Matthew Henry Commentary Deuteronomy 25:1-3

"If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, and [the judges] judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked; and it shall be, if the wicked man be worthy to be beaten, that the judge shall cause him to lie down, and to be beaten before his face, according to his wickedness, by number. Forty stripes he may give him, he shall not exceed; lest, if he should exceed, and beat him above these with many stripes, then thy brother should seem vile unto thee." — Deuteronomy 25:1-3 (ASV)

Every punishment should be with solemnity, so that those who see it may be filled with dread, and be warned not to offend in a similar manner. And though the criminals must be shamed as well as subjected to pain, for their warning and disgrace, yet care should be taken that they do not appear entirely vile. Happy are those who are chastened by the Lord to humble them, so that they are not condemned with the world to destruction.