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)
Jesus isn't just talking about a fleeting glance; he's highlighting the critical element of intent. The Greek word used points to a deliberate, sustained gaze fueled by desire, not just a casual look. This deliberate cherishing of lust in the heart is what Jesus equates to the act of adultery itself.
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)
Jesus is expanding on the commandment "You shall not commit adultery," challenging the common understanding that only the outward act is sinful. He's directly contrasting his teaching with the superficial righteousness of some religious leaders, showing that true obedience involves the heart's intentions and desires, not just outward behavior. This verse is part of a larger section where Jesus reinterprets key laws to reveal their deeper, more demanding spiritual meaning.
Jesus isn't just updating rules; He's exposing a revolutionary truth about God's law. It’s not just about what we do, but what we desire.
The common understanding of the Law, especially regarding adultery, focused on the outward act. People thought, 'As long as I don't physically commit adultery, I'm okay.'
But Jesus cuts through this superficial interpretation. He reveals that God's law penetrates to the deepest intentions of our hearts. The Law wasn't meant to be a mere checklist of actions, but a standard for our affections and desires.
By saying 'you have already committed adultery in his heart,' Jesus is declaring that the root of sin is in our thoughts and intentions. This isn't about making the law harder; it's about revealing its true, profound scope.
It's not every glance that's the problem. Jesus pinpoints a specific kind of looking that reveals a heart already off course.
Jesus is very precise here. He doesn't condemn a fleeting glance or even a natural appreciation of beauty. The critical phrase is 'to lust after her' (or 'with lustful intent'). This isn't a momentary impulse; it's a deliberate, intentional gaze that cultivates and cherishes sinful desire.
Think of it like this: a simple look might be accidental, like stumbling. But looking with the intent to lust is actively choosing to linger, to feed the desire, and to entertain it in your heart. It’s a choice to let the 'eyes' become the gateway for the heart's impurity.
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This focused look isn't just a passive act; it's an active engagement with temptation, turning a potential moment into a conscious sin.
Understand the original words
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 teaching directly confronted the prevailing interpretation of the Law, which often focused on external actions while neglecting the internal state of the heart. Jesus aimed to fulfill the Law by revealing its true, radical demands for purity of thought and desire.
c. 1446 BC
Giving of the Law at Sinai
God gives the Ten Commandments, including 'You shall not commit adultery' (Exodus 20:14), to the Israelites, establishing a foundational moral code.
c. 400 BC
Development of Oral Law Traditions
Over centuries, Jewish legal and interpretive traditions (Oral Law) develop, often narrowing the understanding of God's commands to outward actions and societal rules.
20s AD
Early Ministry of John the Baptist
John the Baptist begins his ministry, calling for repentance and preparing the way for the Messiah, challenging the religious status quo.
c. AD 28-30— this verse
Jesus' Sermon on the Mount
Jesus delivers his most famous sermon, including this teaching on adultery of the heart, revealing a deeper, internal dimension to God's law.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Ministry and Teachings
Jesus continues to teach and heal, frequently contrasting his authoritative interpretation of the Law with the superficial interpretations of the religious leaders.
This passage shows Joseph actively fleeing from Potiphar's wife's advances, illustrating a physical action taken to avoid even the appearance of lustful thought and its potential consequences.
Job 31:1Job makes a covenant with his eyes, a powerful example of proactively guarding against lustful glances, echoing Jesus' command to control what we look at.
Proverbs 4:23This verse emphasizes the importance of guarding one's heart above all else, aligning with Jesus' teaching that the internal thought and intent (lust) are where the sin occurs.
1 Corinthians 6:18-20Paul speaks to believers about sexual immorality and the need to honor God with their bodies, reinforcing that sin is not just outward action but also internal defilement.
Romans 13:13-14This passage contrasts living by the desires of the flesh with putting on the Lord Jesus Christ, directly relating to the need to actively reject lustful thoughts and live a transformed life.
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…
henryMatthew 5:27-32: "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:"
5:27-32 Victory over the desires of the heart, must be attended with painful exertions. But it must be done. Every thing is bestowed to save us from our sins, not in them. All our senses and powers must be kept from those things which lead to transgression. Those who lead others into temptation to sin, by dress or in other ways, or leave them in it, or expose them to it, make themselves guilty…
Jesus isn't just talking about a fleeting glance; he's highlighting the critical element of intent. The Greek word used points to a deliberate, sustained gaze fueled by desire, not just a casual look. This deliberate cherishing of lust in the heart is what Jesus equates to the act of adultery itself.
Jesus is expanding on the commandment "You shall not commit adultery," challenging the common understanding that only the outward act is sinful. He's directly contrasting his teaching with the superficial righteousness of some religious leaders, showing that true obedience involves the heart's intentions and desires, not just outward behavior. This verse is part of a larger section where Jesus reinterprets key laws to reveal their deeper, more demanding spiritual meaning.
Jesus is expanding on the commandment "You shall not commit adultery," challenging the common understanding that only the outward act is sinful. He's directly contrasting his teaching with the superficial righteousness of some religious leaders, showing that true obedience involves the heart's intentions and desires, not just outward behavior. This verse is part of a larger section where Jesus reinterprets key laws to reveal their deeper, more demanding spiritual meaning.
"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 talking about a fleeting glance; he's highlighting the critical element of intent. The Greek word used points to a deliberate, sustained gaze fueled by desire, not just a casual look…
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Last reviewed October 2026