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35 Bible Verses On Adultery In The Bible
Modified: January 9, 2024
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Adultery in the Bible: What the Holy Book says about this sin that happens when a married person has a sexual relationship outside marriage.
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From the ancient to the present time, adultery is considered a crime. Even in the Holy Scriptures, there are various verses that warn about and prohibit humanity from committing adultery. In most states in America, adultery is categorized as a misdemeanor while other states treat it as a felony which is a more serious offense. Adultery in the Bible, however, covers more than what the human law will punish. The Bible focuses on the whole conduct of a person starting from what he thinks and how he acts according to his thoughts. Here are some bible verses on adultery and why the law of adultery should be taken seriously.
Adultery Is A Sin
If we consult the words of God in the Bible, we can see that He commanded and reminded people not commit any kind of fornication as it corrupts not just the spirit but also his body.
Exodus 20:14
Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Matthew 5:27
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery
Deuteronomy 5:18
You shall not commit adultery.
1 Thessalonians 4:3-5
It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God.
1 Corinthians 6:18
Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.
If we will contextualize 1 Corinthians 6:18 in the present times, we can see how real the words of God are. As people disregard the Bible and commit to sexual relationships without any reservation, sexually-transmitted diseases have been rampant. Hence, the term “sins against their own body”.
Read more: 35 Bible Verses About Family
Committing Adultery In Marriage
According to the manmade law, a man or a woman who fully cuts their marriage ties legally can be remarried again. This is regardless of any reason for the separation of the couple. As long as there were grounds for the separation or mutual agreement by both parties, the two can go back to being strangers and continue with their individual lives. However, the Bible says otherwise.
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Hebrews 13:4
Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.
For Husbands:
Matthew 5:32
But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Matthew 5:32
But I say unto you, That whosoever shall put away his wife, saving for the cause of fornication, causeth her to commit adultery: and whosoever shall marry her that is divorced committeth adultery.
Proverbs 5:18-23
May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer— may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love. Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman? For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths. The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast. For lack of discipline, they will die, led astray by their own great folly.
Mark 10:11
And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her.
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For Wives:
Mark 1:12
And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.
Ezekiel 16:32
But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!
Associating Oneself To An Adulterer
Avoiding adultery is not the end for Christians. As much as God encourages us to do fellowships and gather in His name, verses about having connections with habitual sinners can be found.
1 Corinthians 5:11
But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.
Proverbs 6:32
But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
Proverbs 5:3-22
For the lips of the adulterous woman drip honey, and her speech is smoother than oil; but in the end, she is bitter as gall, sharp as a double-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps lead straight to the grave.
1 Corinthians 6:15-16
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”
We gain spiritual strength not just through prayers, but also by talking to people in the same faith. Being with sinners might shake our thoughts and eventually drifts our hearts away from God’s teaching.
Other Acts Of Adultery In The Bible
Having another partner or sexual relationship with someone outside the marriage is not the only act of adultery that the Bible mentioned. God counts the acts that are unpunishable by human law as He can see what we do when nobody is watching. He also knows the good and bad things running through our hearts and minds all the time.
Matthew 5:28
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Jeremiah 3:9
And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
Mark 7:20-23
He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”
Jeremiah 13:27
Your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution! I have seen your detestable acts on the hills and in the fields. Woe to you, Jerusalem! How long will you be unclean?”
1 Corinthians 7:1
Now for the matters you wrote about: “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”
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God Will Punish The Adulterers
Commands come with punishment. Just like how our parents educate us, God also wants us to heed His warnings. Same as the law of the lands, not adhering to God’s commandments will be corresponded by punishments.
Ezekiel 23:37
That they have committed adultery and blood is in their hands, and with their idols have they committed adultery, and have also caused their sons, whom they bare unto me, to pass for them through the fire, to devour them.
Hosea 4:14
I will not punish your daughters when they commit whoredom, nor your spouses when they commit adultery: for themselves are separated with whores, and they sacrifice with harlots: therefore the people that doth not understand shall fall.
Matthew 15:17-20
“Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person, but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them.”
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Leviticus 20:10
If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men, nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Deuteronomy 22:22
If a man is found lying with the wife of another man, both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman. So you shall purge the evil from Israel.
God Forgives Adultery
God’s love is endless. He even gave His only son to redeem us from the pits of hell. In the verses below, we can see that adultery, like any other sins, can be forgiven by God. There is a story in the bible of a woman accused of adultery (John 8:1 – 11) and according to the laws, should have been stoned. However, Jesus pointed out that no one is without sin, and God forgives.
Psalm 51:7
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Corinthians 6:11
And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
2 Samuel 12:13
David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die.
Here, God forgave David for his sin and Jesus helped take the sin away from the world through his death and the power God gave him during his time on earth.
Forgiveness Of Sins
Jeremiah 9:24
But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.
Proverb 28:13
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
Psalms 32:5
Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord. And you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Romans 7:12
Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
The Bible considers more deeds as adultery than human laws do. And on top of the many consequences for committing adultery in the Bible, Romans 6:23 states that the wages of sin is death. Hence, the sin of committing adultery is as harsh as death. Yet, God is not a narrow and cold-hearted God. He forgives and spares people that go unto Him to ask for forgiveness with his whole heart. Also, because of God’s love for us, He gave us His son Jesus Christ who died for our sins.
