Matthew 5:27-28
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Jesus isn't just quoting a commandment; he's correcting how it had been taught. The common understanding narrowly focused on the outward act, but Jesus is revealing that this ancient command was always meant to guard the heart and the eyes, not just the body.
Jesus is continuing his Sermon on the Mount, moving through the Ten Commandments to reveal their deeper meaning. He’s contrasting the common interpretation of the law, as taught by the religious leaders of his day, with God’s true intention. This verse introduces his teaching on adultery, setting the stage for him to explain that this commandment prohibits not just the outward act, but also the sinful desires and thoughts of the heart.
Jesus starts this teaching by referencing an old commandment. But what was the common understanding of that commandment back then?
Jesus begins his correction of the Law by quoting the Ten Commandments: 'You shall not commit adultery.' The religious leaders of his day had narrowed this commandment down to its most basic, outward definition. For them, adultery was simply the act of cheating on your spouse, specifically within marriage.
They focused on the physical act, ignoring the deeper intent of the Law. This narrow view meant that if you avoided the outward transgression, you were considered righteous, regardless of your inner desires or thoughts. Jesus is about to shatter this superficial understanding.
Jesus immediately broadens the scope of the commandment. What does 'adultery' truly encompass in God's eyes?
Jesus declares, 'But I say to you...' This signals a profound shift. He isn't changing the Law; he's revealing its original, intended depth. For Jesus, the commandment against adultery isn't just about the physical act. It extends to the heart and the mind.
He makes it clear that harboring lustful thoughts, or looking at someone with impure intentions, is where the violation truly begins. This is a radical redefinition for his audience, who were likely only considering the outward action. God's law, as Jesus expounds it, seeks to purify our deepest desires and affections, not just our behavior.
Understand the original words
moicheuō · Greek Verb
The violation of the marriage covenant through sexual unfaithfulness. In Scripture, it is also frequently used as a metaphor for Israel or the Church's spiritual unfaithfulness to God.
epithymeō · Greek Verb
To set one's desire upon or to long for something forbidden. It describes the internal movement of the soul toward sin, emphasizing that moral accountability begins in the mind and heart.
kardia · Greek Noun
The inner man; the seat of physical, spiritual, and mental life. In biblical thought, it is the center of the personality where decisions are made and where one's true character is revealed to God.
This is the original commandment given at Mount Sinai, which Jesus is now expounding upon with a deeper, heart-level understanding.
2 Samuel 11:1-5This passage shows King David's downward spiral, starting with a lustful gaze, which Jesus uses as a stark example of how easily one can commit adultery in the heart.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20Paul echoes Jesus' emphasis on the sanctity of the body and the seriousness of sexual sin, reminding believers that their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and must be honored.
Romans 7:7Paul discusses how he wouldn't have known what 'coveting' was if the law hadn't said, 'You shall not covet,' highlighting how God's law reveals sin even in its most subtle forms, including inner desires.
Proverbs 6:25-28This passage warns against desiring the beauty of a neighbor's wife and the destructive consequences of such desires, underscoring the ancient wisdom Jesus is calling people back to, but with an even more radical interior focus.
bensonMatthew 5:27: "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:"
Matthew 5:27-28 . Ye have heard, &c. — Jesus now proceeds in his sermon to the seventh commandment, the true interpretation of which he gives us. Thou shalt not commit adultery — This, as well as the sixth commandment, the scribes and Pharisees interpreted barely of the outward act. But I say unto you, &c. — The command extends not only to unchaste actions and words, but even to looks, and the ve…
calvinMatthew 5:27-30: "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:"
- You have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not commit adultery. 28. But I say to you, That whoever shall look upon a woman to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29. And if thy right eye shall be a stumbling block [405] to thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is better for thee that one of thy members perish, and that thy who…
Jesus isn't just quoting a commandment; he's correcting how it had been taught. The common understanding narrowly focused on the outward act, but Jesus is revealing that this ancient command was always meant to guard the heart and the eyes, not just the body.
Jesus is continuing his Sermon on the Mount, moving through the Ten Commandments to reveal their deeper meaning. He’s contrasting the common interpretation of the law, as taught by the religious leaders of his day, with God’s true intention. This verse introduces his teaching on adultery, setting the stage for him to explain that this commandment prohibits not just the outward act, but also the sinful desires and thoughts of the heart.
Jesus is continuing his Sermon on the Mount, moving through the Ten Commandments to reveal their deeper meaning. He’s contrasting the common interpretation of the law, as taught by the religious leaders of his day, with God’s true intention. This verse introduces his teaching on adultery, setting the stage for him to explain that this commandment prohibits not just the outward act, but also the sinful desires and thoughts of the heart.
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"“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart." — Jesus isn't just quoting a commandment; he's correcting how it had been taught. The common understanding narrowly focused on the outward act, but Jesus is revealing that this ancient command was al…
