Adultery has been a significant moral issue throughout human history, and the Bible addresses it with both seriousness and wisdom. These 145 Bible verses about adultery explores various Bible verses that discuss adultery, from the clear warnings of the Ten Commandments to the compassionate words of Jesus. These Scriptures provide insights into the consequences of adultery and the possibility of redemption, offering guidance and hope for navigating issues of loyalty, morality, and forgiveness.
Temptation and Adultery
- 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.”
- Matthew 5:28 – “But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
- Genesis 39:7-9 – “And after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ But he refused.”
- Proverbs 7:5-6 – “They will keep you from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words.”
- Job 31:1 – “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a young woman.”
- Proverbs 22:14 – “The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit; a man who is under the Lord’s wrath falls into it.”
- Proverbs 23:27-28 – “For an adulterous woman is a deep pit and a wayward wife is a narrow well. Like a bandit she lies in wait and multiplies the unfaithful among men.”
- Proverbs 2:16-17 – “Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words.”
- James 1:14-15 – “But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.”
Consequences of Adultery
- Proverbs 6:32-33 – “But a man who commits adultery has no sense; whoever does so destroys himself. Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away.”
- Proverbs 6:27-29 – “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned? So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.”
- 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.”
- 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.”
- Ezekiel 23:37 – “for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands.”
- Malachi 2:14-15 – “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.”
- Jeremiah 5:7-9 – “Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I supplied all their needs, yet they committed adultery.”
Warning Against Adultery
- Proverbs 5:8 – “Keep to a path far from her, do not go near the door of her house.”
- Proverbs 7:25-26 – “Do not let your heart turn to her ways or stray into her paths. Many are the victims she has brought down; her slain are a mighty throng.”
- Proverbs 5:20 – “Why, my son, be intoxicated with another man’s wife? Why embrace the bosom of a wayward woman?”
- Proverbs 6:34 – “For jealousy arouses a husband’s fury, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.”
- Ecclesiastes 7:26 – “I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a trap and whose hands are chains.”
- Proverbs 6:25 – “Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.”
- Luke 17:1-2 – “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come.”
- 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.”
- Proverbs 5:21 – “For your ways are in full view of the LORD, and he examines all your paths.”
Adultery and the Law
- Deuteronomy 22:24 – “You shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death.”
- Leviticus 18:20 – “Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor’s wife and defile yourself with her.”
- Leviticus 18:29 – “Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people.”
- Exodus 20:14 – “You shall not commit adultery.”
- Deuteronomy 5:18 – “You shall not commit adultery.”
- Romans 13:9 – “The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not covet,’ and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
- Matthew 19:18 – “‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not give false testimony,'”
- John 8:4-5 – “Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery.”
- Galatians 5:19 – “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery;”
- James 2:11 – “For he who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.”
Repentance and Redemption
- John 8:11 – “Neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
- Psalm 51:1-2 – “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.”
- 1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
- Acts 3:19 – “Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,”
- Luke 15:18-19 – “I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.”
- James 4:8 – “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”
- 2 Chronicles 7:14 – “If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
- Ezekiel 18:30-32 – “Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.”
- Luke 5:32 – “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
- Hosea 14:1-2 – “Return, Israel, to the Lord your God. Your sins have been your downfall!”
The Heart and Adultery
- Matthew 15:19 – “For out of the heart come evil thoughts—murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”
- Proverbs 4:23 – “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
- Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?”
- Matthew 12:34 – “For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
- Ezekiel 6:9 – “Then in the nations where they have been carried captive, those who escape will remember me—how I have been grieved by their adulterous hearts, which have turned away from me.”
- Proverbs 12:20 – “Deceit is in the hearts of those who plot evil, but those who promote peace have joy.”
- Proverbs 23:17 – “Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the LORD.”
- Mark 7:21-22 – “For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,”
- Psalms 51:10 – “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
- Luke 6:45 – “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.”
Adultery and Family Impact
- Malachi 2:15 – “Has not the one God made you? You belong to him in body and spirit. And what does the one God seek? Godly offspring. So be on your guard, and do not be unfaithful to the wife of your youth.”
- Proverbs 6:26 – “For a prostitute can be had for a loaf of bread, but another man’s wife preys on your very life.”
- Proverbs 17:17 – “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.”
- 1 Corinthians 7:12-13 – “To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.”
- Ephesians 5:25 – “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”
- Proverbs 15:27 – “The greedy bring ruin to their households, but the one who hates bribes will live.”
