New Testament · Gospel

Matthew 5:28

The Sermon on the Mount

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:28 · Berean Standard Bible
What It Means

Matthew 5:28, in plain English

Jesus says that even looking at someone with lustful intent is adultery in the heart. Faithfulness isn't just about what you do; it's about what you allow your heart to pursue.

Why it's here

This teaching isn't about accidental attraction. It's about the choice to dwell on and nurture desire for someone who isn't yours.

Who's speaking

Jesus deepens the commandment about adultery.

Where it sits in the story

Jesus raises the standard because He knows that actions start in the heart. Guard your heart, and your actions will follow.

A Closer Look

The scholarly reading

The phrase 'looks at a woman to lust' (pros to epithumesai) uses a purpose infinitive: the issue is not an involuntary glance but a deliberate, lingering gaze with the intention of coveting. Jesus identifies the heart as the origin of adultery.

Language and setting

The tenth commandment already prohibited coveting (Exodus 20:17). Jesus synthesizes the seventh and tenth commandments, showing that lust is adultery of the heart.

Voice

Jesus, teaching the second antithesis.

Significance

By locating adultery in intention rather than action alone, Jesus reveals that true faithfulness is a matter of the heart, not just behavior.

In context

Matthew 5:26–30

26Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.

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.

30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to depart into hell.

Read all of Matthew 5 — Jesus turns the world's values upside down. The blessed aren't the powerful — they're the poor in spirit, the grieving, the meek.

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