As Ray has pointed out in his papers, the word "punishment" is translated from the Greek word, "kolasis" which means "a pruning". It comes from the verb, "kolazo" which means "to curtail, dock, prune, but usually to 'castigare': to keep within bounds, check, chastise. (Ethelbert S. Bullinger, A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek Testament)
I had another urge to look up pruning on the internet, since sadly I am no gardner and have little idea of what this involves.
Here's some cool info: (this one's for you teacher Gena )Man uses pruning to remove diseased or injured parts of the plant (see tree surgery), to influence vertical or lateral growth for various reasons, and to increase flowering or fruit yield. Top pruning, or topping, induces lateral growth, and in fruit trees not only produces a more easily accessible shape but
also diverts the expenditure of nourishment from the formation of useless wood to that of buds and fruit.http://www.answers.com/topic/pruningPruning in landscaping and gardening is
the practice of removing diseased, non-productive, or otherwise unwanted portions from a plant.
The purpose of pruning is to shape the plant by controlling or directing plant growth, to maintain the health of the plant, or to increase the yield or quality of flowers and fruits.
(oh ya, that's what I'm talking about!) Proper pruning is as much a skill as it is an art, since badly pruned plants can become diseased or grow in undesirable ways.
(We know are Father is the most skilled Pruner there is!)Proponents of pruning, both gardeners and orchardists, often argue that
it improves the health of the plant and makes sturdier structure, often referred to as the scaffold.....
Types of pruning (This is interesting!)
From the least to the most severe forms of pruning:
1.
Pinching: Removing
new buds or growth of herbaceous plants
in order to control growth. This is
the least damaging method for pruning and is the
first opportunity to control the plant, encouraging bushiness or height
2. Cutting-back: Removing a portion of a growing stem down to a set of desirable buds or side-branching stems. This is
commonly performed in well trained plants for a variety of reasons, for example to stimulate growth of flowers, fruit or branches,
as a preventative measure to wind and snow damage on long stems and branches, and finally to encourage growth of the stems in a desirable direction.
3. Thinning: A more drastic form of pruning which involves removing entire branches. This is usually employed to
revitalize a plant by removing over-mature, weak, problematic, and excessive growths. When performed correctly, thinning encourages the formation of new growths that will more readily bear fruit and flowers.
4. Heading: Heading is a
very severe form of pruning which involves removing all branches and growths (Lake of Fire?)down to a few large branches or to the trunk of the tree. When performed correctly, heading can be used to begin training younger trees for pollarding.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PruningMethinks God will have to use many of these methods of pruning on me by the time he's finished.... just hoping not the last one...that really sounds painful!
Peace,
Diana