- Matthew 19:6 – “So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”
- Proverbs 11:29 – “Whoever brings ruin on their family will inherit only wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise.”
- Proverbs 15:20 – “A wise son brings joy to his father, but a foolish man despises his mother.”
- Ephesians 6:4 – “Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”
Adultery and Spiritual Consequences
- 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.”
- Revelation 2:22 – “So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways.”
- Hosea 4:12 – “My people consult a wooden idol, and a diviner’s rod speaks to them. A spirit of prostitution leads them astray; they are unfaithful to their God.”
- 2 Peter 2:14 – “With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!”
- 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”
- Ezekiel 23:35 – “Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: Since you have forgotten me and turned your back on me, you must bear the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.”
- Matthew 5:32 – “But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.”
- 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.”
- Jeremiah 13:27 – “Your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution! I have seen your detestable acts on the hills and in the fields. Woe to you, Jerusalem! How long will you be unclean?”
Adultery and Leadership
- Proverbs 31:3 – “Do not spend your strength on women, your vigor on those who ruin kings.”
- 1 Timothy 3:2 – “Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach.”
- Titus 1:6 – “An elder must be blameless, faithful to his wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient.”
- 1 Kings 15:5 – “For David had done what was right in the eyes of the Lord and had not failed to keep any of the Lord’s commands all the days of his life—except in the case of Uriah the Hittite.”
- 2 Samuel 11:2-5 – “One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful, and David sent someone to find out about her.”
- Proverbs 29:14 – “If a king judges the poor with fairness, his throne will be established forever.”
- Hosea 7:4 – “They are all adulterers, burning like an oven whose fire the baker need not stir from the kneading of the dough till it rises.”
- Jeremiah 23:14 – “And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen something horrible: They commit adultery and live a lie. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from their wickedness.”
- Nehemiah 13:26 – “Was it not because of marriages like these that Solomon king of Israel sinned? Among many nations there was no king like him. He was loved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel, but even he was led into sin by foreign women.”
- Jeremiah 5:7 – “Why should I forgive you? Your children have forsaken me and sworn by gods that are not gods. I supplied all their needs, yet they committed adultery and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.”
Adultery as a Metaphor for Idolatry
- Jeremiah 3:8 – “I gave faithless Israel her certificate of divorce and sent her away because of all her adulteries. Yet I saw that her unfaithful sister Judah had no fear; she also went out and committed adultery.”
- Jeremiah 3:9 – “Because Israel’s immorality mattered so little to her, she defiled the land and committed adultery with stone and wood.”
- Ezekiel 16:32 – “You adulterous wife! You prefer strangers to your own husband!”
- Hosea 3:1 – “The Lord said to me, ‘Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.’”
- Hosea 1:2 – “When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, ‘Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.’”
- Isaiah 57:3 – “But you—come here, you children of a sorceress, you offspring of adulterers and prostitutes!”
- Nahum 3:4 – “All because of the wanton lust of a prostitute, alluring, the mistress of sorceries, who enslaved nations by her prostitution and peoples by her witchcraft.”
- Malachi 2:11 – “Judah has been unfaithful. A detestable thing has been committed in Israel and in Jerusalem: Judah has desecrated the sanctuary the Lord loves by marrying women who worship a foreign god.”
God’s Judgment on 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 are to be put to death.”
- Proverbs 6:29 – “So is he who sleeps with another man’s wife; no one who touches her will go unpunished.”
- Jeremiah 29:23 – “They have done outrageous things in Israel; they have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and in my name they have uttered lies—which I did not authorize.”
- Ezekiel 16:38 – “I will sentence you to the punishment of women who commit adultery and who shed blood; I will bring on you the blood vengeance of my wrath and jealous anger.”
- Malachi 3:5 – “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,’ says the Lord Almighty.”
- Numbers 5:29 – “‘This is the law of jealousy when a wife, while under her husband’s authority, goes astray and defiles herself,”
- Psalms 50:18 – “When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers.”
- Jeremiah 5:11 – “The house of Israel and the house of Judah have been utterly unfaithful to me,” declares the Lord.
Adultery and Deceit
- Proverbs 30:20 – “This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth and says, ‘I’ve done nothing wrong.'”
- Proverbs 27:13 – “Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.”
- Proverbs 23:33 – “Your eyes will see strange sights, and your mind will imagine confusing things.”
