Divine retribution

Divine retribution

Divine retribution is supernatural punishment of a person, a group of people, or all humanity by a deity in response to some human action.

Many cultures have a story about how a deity exacted punishment on previous inhabitants of their land, causing their doom.

An example of divine retribution is the story found in many cultures about a great flood destroying part or nearly all of mankind, as described in the Epic of Gilgamesh or Book of Genesis (6:9-8:22), leaving one principal 'chosen' survivor. In the former example it is Utnapishtim, and in the latter example Noah. References in the Qur'an to a man named Nuh who was commanded by God to build an ark also suggest that one man and his followers were saved in a great flood.