Punishment
Earthly Punishment. The Old Testament. Early in Israel's history, guilt and punishment were understood to be communal. When Achan broke the law by taking some of the spoil from Jericho, the whole Israelite army was defeated at Ai ( Joshua 7:1-5 ). Once it was discovered what Achan had done, his whole family was stoned along with him ( Joshua 7:22-26 ). The sins of parents could be punished to the third and fourth generation ( Exod 20:5 ; 34:7 ; Deut 5:9-10 ). However, the Lord later revealed that individuals would bear their own guilt ( Deut 24:16 ; 2 Kings 14:6 ; Jer 31:29-30 ; Ezekiel 18:1-4 Ezekiel 18:20 ).
Sometimes punishment was meted out by God directly, as when fire and brimstone destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah ( Gen 19:24-25 ) or when the ground opened up to swallow those who rebelled in the wilderness ( Num 16:31-33 ). On a national level, God punished his people using the instrumentality of foreign nations. For example, Assyria was seen as the Lord's rod of wrath ( Isa 10:5 ). Most crimes and punishments, however, were dealt with through Israel's judicial system, which is found in the Pentateuch.
The Decalogue is in apodictic or absolute form, giving the most important requirements of the law in general terms without listing punishments. One has to examine the casuistic or case law to discover specific violations and their penalties. In the following paragraphs, both are reviewed.
The first and second commands concern foreign deities ( Exod 20:3-6 ). Worshiping gods other than Yahweh was a capital crime ( Exod 22:20 ) for which the punishment was stoning ( Deut 13:6-10 ). Molech worship, involving infant sacrifice, was specifically forbidden, also requiring death by stoning ( Lev 20:1-5 ). Likewise, those who prophesied in the name of other gods, or who led the people into idolatry were to be executed ( Deut 13:1-5 ; 18:20 ). Other pagan religious practices such as witchcraft, consulting of spirits, necromancy, divination, sorcery, augury, and soothsaying were proscribed ( Lev 19:26 ; 20:6 ; Deut 18:10-11 ). Death is indicted for a sorceress ( Exod 22:18 ); stoning is designated for a medium ( Lev 20:27 ).
The third command prohibited taking Yahweh's name in vain ( Exod 20:7 ; Lev 19:12 ; cf. Exod 22:28, ; "revile God" ). Offenders were stoned ( Lev 24:10-23 ; falsely accused, in Naboth's case, 1 Kings 21:8-14 ).
The fourth command, breaking the Sabbath ( Exod 20:8 ), was also a capital offense ( Exod 31:14-15 ; 35:2 ). An example of its enforcement is found in Numbers 15:32-36, where the penalty was stoning.
The fifth command entails respect for parents ( Exod 20:12 ). According to the case law, death was the punishment for the one who struck ( Exod 21:15 ) or even cursed a parent ( Exod 21:17 ; Lev 20:9 ).