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Deuteronomy 5:18

‘You shall not commit adultery.
Deuteronomy 5:18 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB “You shall not commit adultery.
  • KJV Neither shalt thou commit adultery.
  • BSB You shall not commit adultery.
  • NKJV ‘You shall not commit adultery.
  • NLT “You must not commit adultery.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

You shall not commit adultery. The seventh commandment protects the sanctity of marriage.

Overview

God forbids violating the marriage bond, guarding faithfulness and the covenant of husband and wife. Marriage reflects God's faithful love for his people. Jesus extends the command to lustful intent, and marriage ultimately pictures Christ's covenant love for his church (Matthew 5:27-28, Ephesians 5:31-32).

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Exod 20:14“You shall not commit adultery.
  • Luke 18:20You know the commandments: ‘Don’t commit adultery,’ ‘Don’t murder,’ ‘Don’t steal,’ ‘Don’t give false testimony,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’”
  • Lev 20:10“‘The man who commits adultery with another man’s wife, even he who commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death.
  • Matt 5:27–28“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery;’
  • Jas 2:10–11For whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
  • Prov 6:32–33He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding. He who does it destroys his own soul.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (7)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Deuteronomy videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Deuteronomy 5:18YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on DeuteronomyMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Moses promised a Prophet like himself to whom Israel must listen (18:15); Jesus is that Prophet, the one who keeps the covenant we broke and becomes the curse for us by hanging on a tree (Gal 3:13).

How Deuteronomy 5:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.