The Bible forbids adultery and warns against the mental and physical damage it may bring. It talks forcefully and plainly about adultery. In addition to severing the marital tie, adultery damages a person’s integrity, trustworthiness, and connection with God. The Bible verses about adultery offers moral instruction on loyalty, the sacredness of marriage, and the repercussions of breaking this vow in both the Old and New Testaments. We get insight into the significance of chastity, dedication, and peace with God from these lines.
In the Bible, adultery is portrayed as a grave sin that has terrible repercussions for people, families, and society. Adultery is frowned upon in both the Ten Commandments and Jesus’ teachings due to its breach of marriage vows and detrimental effect on trust. The Bible shows how damaging adultery can be, but it also provides a way for people who turn to God in repentance to find forgiveness and healing.
The Bible verses about adultery offers ageless counsel about the value of marital fidelity and the pernicious effects of infidelity. It emphasizes how important it is to uphold the holy vows of marriage and issues a warning against giving in to temptations that result in infidelity. These scriptures concerning adultery encourage repentance and rehabilitation for those who have sinned, and they exhort Christians to live lives of integrity, purity, and respect for God’s plan for relationships.
The Bible takes a serious stance against adultery, demonstrating how much God respects the marriage commitment. The bible verses about adultery provide strong guidance on upholding fidelity and the spiritual costs of unfaithfulness, from Old Testament rules to Jesus’ teachings. We may better comprehend God’s expectations for relationships, the value of marriage, and the road to reconciliation and forgiveness for those who have strayed by studying these Scriptures.
30 Powerful Bible Verses About Adultery
1. Exodus 20:14
“You shall not commit adultery.”
This commandment is part of the Ten Commandments and directly addresses the sin of adultery. It is a clear directive from God, establishing marital fidelity as a fundamental moral requirement. Adultery not only damages relationships but also violates God’s law.
2. Matthew 5:27-28
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
Jesus expands the understanding of adultery beyond the physical act to include lustful thoughts. This shows that sin begins in the heart and mind, and moral purity requires guarding one’s thoughts and desires.
3. Proverbs 6:32
“But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself.”
This verse highlights the personal consequences of adultery. It is portrayed as an act of self-destruction, not only bringing harm to relationships but also to the individual’s own character and well-being.
4. Leviticus 20:10
“If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.”
In the Old Testament, adultery was considered a grave offense punishable by death. This severe consequence underscores the seriousness of breaking the marriage covenant and the value placed on marital faithfulness in the community.
5. 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.”
This verse emphasizes the sanctity of marriage and warns of God’s judgment on those who violate it through adultery. Faithfulness in marriage is a reflection of God’s design, and adultery is a distortion of that sacred union.
6. Deuteronomy 22:22
“If a man is found sleeping with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.”
Like Leviticus 20:10, this verse from Deuteronomy outlines the severe consequences for adultery under the Mosaic Law. The act is viewed as a community evil that must be eradicated to maintain social and moral order.
7. Proverbs 5:3-4
“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.”
Adultery is often portrayed as enticing, but this verse warns of its bitter consequences. What may seem pleasurable or attractive in the moment leads to pain, regret, and destruction in the end.
8. 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.”
Adultery is a form of sexual immorality, and Paul urges believers to flee from it. Sexual sin is unique in that it affects the body directly, leading to spiritual and physical harm. Avoiding it is essential for maintaining purity.
9. James 4:4
“You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”
Here, adultery is used metaphorically to describe spiritual unfaithfulness. Just as marital adultery betrays a spouse, spiritual adultery betrays God when we align ourselves with worldly values instead of God’s will.
10. Matthew 19:9
“I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”
Jesus teaches that divorce and remarriage, outside of the grounds of adultery or sexual immorality, constitutes adultery. This affirms the sanctity of marriage and the seriousness of violating the marriage covenant.
11. Proverbs 7:18-19
“Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love! My husband is not at home; he has gone on a long journey.”
These verses describe the deceptive enticement of an adulterous affair. The invitation to indulge in “love” is, in reality, a call to betrayal and destruction. It shows how adultery often involves secrecy and deceit.
12. 2 Samuel 12:13-14
“Then David said to Nathan, ‘I have sinned against the Lord.’ Nathan replied, ‘The Lord has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. But because by doing this you have shown utter contempt for the Lord, the son born to you will die.’”
This verse is part of the story of David’s adultery with Bathsheba. While David repented and was forgiven, the consequences of his actions were severe. This passage shows both the grace of God in forgiveness and the grave consequences that follow sin.
13. Mark 10:11-12
“Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her. And if she divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
Jesus reiterates the sanctity of marriage, stressing that divorce followed by remarriage constitutes adultery. It underscores that marriage is a binding covenant not to be broken lightly.
14. Jeremiah 3:9
“Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood.”
In this verse, adultery is used symbolically to describe Israel’s idolatry. Just as marital unfaithfulness betrays a spouse, Israel’s worship of idols (stone and wood) was seen as a form of spiritual adultery against God.
