atonement
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atonement
An action or effort to make amends for an offense, guilt, or sin; penance or satisfaction.
Der Täter leistete Sozialstunden als Sühne für sein Vergehen.
The offender performed community service as atonement for his offense.
The noun 'die Sühne' (atonement) is closely related to the verb 'sühnen' (to atone for). 'Etwas sühnen' means to make amends for guilt or an offense through an action.
Er versuchte, seine Schuld zu sühnen.
He tried to atone for his guilt.
'Sühne' (atonement) is a very formal and rather rare word. It is found mainly in literary, religious, or legal texts, but hardly ever in everyday colloquial speech.
In der Tragödie geht es um Schuld und Sühne.
The tragedy is about guilt and atonement.
When you want to state the reason for the atonement, use the preposition 'für' (for) followed by the accusative.
Er leistete Sühne für seine Taten.
He made atonement for his actions.
Common verbs used with 'Sühne' (atonement) are 'Sühne leisten' (to make atonement) or 'als Sühne' (as atonement) in combination with an action.
Als Sühne musste er den Schaden ersetzen.
As atonement, he had to compensate for the damage.
punishment / penalty
'die Strafe' and 'die Sühne' can both occur after an offense or guilt. 'Strafe' is usually a negative consequence that someone receives, often from a court, an authority, or another person. 'Sühne' more often means an action through which someone wants to make amends for guilt. The word sounds more serious and often also religious or moral. The words can be confused because both have to do with guilt. In practical terms: 'Strafe' is about the consequence, while 'Sühne' is about the attempt to make something right again.
Als Sühne für seinen Fehler half er der Familie mehrere Wochen lang.
As atonement for his mistake, he helped the family for several weeks.
Für den Diebstahl bekam der Mann eine Strafe.
The man received a punishment for the theft.