τιμωρία
timōría
G5098 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Retributive penalty; the act of exacting punishment or inflicting penalties upon someone found to have committed an offense. The primary lexical sense is 'punishment,' especially punishment imposed as a recompense for wrongdoing, violation, or insult. In various contexts, this may include concepts of retribution, penalty, chastisement, or justice being enforced through punitive action. The term often implies punishment carried out for the sake of justice or to right a wrong, rather than corrective or educational discipline.
Semantic Range
punishment, penalty, retribution, vindicative justice, exacting of punishment, punitive action
Root / Etymology
From the verb τιμωρέω (to avenge, to take vengeance), itself formed from τιμή (honor, value) and the verb ὁράω (to see), with the basic notion of 'seeing to honor' or 'restoring honor through retribution.' The noun τιμωρία develops from this verbal idea, signifying the act or result of punitive retribution. The precise original connection between 'honor' and 'retribution' is a product of classical Greek notions of justice and vindication.
Historical & Contextual Notes
In classical Greek, τιμωρία refers primarily to retribution or punishment in response to wrongdoing, often motivated by the need to restore honor rather than correction or instruction. It appears in legal and rhetorical texts to denote the imposition of penalties as demanded by justice. In the Septuagint and later Greek, the term continues to signify retributive penalty but can also refer to divine or human acts of punishment, typically legal or judicial in character. In the New Testament (e.g., Heb 10:29), τιμωρία refers to ultimate punitive judgment, without a primary focus on correction. The word should be distinguished from παιδεία (instruction, discipline), which emphasizes educational or corrective discipline rather than retributive punishment. English translations often render τιμωρία as 'punishment,' but the term carries a stronger emphasis on vindicative or retributive action than corrective discipline. Its use in both Hellenistic and Jewish judicial settings consistently denotes an act of recompense enacted to uphold justice or address dishonor, rather than to reform or instruct the offender.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from τιμωρέω; vindication, i.e. (by implication) a penalty:--punishment.
Root Family
τιμωρία (timōria) — punishment, retribution, penalty, vindicative justice, punitive action
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5098-01 |
τιμωρίας | timorias | N GEN F SG |
of retributive punishment | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G5098-01 |
Hebrews 10:29 | τιμωρίας | timorias | N GEN F SG |
of retributive punishment |