What exactly is adultery in the Biblical context?

It might seem like a dumb question, because everyone knows what adultery is, right? As surprising as it may be to you, the answer is no. The "adultery" charge is sometimes thrown at people when that is not what they are doing. Also as I got into studying the subject I found some answers that both surprised and disturbed me. Let's look at this important topic.

Adultery in the Old Testament

The Ten Commandments instruct us, "You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14) That brings up the question we started with "What exactly does the Bible mean by adultery?"

The Old Testament Law gives us more information. "If there is a man who commits adultery with another man's wife, one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death." (Lev. 20: 10) and "If a man is found lying with a married woman, then both of them shall die, the man who lay with the woman, and the woman; thus you shall purge the evil from Israel." (Deut 22: 22) Also the test for a woman accused of adultery is introduced this way, "Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, "If any man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him, and a man has intercourse with her . . ." (Numbers 5:12-13)

Those texts tell us a few important things.
First, this involves sex between a man and a married woman. Easton's Bible Dictionary says "conjugal infidelity. An adulterer was a man who had illicit intercourse with a married or a betrothed woman, and such a woman was an adulteress. Intercourse between a married man and an unmarried woman was fornication. Adultery was regarded as a great social wrong, as well as a great sin." Harper's Bible Dictionary agrees saying "In the OT adultery had a precise and limited definition: sexual relations between a married (or betrothed) woman and any man other than her husband. Adultery, therefore, was committed only against a husband, never against a wife." This does not give the men license to have sex outside their marriages because that is fornication and thus is a serious sin too.

Second the Old Testament takes adultery very seriously. That is obvious from the fact that it could result in the death penalty! At the least the Old Testament viewed adultery as breaking the marriage covenant and could result in divorce (Deut. 41:1) An interesting example of this is in Genesis 20 where Abimelech innocently took Sarah into his household. When he finds out she is actually Abraham's wife and God's judgment is upon his household, he confronts Abraham saying "What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that ought not to be done." (Gen. 20:9) Another infamous example is David's affair with Bathsheba.

Adultery is also a common image used in the Old Testament for the idolatry and spiritual unfaithfulness of the Jewish people against God. Examples of this are Jeremiah 13:27 and Ezekiel 23:43.

Adultery in the New Testament

In the New Testament consistently views adultery as a grievous sin. As in Rom. 13:9; Gal. 5:19; James 2:11. However, there is a notable expansion in the definition of it.

Jesus in a discussion on divorce says this about adultery, "I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for the reason of unchastity, makes her commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery." (Matthew 5:32) What is so notable there is the fact that he expands the Old Testament view to include a husband having sex outside his marriage. That view continues through Church history to today.

In summary the Bible shows that the proper place for the sexual relationship is in the bonded, committed marriage relationship. When married people have sex outside of their marriage that is adultery.

Written by Rev. Daniel B. Baker February 2008

The discussion of adultery continues in We Never Had Sex Was That Adultery?

Articles by Rev. Daniel B. Baker :: Webmaster: Joseph I. Baker