JUDGMENT-HALL (julment hall), (Gr. Him firahee-to'ree-on, prmtorium, occurs in Matt. xxvii:27; Mark xv:16; John xviii:28, 33; xix:9; Acts xxiii:35; Phil. i:13, in all which places the Vulgate has prxtorium.
The English Version, however, uses prxtorium once only, and then unavoidably (Mark xv:t6), 'The hall called prxtorium.' In all the other instances it gives an explanation of the word rather than a translation; thus (Matt. xxvii :27) 'the common hall,' margin, 'or governor's house' ; John xviii :28, 33) 'the judgment hall,' margin, 'or Pilate's house'; (Phil. i:t3), 'the palace,' margin, 'or Cxsar's court.' (1) Original Signification. The word prm torium originally signified the general's tent in a camp, and came at length to be applied to the residence of the civil governor in provinces and cities .(Cic. l'crr. ii, v. 12); and being properly an adjective, as is also its Greek representative, it was used to signify 'whatever appertained to the prxtor or governor; for instance, his residence either the whole or any part of it, as his dwell ing-house, or the place where he administered justice, or even the large enclosed court at the entrance to the prretorian residence (Bynxus, De Aforte Jes. Christ. ii :407, Amst., 1696)• (2) Pilate's Residence. Upon comparing the instances in which the evangelists mention the prxtorium, it will be seen, first, that it was the residence of Pilate (John xviii :28) which seems to have been the magnificent palace built by Herod, situated in the north part of the upper city, west of the temple (Joseph. Antiq. xv:g, 3), 2nd overlooking the temple (Joseph. xx :8, I t).
(3) A Portion of the Palace. Secondly, the word is applied in the New Testament, by synec doche, to a particular part of the prxtorian resi dence. Thus, Matt. xxvii :27, and Mark xv 'And the soldiers led Jesus away into the hall called Prwtorium, and gathered unto them the whole band, and they clothed him with purple,' etc.; where the word rather refers to the court or area in front of the prwtorium, or some other court where the procurator's guards were sta tioned. In John xix :9, the word seems applied, when all the circumstances are considered, to Pilate's private examination room. In like man ner, when Felix 'commanded Paul to be kept in Herod's prxtorium' (Acts xxiii :35), the words apply not only to the whole palace originally built at Cxsarea by Herod, and now most likely inhabited by the prxtor, but also to the keep or donjon, a prison for confining offenders, such as existed in our ancient royal palaces and grand baronial castles.
(4) PrEetorian Camp. Thirdly, in the remain ing instance of the word (Phil. i :13), `So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the prx torium,"palace,' it is, in the opinion of the best commentators, used by hypallage to signify the prctorian camp at Rome, a select body of troops constituted by Augustus to guard his person and to have charge of the city, the 'cahortes pra.tori ance' (Suet. Tib. 37; Claud. It); Ner. 8; Tacitus, Annal. xii:69); so that the words of the apostle really mean, 'My bonds in Christ are manifest to all the prxtorians, and by their means to the pub lic at large.' (garment set), (Gr. 137,,sa, bay'ma, a step; t Cor. vi:2, 4, KpirlpLoy, A'ri-tay' rion, a court of judgment). See PIttETORWM; JUDGMENT-HALL.
Judgments of God are the punishments inflicted by him for particular crimes. The Scriptures.give us many striking instances of the display of Divine justice in the punishment of nations, families, and individuals, for their iniquities (see Gen. vi ; xix: 25; Exod. xv; Judg. i :6, 7; Acts xii :23; Esther v:14, with ch. vii:to; Lev. x:t, 2 ; Acts v:t-io; Is. xxx :1-5; i Sam. xv :9, 23; Kings xii :25, 33). It becomes us, however, to be exceedingly cautious how we interpret the severe and afflictive dispen sations of Providence. in the present world.
Dr. Jortin justly observes that there is usually much rashness and presumption in pronouncing that the calamities of sinners are particular judg ments of God ; yet, he says, if from sacred and profane, from ancient and modern historians, a collection were made of all the cruel, persecuting tyrants, Who delighted in tormenting their fellow creatures, and who died not the common death of all men, but whose plagues were horrible and strange, even a skeptic would be moved at the evi dence, and would be apt to suspect that it was Melon ti, that the hand of God was in it.