Matthew 5:28
New International Version
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

New Living Translation
But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

English Standard Version
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Berean Standard Bible
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Berean Literal Bible
But I say to you that everyone looking upon a woman in order to lust after her already has committed adultery with her in his heart.

King James Bible
But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

New King James Version
But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

New American Standard Bible
but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

NASB 1995
but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

NASB 1977
but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Legacy Standard Bible
but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Amplified Bible
but I say to you that everyone who [so much as] looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Christian Standard Bible
But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

American Standard Version
but I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But I am saying to you, everyone who looks at a woman so as to lust for her, immediately commits adultery with her in his heart.

Contemporary English Version
But I tell you if you look at another woman and want her, you are already unfaithful in your thoughts.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But I say to you, that whosoever shall look on a woman to lust after her, hath already committed adultery with her in his heart.

English Revised Version
but I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But I can guarantee that whoever looks with lust at a woman has already committed adultery in his heart.

Good News Translation
But now I tell you: anyone who looks at a woman and wants to possess her is guilty of committing adultery with her in his heart.

International Standard Version
But I say to you, anyone who stares at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Literal Standard Version
but I say to you that everyone who is looking on a woman to desire her, already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Majority Standard Bible
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

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

NET Bible
But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

New Revised Standard Version
But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

New Heart English Bible
but I tell you that everyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Webster's Bible Translation
But I say to you, That whoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Weymouth New Testament
But I tell you that whoever looks at a woman and cherishes lustful thoughts has already in his heart become guilty with regard to her.

World English Bible
but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Young's Literal Translation
but I -- I say to you, that every one who is looking on a woman to desire her, did already commit adultery with her in his heart.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Adultery
27You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 28But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.…

Cross References
Exodus 20:17
You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

Leviticus 18:20
You must not lie carnally with your neighbor's wife and thus defile yourself with her.

Deuteronomy 22:22
If a man is found lying with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.

2 Samuel 11:2
One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing--a very beautiful woman.

Job 31:1
"I have made a covenant with my eyes. How then could I gaze with desire at a virgin?

Proverbs 6:25
Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.

Ezekiel 23:16
At the sight of them, she lusted for them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.


Treasury of Scripture

But I say to you, That whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

I say.

Matthew 5:22,39
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire…

Matthew 7:28,29
And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine: …

That.

Genesis 34:2
And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw her, he took her, and lay with her, and defiled her.

Genesis 39:7
And it came to pass after these things, that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me.

Exodus 20:17
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

hath.

Psalm 119:96
I have seen an end of all perfection: but thy commandment is exceeding broad.

Romans 7:7,8,14
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet…

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Adultery Already Cherishes Commit Committed Connection Desire Eyes Gazes Guilty Heart Lust Lustfully Regard Thoughts Turned
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Adultery Already Cherishes Commit Committed Connection Desire Eyes Gazes Guilty Heart Lust Lustfully Regard Thoughts Turned
Matthew 5
1. Jesus' sermon on the mount:
3. The Beattitudes;
13. the salt of the earth;
14. the light of the world.
17. He came to fulfill the law.
21. What it is to kill;
27. to commit adultery;
33. to swear.
38. He exhorts to forgive wrong,
43. to love our enemies;
48. and to labor after perfection.














(28) To lust after her.--The intent is more strongly marked in the Greek than in the English. It is not the passing glance, not even the momentary impulse of desire, but the continued gaze by which the impulse is deliberately cherished till it becomes a passion. This noble and beautiful teaching, it has often been remarked, and by way of disparagement, is found elsewhere. Such disparagement is out of place. By the mercy of God the Light that "lighteth every man" has led men to recognise the truth thus asserted, and parallels to it may be found in the writings of Conlucius, Seneca, Epictetus, and even of the Jewish Rabbis themselves. The words of Juvenal closely express the general sentiment:--

" Scelus intra se tacitus qui cogitat ullum,

Facti crimen habet."

["Who in his breast a guilty thought doth cherish,

He bears the guilt of action."]

Our Lord's words speak primarily of "adultery," but are, of course, applicable to every form of sensual impurity.

Verse 28. - But I say (ver. 22, note). The bare command forbidding an external action is insufficient. It must extend to the thought. Contrast Josephus ('Ant.,' 12:09. 1), "The purposing to do a thing, without actually doing it, is not worthy of punishment." Generally, however, the sinfulness of wrong thoughts must have been acknowledged (cf. Psalm 51:10, and the tenth commandment; cf. late examples in Schott-gen). Hammond ('Pr. Cat.,' in Ford) says, "In the Law, the fastening of the eyes on an idol, considering the beauty of it, saith Maimonides, is forbidden (Leviticus 19:4), and not only the worship of it" (vide Maimonides, 'Hilk. Ab. Zar.,' 2:2, by whom, however, the thought is, perhaps, rather condemned for what it leads to than per se; and similarly with Job 31:1; Proverbs 6:25). Whosoever; Revised Version, every one who (ver. 22, note). Looketh... to lust after (πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι). As πρὸς τό with the infinitive (e.g. Matthew 6:1), primarily denotes purpose; this may be equivalent to "looketh in order that he may lust, looketh to stimulate his lust" (cf. Meyer, Trench); but, as Weiss points out, this surely belongs to the refinement, not to the beginning of sin. Hence Nosgen suggests "looketh... lustfully" (cf. James 4:5). Probably this is one of those cases where, as Ellicott says on 1 Corinthians 9:18, πρὸς τό with the infinitive has "a shade of meaning that seems to lie between purpose and result, and even sometimes to approximate to the latter." At all events, it does not express, as εἰς τό would have expressed, the immediate purpose of the look (vide Ellicott, loc. cit.); cf. Matthew 6:1. Her (αὐτήν, B, D, etc.); accusative with ἐπιθυμεῖν, here only in the New Testament. Perhaps the pronoun should be omitted, with א.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
But
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

I
ἐγὼ (egō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

tell
λέγω (legō)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

you
ὑμῖν (hymin)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

that
ὅτι (hoti)
Conjunction
Strong's 3754: Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because.

anyone
πᾶς (pas)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

who looks at
βλέπων (blepōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 991: (primarily physical), I look, see, perceive, discern. A primary verb; to look at.

a woman
γυναῖκα (gynaika)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1135: A woman, wife, my lady. Probably from the base of ginomai; a woman; specially, a wife.

to
πρὸς (pros)
Preposition
Strong's 4314: To, towards, with. A strengthened form of pro; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. Toward.

lust after
ἐπιθυμῆσαι (epithymēsai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 1937: To long for, covet, lust after, set the heart upon. From epi and thumos; to set the heart upon, i.e. Long for.

her
αὐτὴν (autēn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

{has} already
ἤδη (ēdē)
Adverb
Strong's 2235: Already; now at length, now after all this waiting. Apparently from e and de; even now.

committed adultery with
ἐμοίχευσεν (emoicheusen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3431: To commit adultery (of a man with a married woman, but also of a married man). From moichos; to commit adultery.

her
αὐτὴν (autēn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

his
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

heart.
καρδίᾳ (kardia)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2588: Prolonged from a primary kar; the heart, i.e. the thoughts or feelings; also the middle.


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Matthew 5:27
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