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+ Exodus ↑

Exodus 20:14

13

"You shall not kill.

14

"You shall not commit adultery.

15

"You shall not steal.

+ Leviticus ↑

Leviticus 20:10

9

"Anyone who curses his father or mother shall be put to death; since he has cursed his father or mother, he has forfeited his life.

10

If a man commits adultery with his neighbor's wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death.

11

If a man disgraces his father by lying with his father's wife, both the man and his stepmother shall be put to death; they have forfeited their lives.

+ Deuteronomy ↑

Deuteronomy 5:18

17

'You shall not kill.

18

'You shall not commit adultery.

19

'You shall not steal.

+ Proverbs ↑

Proverbs 6:32

31

Yet if he be caught he must pay back sevenfold; all the wealth of his house he may yield up.

32

But he who commits adultery is a fool; he who would destroy himself does it.

33

A degrading beating will he get, and his disgrace will not be wiped away;

+ Wisdom ↑

Wisdom 14:24-26

23

For while they celebrate either child-slaying sacrifices or clandestine mysteries, or frenzied carousals in unheard-of rites,

24

They no longer safeguard either lives or pure wedlock; but each either waylays and kills his neighbor, or aggrieves him by adultery.

25

And all is confusion-blood and murder, theft and guile, corruption, faithlessness, turmoil, perjury,

26

Disturbance of good men, neglect of gratitude, besmirching of souls, unnatural lust, disorder in marriage, adultery and shamelessness.

27

For the worship of infamous idols is the reason and source and extremity of all evil.

+ Sirach ↑

Sirach 23:23

22

So also with the woman who is unfaithful to her husband and offers as heir her son by a stranger.

23

7 First, she has disobeyed the law of the Most High; secondly, she has wronged her husband; Thirdly, in her wanton adultery she has borne children by another man.

24

8 Such a woman will be dragged before the assembly, and her punishment will extend to her children;

7. [23] The detailed evil of adultery includes disobedience to God's law (Exodus 20:14), injustice to a partner in marriage, and disgraceful offspring.

8. [24-25] The judgment of the assembly determined the illegitimacy of children born of adultery or incest and excluded them from the "community of the LORD" (Deut 23:3). Cf Wisdom 3:16-19;4:3-6.

+ Jeremiah ↑

Jeremiah 3:9

8

that for all the adulteries rebellious Israel had committed, I put her away and gave her a bill of divorce, nevertheless her traitor sister Judah was not frightened; she too went off and played the harlot.

9

Eager to sin, she polluted the land, committing adultery with stone and wood.

10

With all this, the traitor sister Judah did not return to me wholeheartedly, but insincerely, says the LORD.

Jeremiah 5:7

6

Therefore lions from the forest slay them, wolves of the desert ravage them, Leopards keep watch round their cities: all who come out are torn to pieces For their many crimes and their numerous rebellions.

7

Why should I pardon you these things? Your sons have forsaken me, they swear by gods that are not. I fed them, but they committed adultery; to the harlot's house they throng.

8

Lustful stallions they are, each neighs after another's wife.

Jeremiah 7:9

8

But here you are, putting your trust in deceitful words to your own loss!

9

Are you to steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, go after strange gods that you know not,

10

and yet come to stand before me in this house which bears my name, and say: "We are safe; we can commit all these abominations again"?

Jeremiah 23:14

13

Among Samaria's prophets I saw unseemly deeds: They prophesied by Baal and led my people Israel astray.

14

But among Jerusalem's prophets I saw deeds still more shocking: Adultery, living in lies, siding with the wicked, so that no one turns from evil; To me they are all like Sodom, its citizens like Gomorrah.

15

Therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts against the prophets: Behold, I will give them wormwood to eat, and poison to drink; For from Jerusalem's prophets ungodliness has gone forth into the whole land.

Jeremiah 29:23

22

All the exiles of Judah in Babylon will pattern a curse after them: "May the LORD make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the flames."

23

For they are criminals in Israel, committing adultery with their neighbors' wives, and alleging in my name things I did not command. I know, I am witness, says the LORD.

24

Say this to Shemaiah, the Nehelamite:

+ Ezekiel ↑

Ezekiel 23:37, 45

36

Then the LORD said to me: Son of man, would you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then make known to them their abominations.

37

For they committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; to feed them they immolated the children they had borne me.

38

(This, too, they did to me: they defiled my sanctuary and desecrated my sabbaths.

44

And indeed they did come to her as men come to a harlot. Thus they came to Oholah and Oholibah, the lewd women.

45

But just men shall punish them with the sentence meted out to adulteresses and murderesses, for they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands.

46

Thus says the Lord GOD: Summon an assembly against them, and deliver them over to terror and plunder.

+ Hosea ↑

Hosea 2:4

4

1 Protest against your mother, protest! for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove her harlotry from before her, her adultery from between her breasts,

5

2 Or I will strip her naked, leaving her as on the day of her birth; I will make her like the desert, reduce her to an arid land, and slay her with thirst.

1. [1] The Lord speaks of Israel, still using the example of Hosea's wife.

