The average distance is about 150 million kilometers (149.6) or 93 million miles (92.9). This is defined as 1 astronomical unit, or AU, and is equal to about 8.2 light-minutes, as light from the Sun takes about 8 minutes to reach Earth.
The definition of a scourge is someone or something that causes a lot of trouble, problems or suffering. An example of a scourge is famine or the outbreak of a disease. YourDictionary definition and usage example.
Dictionaries - Smith's Bible Dictionary - Scourging. Scourging. [N] [E] The punishment of scourging was common among the Jews. The instrument of punishment in ancient Egypt, as it is also in modern times generally in the East, was usually the stick, applied to the soles of the feet --bastinado.