Matthew 5:28
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)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This verse highlights that the intent behind a look is what makes it sinful. Jesus isn't condemning a fleeting glance, but the deliberate, prolonged gaze that cherishes lustful thoughts, implying that the heart's desire is as culpable as the outward act before God.
Jesus is continuing his Sermon on the Mount, meticulously unpacking the true meaning of the Old Testament law. He's contrasting his teachings with the shallow interpretations of the religious leaders of his day, demonstrating that God's law extends beyond outward actions to the deepest intentions of the heart. After addressing murder, he now turns to adultery, revealing that even a lustful gaze is a violation before God.
Did Jesus come to tear down the old rules? Absolutely not! He came to show their deepest meaning. Discover how Jesus blows the dust off ancient commands, revealing God's heart.
Jesus begins his Sermon on the Mount by tackling common misunderstandings of God's Law. He quotes the commandment, "You shall not commit adultery," but immediately pivots to what it truly means. The religious leaders of the day focused only on the outward act, believing they were righteous as long as they avoided physical adultery. Jesus, however, exposes a profound truth: the Law isn't just about our actions; it's about our affections. He reveals that God's standard is far higher, reaching into the hidden desires of our hearts. This isn't a new law, but a deeper, more faithful interpretation of the one already given, showing its true, radical intent.
Is a glance really a big deal? Jesus says yes! Learn why a wandering eye, fueled by lust, is more serious than you might think.
Jesus pinpoints the 'lustful look' as the entry point for adultery of the heart. It's not about a fleeting, unintentional glance, but a deliberate gaze intended to feed desire. He uses the word 'lust' (or 'intent to lust') to show that the problem isn't the visual input itself, but the heart's response – cherishing the thought and turning it into a deliberate desire. This internal act, though unseen, is in God's eyes the same as the physical act. It's the heart consenting to the sin, turning a potential temptation into a performed sin within one's own soul.
Jesus doesn't pull punches. He calls for drastic measures to keep our hearts pure. What does this extreme language mean for you today?
Following the stark pronouncement on lustful intent, Jesus issues a challenging call to radical obedience: "if your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away." This isn't a literal command to self-mutilation! It's a hyperbole, an exaggerated way of emphasizing the supreme importance of purity. Jesus uses such intense language to show that we must be willing to sacrifice anything – even something as precious as an eye or a hand – if it leads us into sin. The principle is clear: if anything, no matter how valuable or seemingly harmless, becomes a pathway to sin and separates us from God, we must ruthlessly cut it off. This demands a proactive, decisive commitment to holiness.
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.
Jesus delivers this teaching during His public ministry, directly confronting the common understanding of the Law which, among some groups like the Pharisees, had become overly focused on outward actions and legalistic interpretations, neglecting the inner life of the heart.
c. 1446 BC
Giving of the Law at Sinai
God delivers the Ten Commandments to Moses, including the prohibition against adultery, establishing the foundational moral and ceremonial law for Israel.
c. 900 BC - 400 BC
Prophetic Period
Prophets like Isaiah and Jeremiah repeatedly call Israel to internal righteousness, emphasizing God's concern for the heart's motives beyond outward actions.
c. 30 BC - 10 AD
Pharisaic Interpretation of the Law
Many Jewish leaders, particularly the Pharisees, focused on outward observance of the Law, often missing its deeper spiritual intent and focusing on external actions over internal purity.
c. 27 AD - 30 AD
Jesus' Early Ministry
Jesus begins teaching and healing, gathering disciples and challenging the prevailing religious interpretations of the Law.
Job's solemn vow, 'I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman,' directly parallels Jesus' teaching by demonstrating a conscious effort to guard against the very thought that leads to sin.
Romans 7:7Paul grapples with the law's power to reveal sin, stating 'apart from the law, sin lies dormant.' This highlights how Jesus, by exposing the sin of lustful intent, is upholding the law's true, searching nature, not abolishing it.
1 Corinthians 6:18This verse calls believers to 'flee from sexual immorality,' reinforcing the idea that sin begins inwardly. Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5 emphasizes that the 'adultery' of the heart is the root from which outward sin grows.
Proverbs 6:25The warning 'Do not desire her beauty in your heart, nor let her capture you with her eyelashes' echoes Jesus' concern with the internal disposition, showing that lustful desire, even initiated by a glance, is viewed as sinful.
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…
This verse highlights that the intent behind a look is what makes it sinful. Jesus isn't condemning a fleeting glance, but the deliberate, prolonged gaze that cherishes lustful thoughts, implying that the heart's desire is as culpable as the outward act before God.
Jesus is continuing his Sermon on the Mount, meticulously unpacking the true meaning of the Old Testament law. He's contrasting his teachings with the shallow interpretations of the religious leaders of his day, demonstrating that God's law extends beyond outward actions to the deepest intentions of the heart. After addressing murder, he now turns to adultery, revealing that even a lustful gaze is a violation before God.
Jesus is continuing his Sermon on the Mount, meticulously unpacking the true meaning of the Old Testament law. He's contrasting his teachings with the shallow interpretations of the religious leaders of his day, demonstrating that God's law extends beyond outward actions to the deepest intentions of the heart. After addressing murder, he now turns to adultery, revealing that even a lustful gaze is a violation before God.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Matthew 5:28 is available in the Sola app.
c. 30 AD— this verse
Sermon on the Mount
Jesus delivers His most famous sermon, directly addressing and correcting misinterpretations of the Law, including the commandment against 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." — This verse highlights that the intent behind a look is what makes it sinful. Jesus isn't condemning a fleeting glance, but the deliberate, prolonged gaze that cherishes lustful thoughts, implying t…
