When the world consisted of small villages, people being people did bad things. So these villages set rules and punishment for those that didn’t follow them. So if you fooled around with someone’s wife you’d find yourself banned from the village, etc. This is the way they kept a stable society.

These rules where also known as commandments in some parts and as time went along became more sophisticated and were known as laws.

From the outset the village elders knew that without a penalty the rule, commandment, law was worthless.