Bible Strands
Matthew 5:27
You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his followers in the Sermon on the Mount, placing this statement between a warning about legal consequences and a teaching on internal lust. He speaks as the authoritative teacher contrasting received tradition with his own interpretation.
The words — The verb Ἠκούσατε (Ēkousate) means "you have heard," signaling a transmitted teaching rather than a direct citation. It is paired with ἐρρέθη (errethē), "it was said," to mark the boundary between human tradition and divine command.
The thread — The prohibition against adultery appears in Exodus 20:14 and Deuteronomy 5:18 as a direct command in the Decalogue. Proverbs 6:32 also addresses the same violation, noting its self-destructive consequences.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge the command’s traditional form before examining its deeper application. It asks for a clear recognition that the prohibition is established, not negotiable, before any further moral analysis begins.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 5:18 You shall not commit adultery.
- Proverbs 6:32 He who commits adultery lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself.
- Exodus 20:14 You shall not commit adultery.
- 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 must surely be put to death.
- Deuteronomy 22:22 If a man is found lying with another man’s wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel.
- Matthew 5:21 You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’