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Bible Terms

Bible Term: Adultery

Adultery is the sexual unfaithfulness of a husband or a wife; it is literally a married person having sex with another married person, who is not their husband or wife. This is prohibited in the Bible, as stated in the Ten Commandments and reiterated many other times.

Jesus extends the concept of adultery from the physical act to the mere thought of it; that is lust. “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart,” (Matthew 5:28).

[See Idolatry, covetousness, and apostasy, which are referred to as spiritual adultery, (Jeremiah 3:6-9 and Hosea 1:2), that is, being unfaithful to God.]

Key verse about Adultery: If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death (Leviticus 20:10, NIV).

A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.

By Peter DeHaan

Peter writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and make a faith that matters. Learn more at https://peterdehaan.com.