Bible Dictionaries
Scourge
Holman Bible Dictionary
(sscuhuhrge) A severe form of corporal punishment involving whipping and beating, usually was done with the victim tied to a post or bench and administered by a servant of the synagogue (if for religious reasons), or by a slave or soldier. John 19:1 uses this word for the beating given Jesus before His crucifixion. Matthew and Mark use a word meaning “flog” (a lesser punishment), while Luke says that Pilate offered to have Jesus “chastise[d]” ( Luke 23:16 ), which was a still lighter punishment. The number of blows was set in Deuteronomy 25:3 at forty, but later reduced to thirty-nine. There were to be thirteen stokes on the chest and twenty-six on the back. Often the victim died from the beating.
Copyright Statement
These dictionary topics are from the Holman Bible Dictionary, published by Broadman & Holman, 1991. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Broadman & Holman.
Bibliography Information
Butler, Trent C. Editor. Entry for 'Scourge'. Holman Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/hbd/s/scourge.html. 1991.