Easton's Bible Dictionary

Beating, a mode of punishment common in the East. It is referred to by "the rod of correction" (Proverbs 22:15), "scourging" (Leviticus 19:20), "chastising" (Deuteronomy 22:18). The number of blows could not exceed forty (Deuteronomy 25:2, 3).

Noah Webster's New International Dictionary of the English Language

1. (n.) A blow with a stick or cudgel.

2. (n.) A sound beating with a stick or cudgel. Specifically: A form of punishment among the Turks, Chinese, and others, consisting in beating an offender on the soles of his feet.

3. (v. t.) To beat with a stick or cudgel, especially on the soles of the feet.