15. Hosea 4:2
“There is only cursing, lying and murder, stealing and adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed.”
The prophet Hosea describes a society plagued by sin, including adultery. This verse shows how adultery is often part of a larger pattern of moral breakdown, contributing to societal disorder and violence.
16. Malachi 2:14
“You ask, ‘Why?’ It is because the Lord is the witness between you and the wife of your youth. You have been unfaithful to her, though she is your partner, the wife of your marriage covenant.”
This verse condemns unfaithfulness within marriage, emphasizing that God is a witness to the marriage covenant. Adultery is not just a betrayal of a spouse but also a violation of a covenant made before God.
17. Ezekiel 16:32
“You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband!”
In this metaphor, Ezekiel portrays Israel as an adulterous wife, choosing idols and foreign gods over her relationship with the true God. Adultery here represents the spiritual betrayal of idolatry.
18. Genesis 39:9
“No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?”
Joseph’s refusal to commit adultery with Potiphar’s wife highlights his integrity and fear of God. Adultery is seen as not just a sin against one’s spouse but also a sin against God.
19. Romans 7:2-3
“For example, by law a married woman is bound to her husband as long as he is alive, but if her husband dies, she is released from the law that binds her to him. So then, if she has sexual relations with another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress.”
Paul uses the concept of adultery to explain the binding nature of marriage. The only legitimate release from the marriage covenant is death, and remarriage while the spouse is still alive constitutes adultery.
20. John 8:4-5
“and said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?’”
In this famous account, a woman caught in adultery is brought before Jesus. While the religious leaders seek to condemn her, Jesus instead offers grace and calls for repentance, showing that while adultery is a serious sin, there is also forgiveness.
21. Luke 16:18
“Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
Jesus again emphasizes that marriage is a lifelong covenant. Divorce and remarriage outside of the grounds of adultery is equivalent to committing adultery, reinforcing the permanence of the marriage bond.
22. Proverbs 6:29Â
“So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.”
This verse warns of the inevitable consequences of adultery. It underscores that those who engage in adultery will not escape the moral and often legal repercussions. The act leads to dishonor, broken relationships, and divine judgment.
23. Job 31:9-12
“If my heart has been enticed by a woman, or if I have lurked at my neighbor’s door, then may my wife grind another man’s grain, and may other men sleep with her. For that would have been wicked, a sin to be judged. It is a fire that burns to Destruction; it would have uprooted my harvest.”
Job is declaring his innocence regarding adultery, highlighting the severe consequences of this sin. He acknowledges that adultery is a destructive force, likened to a consuming fire that leads to ruin and loss, both personally and socially.
24. Ephesians 5:3
“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.”
Paul calls the believers to a life of purity, where not even the smallest suggestion of sexual immorality, including adultery, should be present. As God’s holy people, Christians are to live in a way that reflects their calling to righteousness.
25. Hosea 2:2
“Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adulterous look from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.”
In this metaphorical portrayal, God speaks through Hosea about Israel’s unfaithfulness. Like an adulterous spouse, Israel has been unfaithful to God through idolatry and spiritual infidelity. The verse highlights the heartbreak of betrayal and the call for repentance.
26. 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.”
Paul lists various sins, including adultery, that will prevent individuals from inheriting God’s kingdom. The passage serves as a warning to believers about the seriousness of sexual immorality and other sins but also implies the need for repentance and change.
27. Jeremiah 7:9-10
“‘Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, ‘We are safe’—safe to do all these detestable things?’”
This verse highlights the hypocrisy of those who commit sins like adultery but still believe they are in right standing with God. Jeremiah rebukes the people for living immoral lives while thinking they can find refuge in religious practices.
28. Proverbs 2:16-17
“Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God.”
The book of Proverbs consistently warns about the dangers of adultery, particularly the seductive nature of the adulterous woman. Wisdom is presented as the safeguard against falling into the trap of infidelity and dishonoring the marriage covenant.
29. Isaiah 57:3
“But you—come here, you children of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes.”
In this prophetic rebuke, adultery is used metaphorically to describe the people’s spiritual unfaithfulness to God. Isaiah addresses the nation’s idolatry and disobedience, comparing it to the immorality of adulterers and prostitutes.
30. Matthew 15:19
“For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”
Jesus teaches that adultery, like all sins, begins in the heart. Sinful actions are the result of the internal condition of the heart, and therefore, true purity requires a heart that is aligned with God’s will. This reinforces the importance of internal transformation to avoid external sins like adultery.
Conclusion
The Bible forbids adultery on a regular basis, stressing the harm that it does to people as well as to families and communities. The holy marital bond, which is a representation of the connection between God and His people, is broken by adultery. These lines teach us that adultery is a matter of the heart as much as it is a physical act, with grave moral and spiritual repercussions.
The Bible verses about adultery exhorts people to be pure, loyal, and to respect marriage, showing that adultery results in betrayal of trust, guilt, and spiritual alienation from God. But the Bible also offers a way to be saved by repentance, as seen by the lives of people like King David who, in spite of their transgressions, were pardoned by God’s grace.