2. [2] I will strip her naked: contemporary documents indicate that this was a conventional punishment for adultery.

Hosea 4:2, 14

1

Hear the word of the LORD, O people of Israel, for the LORD has a grievance against the inhabitants of the land: There is no fidelity, no mercy, no knowledge of God in the land.

2

False swearing, lying, murder, stealing and adultery! in their lawlessness, bloodshed follows bloodshed.

3

Therefore the land mourns, and everything that dwells in it languishes: The beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and even the fish of the sea perish.

13

On the mountaintops they offer sacrifice and on the hills they burn incense, Beneath oak and poplar and terebinth, because of their pleasant shade. That is why your daughters play the harlot, and your daughters-in-law are adulteresses.

14

3 Am I then to punish your daughters for their harlotry, your daughters-in-law for their adultery? You yourselves consort with harlots, and with prostitutes you offer sacrifice! So must a people without understanding come to ruin.

15

4 Though you play the harlot, O Israel, let not Judah become guilty! Come not to Gilgal, nor up to Beth-aven, to swear, "As the Lord lives!"

3. [14] With prostitutes you offer sacrifice: the ritual prostitution practiced at the Canaanite shrine was introduced even into sanctuaries dedicated to the Lord. In comparison, the adultery that had become common in Israel was a far less reprehensible crime.

4. [15] Gilgal: not the Gilgal of the south (Joshua 4:19-20), but a sanctuary north of Bethel where there was an association of cult prophets (2 Kings 2:1-3;kings 4:38). Beth-aven: literally, "house of iniquity," Hosea's nickname for Bethel, or a scribal substitute for Bethel, "house of god," in this context. Bethel was one of the royal shrines of Israel, where there was a schismatic public worship of the Lord; cf 1 Kings 12:26-30.

+ Matthew ↑

Matthew 5:27-28, 32

26

Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.

27

19"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.'

28

But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29

20 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into Gehenna.

19. [27] See Exodus 20:14; Deut 5:18.

20. [29-30] No sacrifice is too great to avoid total destruction in Gehenna.

31

21"It was also said, 'Whoever divorces his wife must give her a bill of divorce.'

32

But I say to you, whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) causes her to commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33

22"Again you have heard that it was said to your ancestors, 'Do not take a false oath, but make good to the Lord all that you vow.'

21. [31-32] See Deut 24:1-5. The Old Testament commandment that a bill of divorce be given to the woman assumes the legitimacy of divorce itself. It is this that Jesus denies. (Unless the marriage is unlawful): this "exceptive clause," as it is often called, occurs also in Matthew 19:9, where the Greek is slightly different. There are other sayings of Jesus about divorce that prohibit it absolutely (see Mark 10:11-12; Luke 16:18; cf 1 Cor 7:10,11b), and most scholars agree that they represent the stand of Jesus. Matthew's "exceptive clauses" are understood by some as a modification of the absolute prohibition. It seems, however, that the unlawfulness that Matthew gives as a reason why a marriage must be broken refers to a situation peculiar to his community: the violation of Mosaic law forbidding marriage between persons of certain blood and/or legal relationship (Lev 18:6-18). Marriages of that sort were regarded as incest (porneia), but some rabbis allowed Gentile converts to Judaism who had contracted such marriages to remain in them. Matthew's "exceptive clause" is against such permissiveness for Gentile converts to Christianity; cf the similar prohibition of porneia in Acts 15:20,29. In this interpretation, the clause constitutes no exception to the absolute prohibition of divorce when the marriage is lawful.

22. [33] This is not an exact quotation of any Old Testament text, but see Exodus 20:7; Deut 5:11; Lev 19:12. The purpose of an oath was to guarantee truthfulness by one's calling on God as witness.

Matthew 15:19

18

But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile.

19

8 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, unchastity, theft, false witness, blasphemy.

20

These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile."

8. [19] The Marcan list of thirteen things that defile (Matthew 7:21-22) is here reduced to seven that partially cover the content of the Decalogue. Matthew 15:21-28: See the note on Matthew 8:5-13.

Matthew 19:9, 18

8

He said to them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so.

9

I say to you,7 whoever divorces his wife (unless the marriage is unlawful) and marries another commits adultery."

10

[His] disciples said to him, "If that is the case of a man with his wife, it is better not to marry."

7. [9] Moses' concession to human sinfulness (the hardness of your hearts, Matthew 19:8) is repudiated by Jesus, and the original will of the Creator is reaffirmed against that concession. (Unless the marriage is unlawful): see the note on Matthew 5:31-32. There is some evidence suggesting that Jesus' absolute prohibition of divorce was paralleled in the Qumran community (see 11QTemple 57:17-19; CD 4:12b-5:14). Matthew removes Mark's setting of this verse as spoken to the disciples alone "in the house" (Mark 10:10) and also his extension of the divorce prohibition to the case of a woman's divorcing her husband (Matthew 10:12), probably because in Palestine, unlike the places where Roman and Greek law prevailed, the woman was not allowed to initiate the divorce.

17

He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good.13 If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."

