Banish, Banishment

The exclusion of a person from a country or group as a form of punishment.

In the Bible, "banishment" or similar words are used several times:

God’s judgment on Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:23–24)

God's judgment on Cain (4:9–14)

Absalom’s exile from his father David (2 Samuel 13:37–39; 14:13–14)

Israel’s exile from the promised land (Deuteronomy 30:1; Isaiah 11:12; Jeremiah 16:15; Ezekiel 4:13)

Banishment was included in a list of punishments in the exile in Babylon for those who disobeyed God or the Persian king Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:26)

The Mosaic law prescribed that an Israelite could be “cut off” from the community for various offenses:

failure to circumcise a male child (Genesis 17:12, 14)

eating leavened bread during Passover (Exodus 12:15)

making an unholy animal sacrifice (Leviticus 17:1–4)

eating blood (Leviticus 17:10)

sinning deliberately (Numbers 15:30–31)

failing to undergo ceremonial cleansing after contact with a dead body (Numbers 19:11–20)

Being “cut off” likely meant exclusion from both social and religious life (John 9:18–23, 34). After the exile, when the nation of Israel was banished, disinheritance and permanent excommunication from God’s people became formal punishments (Ezra 10:7–8).

The Romans, like other conquerors, used deportation as a form of punishment. For example, Jews were banished from Rome under Emperor Claudius due to controversies (Acts 18:2). The author of Revelation was exiled to the island of Patmos during Roman persecution (Revelation 1:9). More severe forms of banishment included permanent exclusion from a region, loss of citizenship, and confiscation of property.

See also Diaspora of the Jews.