In the context of biblical history and culture, the act of putting out the eyes was a severe form of punishment and humiliation. This practice is mentioned in several instances within the Scriptures, serving as a means to incapacitate and disgrace individuals, often as a consequence of defeat or rebellion.

One of the most notable examples of this punishment is found in the account of Samson. After being betrayed by Delilah and captured by the Philistines, Samson's eyes were gouged out as a means to subdue and humiliate him. Judges 16:21 states, "Then the Philistines seized him, gouged out his eyes, and took him down to Gaza. Binding him with bronze shackles, they set him to grinding grain in the prison." This act not only physically incapacitated Samson but also symbolized the loss of his strength and divine favor, as his power was closely associated with his Nazarite vow.

Another instance is seen in the narrative of King Zedekiah, the last king of Judah. After the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians, Zedekiah attempted to flee but was captured. As a punishment, Nebuchadnezzar ordered that Zedekiah's sons be killed before his eyes, and then his eyes were put out. 2 Kings 25:7 records, "Then they put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon." This act served as a final, devastating blow to Zedekiah, ensuring that his last visual memory was the death of his sons, and it marked the end of his reign and the Davidic line's rule in Jerusalem.

The practice of putting out the eyes was not only a physical punishment but also carried significant symbolic weight. It represented the total subjugation and disgrace of the individual, rendering them powerless and dependent. In the ancient Near Eastern context, such acts were often employed by conquering powers to demonstrate their dominance and to prevent any future rebellion by the vanquished.

While the Bible does not explicitly condone or prescribe this form of punishment, its inclusion in the narrative highlights the brutal realities of ancient warfare and the severe consequences of disobedience and rebellion against God and His anointed leaders. The accounts serve as a sobering reminder of the cost of sin and the harshness of justice in a fallen world.Judges 16:21
But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass; and he did grind in the prison house.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Samuel 11:2
And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, On this condition will I make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes, and lay it for a reproach on all Israel.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Tendencies of Religious Thought in England, 1688-1750.
... the theory of rewards and punishments in such ... in Mr. Mill's rather startling mode
of putting it (Dissertations ... of knowledge are considered secondary objects to ...
/.../tendencies of religious thought in.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... This was met at intervals by other secondary roads, such as that which ... finally delivered
over to his enemies, who, having put out his eyes, condemned him ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

An Exhortation to Theodore after his Fall. Letter I.
... up against such a multitude of punishments and continue ... of bodies the lighter and
finer kinds, and those ... element, even if he neglects the secondary element yet ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/an exhortation to theodore after.htm

A Defence of the Doctrine of Justification, by Faith in Jesus ...
... inward real righteousness; and it is but secondary, that we ... Romans 4). Besides, all
that cometh out of the ... in principles of nature, and in putting forth itself ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a defence of the doctrine.htm

The Assyrian Revival and the Struggle for Syria
... III., who followed him in 912, stands out more distinctly ... were familiar with all
the different kinds of battering-ram ... to observe them; he closed his eyes to the ...
/.../chapter ithe assyrian revival and.htm

Doctrinal and Moral Treatises. Index of Subjects.
... of good and evil, [655]242; the secondary, of evil ... easy to talk against, [1150]348;
three kinds of, in ... 1248]374; and works, [1249]392; without putting down lust ...
/.../on care to be had for the dead /doctrinal and moral treatises index.htm

The Deists.
... but only in a typical or secondary sense ... it imposes, its system of rewards and
punishments, its fulfilment ... and admiration which Christians of all kinds felt for ...
/.../abbey/the english church in the eighteenth century/chapter iii the deists.htm

The Education of the World.
... But still example at that age is secondary. ... power of discrimination between different
kinds of truth ... with its precise apportionment of punishments and purgatory ...
/.../essays and reviews the education of the world/the education of the world.htm

Preface.
... And putting all our present joys to death? Why labours Reason? ... Rewards and punishments
make God adored; ... Two kinds of life has double-natured man,. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/young/youngs night thoughts/preface.htm

On the Soul and the Resurrection.
... list of crimes, and highest on the list of punishments. ... would not have been so employed
for putting virtue into ... The two kinds of seed grew up together; for it ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/on the soul and the 2.htm

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