But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Parallel translations
- WEB but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.
- KJV But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
- NKJV But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
- NASB 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.
- NLT But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
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
Jesus teaches that looking lustfully at a woman is adultery already in the heart. It locates sexual sin in the heart's desires, not only the body's acts.
Overview
Jesus shows that the seventh commandment forbids not only adultery but the lustful intent behind it. This exposes the purity God requires, which reaches into thoughts and desires. The searching standard convicts all of us and reveals our need for the cleansing and new heart that Christ provides.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- 1 Jn 2:16For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not from the Father but from the world.
- Jas 1:14–15But each one is tempted when by his own evil desires he is lured away and enticed.
- Prov 6:25Do not lust in your heart for her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.
- Exod 20:17You 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.”
- 2 Sam 11:2One 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?
- Gen 34:2When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the region, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.
- 2 Pet 2:14Their eyes are full of adultery; their desire for sin is never satisfied; they seduce the unstable. They are accursed children with hearts trained in greed.
- Rom 7:7–8What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law. For I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”
- Job 31:9If my heart has been enticed by my neighbor’s wife, or I have lurked at his door,
- Rom 7:14We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin.
- Ps 119:96I have seen a limit to all perfection, but Your commandment is without limit.
- Matt 7:28–29When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching,
- Matt 5:22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.
- Matt 5:39But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also;
- Gen 39:7–23and after some time his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph and said, “Sleep with me.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 5:28 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 Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.