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[Demigod]

Are there any examples of divine retribution beforehand?

I understand tower of babel, sodom and gomorrah, plagues of egypt..

Those were punishments for crimes/sins against god that were going on at the time of the punishment.

Do you know of any punishments given out BEFORE a crime/sin was committed to deter the sinner?

[jimwalton]

No. People always have a choice to avoid the sin (Gn. 4.7), and God sometimes warns them. Jeremiah 18.1-12 shows us that God lets people make their decisions and He watches how they respond. In Jonah 3.10 He backed off from complete destruction because the people repented. In other words, it ain't over until it's over, and God doesn't judge until the people actually sin.