What does "Adultery" mean in the Bible?
Adultery, the crime forbidden in the seventh commandment. According to Jewish law, it is the unlawful intercourse of a man, whether married or not, with a married or betrothed woman not his wife. Adultery appears in 12 verses across 7 books of the Bible.
What does the Bible say about Adultery?
ADUL'TERY, the crime forbidden in the seventh commandment. According to Jewish law, it is the unlawful intercourse of a man, whether married or not, with a married or betrothed woman not his wife. The crime was punished in patriarchal times, if Tamar's be a specimen case, by burning.Gen 38:24, or at least capitally. Under the Mosaic law in the case of the free woman both offenders were stoned. But a bondwoman thus guilty was to be scourged, and the man must make a trespass-offering. Lev 19:20,Lev 19:22. The so called "water of jealousy," by which the guilt of the accused woman was proven or refuted, was simply some " holy water," or that from the laver which stood near the altar in an earthen vessel, into which dust from the floor of the tabernacle was sprinkled. This mixture was given to the woman, who was solemnly charged by the priest with an oath of cursing. If she was guilty, then by divine interposition — for it contained nothing injurious — this test proved her guilt. If innocent no effect was produced. The accuser in these cases was the husband. Num 5:11-31. There is no case of the use of this test in Scripture. Adultery is the only ground of divorce recognized by our Lord. Matt 5:32. Adultery is used in the Bible in a spiritual sense to denote the unfaithfulness and apostasy of the Jews, because the union between God and his people was set forth as a marriage. In the N. T. "an adulterous generation" means a faithless and God-denying people.
Definition text: Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible · 1898. Public domain.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
What is the Greek word for Adultery?
Greek · G3431
μοιχεύω
moicheuō
to commit adultery
TBESG, from Abbott-Smith (1922). Public domain.
Where does Adultery appear in the Bible?
Adultery is referenced in 12 verses across 7 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- James 2:11
- John 8:4
- Luke 16:18
- Luke 18:20
- Matthew 5:27
- Matthew 5:28
- Matthew 5:32
- Matthew 19:18
- Mark 10:19
- Revelation 2:22
- Romans 2:22
- Romans 13:9
What else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Adultery.
Common questions
How many times does the Bible mention Adultery?
Adultery appears in 12 verses across 7 books, most often in Matthew, which accounts for 4 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Adultery?
Matthew, Luke, Romans, James, John, Mark, Revelation.
Where can I read every verse about Adultery?
This page lists 12 of them. Protos carries all 12, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
