive justice; transmutes sin into misfortune instead of guilt; turns all suffering into chastisement; converts the piacular work of Christ into moral influence...The attempt to retain the evangelical theology in connection with it is futile" (Shedd).

Punishment - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

PUN'ISHMENT, n. Any pain or suffering inflicted on a person for a crime or offense, by the authority to which the offender is subject, either by the constitution of God or of civil society. The punishment of the faults and offenses of children by the parent, is by virtue of the right of government with which the parent is invested by God himself. This species of punishment is chastisement or correction. The punishment of crimes against the laws is inflicted by the supreme power of the state in virtue of the right of government, vested in the prince or legislature. The right of punishment belongs only to persons clothed with authority. Pain, loss or evil willfully inflicted on another for his crimes or offenses by a private unauthorized person, is revenge rather than punishment.

Some punishments consist in exile or transportation, others in loss of liberty by imprisonment; some extend to confiscation by forfeiture of lands and goods, others induce a disability of holding offices, of being heirs and the like.

Divine punishments are doubtless designed to secure obedience to divine laws, and uphold the moral order of created intelligent beings.

The rewards and punishments of another life, which the almighty has established as the enforcements of his law, are of weight enough to determine the choice against whatever pleasure or pain this life can show.

Unpunished - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

UNPUN'ISHED, a. Not punished; suffered to pass without punishment or with impunity; as a thief unpunished; an unpunished crime.

Definition

The term “punish” means to cause someone to suffer a negative consequence for doing something wrong. The term “punishment” refers to the negative consequence that is given as a result of that wrong behavior.

• Often punishment is intended to motivate a person to stop sinning.
• God punished the Israelites when they disobeyed him, especially when they worshiped false gods. Because of their sin, God allowed their enemies to attack and capture them.
• God is righteous and just, so he has to punish sin. Every human being has sinned against God and deserves punishment.
• Jesus was punished for all the evil things that every person has ever done. He received each person’s punishment on himself even though he did nothing wrong and did not deserve that punishment.
• The expressions “go unpunished” and “leave unpunished” mean to decide not to punish people for their wrongdoing. God often allows sin to go unpunished as he waits for people to repent.

(See also: just, repent, righteous, sin)

Bible References

• 1 John 4:18
• 2 Thessalonians 1:9
• Acts 4:21
• Acts 7:59-60
• Genesis 4:15
• Luke 23:16
• Matthew 25:46

Examples from the Bible stories

• __13:7 God also gave many other laws and rules to follow. If the people obeyed these laws, God promised that he would bless and protect them. If they disobeyed them, God would punish__ them.
• __16:2 Because the Israelites kept disobeying God, he punished__ them by allowing their enemies to defeat them.
• __19:16 The prophets warned the people that if they did not stop doing evil and start obeying God, then God would judge them as guilty, and he would punish__ them.
• __48:6 Jesus was the perfect high priest because he took the punishment__ for every sin that anyone has ever committed.
• __48:10 When anyone believes in Jesus, the blood of Jesus takes away that person’s sin, and God’s punishment__ passes over him.
• __49:9 But God loved everyone in the world so much that he gave his only Son so that whoever believes in Jesus will not be punished__ for his sins, but will live with God forever.
• __49:11 Jesus never sinned, but he chose to be punished__ and die as the perfect sacrifice to take away your sins and the sins of every person in the world.

Word Data

• Strong’s: H3027, H3256, H4148, H4941, H5221, H5414, H6031, H6064, H6213, H6485, H7999, H8011, H8199, G13490, G15560, G15570, G28490, G38110, G50970