18

14 He asked him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, " 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness;

19

honor your father and your mother'; and 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'"

13. [17] By Matthew's reformulation of the Marcan question and reply (Mark 10:17-18) Jesus' repudiation of the term "good" for himself has been softened. Yet the Marcan assertion that "no one is good but God alone" stands, with only unimportant verbal modification.

14. [18-19] The first five commandments cited are from the Decalogue (see Exodus 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20). Matthew omits Mark's "you shall not defraud" (Matthew 10:19; see Deut 24:14) and adds Lev 19:18. This combination of commandments of the Decalogue with Lev 19:18 is partially the same as Paul's enumeration of the demands of Christian morality in Romans 13:9.

+ Mark ↑

Mark 7:22

21

From within people, from their hearts, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,

22

adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.

23

All these evils come from within and they defile."

Mark 10:11-12, 19

10

In the house the disciples again questioned him about this.

11

He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her;

12

and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery."

13

And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them.

18

Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good?3 No one is good but God alone.

19

You know the commandments: 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your father and your mother.'"

20

He replied and said to him, "Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth."

3. [18] Why do you call me good?: Jesus repudiates the term "good" for himself and directs it to God, the source of all goodness who alone can grant the gift of eternal life; cf Matthew 19:16-17.

+ Luke ↑

Luke 16:18

17

It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for the smallest part of a letter of the law to become invalid.

18

"Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and the one who marries a woman divorced from her husband commits adultery.

19

12"There was a rich man13 who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day.

12. [19-31] The parable of the rich man and Lazarus again illustrates Luke's concern with Jesus' attitude toward the rich and the poor. The reversal of the fates of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:22-23) illustrates the teachings of Jesus in Luke's "Sermon on the Plain" (Luke 6:20-21,24-25).

13. [19] The oldest Greek manuscript of Luke dating from ca. A.D. 175-225 records the name of the rich man as an abbreviated form of "Nineveh," but there is very little textual support in other manuscripts for this reading. "Dives" of popular tradition is the Latin Vulgate's translation for "rich man." (Luke 16:19-31)

Luke 18:20

19

Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.

20

You know the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother.'"

21

And he replied, "All of these I have observed from my youth."

+ John ↑

John 8:3-4

2

But early in the morning he arrived again in the temple area, and all the people started coming to him, and he sat down and taught them.

3

Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle.

4

They said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery.

5

Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women.2 So what do you say?"

2. [5] Lev 20:10 and Deut 22:22 mention only death, but Deut 22:23-24 prescribes stoning for a betrothed virgin.

+ Romans ↑

Romans 2:22

21

then you who teach another, are you failing to teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?

22

You who forbid adultery, do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob temples?

23

You who boast of the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?

Romans 13:9

8

2 Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

9

The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, (namely) "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

10

Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.

2. [8-10] When love directs the Christian's moral decisions, the interest of law in basic concerns, such as familial relationships, sanctity of life, and security of property, is safeguarded (Romans 13:9). Indeed, says Paul, the same applies to any other commandment (Romans 13:9), whether one in the Mosaic code or one drawn up by local magistrates under imperial authority. Love anticipates the purpose of public legislation, namely, to secure the best interests of the citizenry. Since Caesar's obligation is to punish the wrongdoer (Romans 13:4), the Christian who acts in love is free from all legitimate indictment.

+ James ↑

James 2:11

10

For whoever keeps the whole law, but falls short in one particular, has become guilty in respect to all of it.

11

For he who said, "You shall not commit adultery," also said, "You shall not kill." Even if you do not commit adultery but kill, you have become a transgressor of the law.

12

So speak and so act as people who will be judged by the law of freedom.5

5. [12-13] The law upon which the last judgment will be based is the law of freedom. As Jesus taught, mercy (which participates in God's own loving mercy) includes forgiveness of those who wrong us (see Matthew 6:12,14-15).

+ 2 Peter ↑

2 Peter 2:14

13

suffering wrong8 as payment for wrongdoing. Thinking daytime revelry a delight, they are stains and defilements as they revel in their deceits while carousing with you.

14

Their eyes are full of adultery and insatiable for sin. They seduce unstable people, and their hearts are trained in greed. Accursed children!

15

Abandoning the straight road, they have gone astray, following the road of Balaam, the son of Bosor,9 who loved payment for wrongdoing,

8. [13] Suffering wrong: some manuscripts read "receiving a reward." In their deceits: some manuscripts read "in their love feasts" (Jude 1:12).

9. [15] Balaam, the son of Bosor: in Numbers 22:5, Balaam is said to be the son of Beor, and it is this name that turns up in a few ancient Greek manuscripts by way of "correction" of the text. Balaam is not portrayed in such a bad light in Numbers 22. His evil reputation and his madness (2 Peter 2:16), and possibly his surname Bosor, may have come from a Jewish tradition about him in the first/second century, of which we no longer have any knowledge.

+ Revelation ↑

Revelation 2:22

21

I have given her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her harlotry.

22

So I will cast her on a sickbed and plunge those who commit adultery with her into intense suffering unless they repent of her works.

23

I will also put her children19 to death. Thus shall all the churches come to know that I am the searcher of hearts and minds and that I will give each of you what your works deserve.

19. [23] Children: spiritual descendants.