- Jeremiah 9:2 – “Oh, that I had in the desert a lodging place for travelers, so that I might leave my people and go away from them; for they are all adulterers, a crowd of unfaithful people.”
- Job 24:15 – “The eye of the adulterer watches for dusk; he thinks, ‘No eye will see me,’ and he keeps his face concealed.”
- Proverbs 7:10 – “Then out came a woman to meet him, dressed like a prostitute and with crafty intent.”
- Micah 7:5 – “Do not trust a neighbor; put no confidence in a friend. Even with the woman who lies in your embrace guard your lips.”
- Proverbs 25:19 – “Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.”
- Proverbs 5:6 – “She gives no thought to the way of life; her paths wander aimlessly, but she does not know it.”
- Hosea 7:1 – “When I would heal Israel, the sins of Ephraim are exposed and the crimes of Samaria revealed. They practice deceit, thieves break into houses, bandits rob in the streets;”
Forgiveness of Adultery
- Luke 7:47-48 – “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little. Then Jesus said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.'”
- John 8:10-11 – “Jesus straightened up and asked her, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ ‘No one, sir,’ she said. ‘Then neither do I condemn you,’ Jesus declared. ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.'”
- Isaiah 1:18 – “‘Come now, let us settle the matter,’ says the LORD. ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.'”
- Psalm 32:5 – “Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.’ And you forgave the guilt of my sin.”
- 1 John 2:1-2 – “My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”
- Colossians 3:13 – “Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
- Matthew 6:14 – “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
- 2 Corinthians 2:7 – “Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.”
- Luke 17:3-4 – “So watch yourselves. ‘If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.'”
- Acts 8:22 – “Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.”
Protection from Adultery
- Proverbs 2:16 – “Wisdom will save you from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words.”
- Proverbs 7:1-3 – “My son, keep my words and store up my commands within you. Keep my commands and you will live; guard my teachings as the apple of your eye. Bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart.”
- Ephesians 6:11 – “Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
- 2 Timothy 2:22 – “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
- 1 Peter 5:8 – “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
- Proverbs 4:14-15 – “Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel on it; turn from it and go on your way.”
- 1 Corinthians 10:13 – “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”
- James 1:12-13 – “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”
- Proverbs 5:22 – “The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast.”
The Allure of Adultery
- Proverbs 6:24-26 – “Keeping you from your neighbor’s wife, from the smooth talk of a wayward woman. Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes, for the prostitute reduces you to a loaf of bread, and the adulteress preys upon your very life.”
- Proverbs 7:18 – “Come, let’s drink deeply of love till morning; let’s enjoy ourselves with love!”
- Proverbs 9:17 – “Stolen water is sweet; food eaten in secret is delicious!”
- Proverbs 5:19 – “A loving doe, a graceful deer—may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be intoxicated with her love.”
- Genesis 39:7-10 – “And after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ But he refused.”
- Proverbs 2:18-19 – “Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life.”
- Proverbs 7:21-23 – “With persuasive words she led him astray; she seduced him with her smooth talk. All at once he followed her like an ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose.”
Adultery and Public Shame
- Proverbs 6:33 – “Blows and disgrace are his lot, and his shame will never be wiped away.”
- Proverbs 19:26 – “He who robs his father and drives out his mother is a son who brings shame and disgrace.”
- Isaiah 54:4 – “Do not be afraid; you will not be put to shame. Don’t fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated. You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.”
- Hosea 4:13-14 – “They sacrifice on the mountaintops and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar and terebinth, where the shade is pleasant. Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution and your daughters-in-law to adultery. “I will not punish your daughters when they turn to prostitution, nor your daughters-in-law when they commit adultery, because the men themselves consort with harlots and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes— a people without understanding will come to ruin!”
- Proverbs 13:5 – “The righteous hate what is false, but the wicked make themselves a stench and bring shame on themselves.”
- Ezekiel 36:30 – “I will increase the fruit of the trees and the crops of the field, so that you will no longer suffer disgrace among the nations because of famine.”
- Proverbs 25:10 – “Otherwise, anyone who hears will shame you and you will never live it down.”
- Proverbs 12:16 – “Fools show their annoyance at once, but the prudent overlook an insult.”
- Proverbs 11:2 – “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
Conclusion
Exploring Bible verses about adultery reveals not only warnings but also the promise of forgiveness and healing. These scriptures reflect deep mercy and understanding, encouraging us to recognize the impact of our actions and the redemptive power of faith. May these verses guide and renew anyone seeking clarity in their spiritual journey.