Bible Study Can An Unmarried Person Commit Adultery?

[Michael74]

When it comes to the Bible, does adultery specifically refer to a relationship between a man and a married woman or does it include a relationship between a woman and a married man?

They had polygamy in OT days. A married man who seduced an unbetrothed virgin would simply have 2 wives.

How about a single man and a woman or a single woman and a man?

A man (single or married) who seduced an unbetrothed virgin was instructed to marry her.

 

[Michael74]

The Bible was penned by men...

Do you believe the Bible is divinely inspired?

...chauvinistic...

Protective might be a better word. The situation for single mothers back then was much different from today. Back in the day, most people farmed by hand, which required considerable physical strength. A single woman would be in a serious situation, since she would probably not have the physical strength to farm by hand. A single pregnant woman would be in an almost impossible situation. Remember that they did not have the pill back then. A single woman who slept with a man would almost certainly become a single mother. Almost no one would be willing to marry her, and much of the time she would have no way to support her baby.

Paul instructed young widows to remarry, and older widows to be supported by the church. Single women just did not have the physical strength to earn a living with OT or NT era jobs. It was not like today where a single woman can become a doctor or lawyer, and earn megabucks.

So, if a man made an unbetrothed virgin pregnant, he was commanded to support both her and her children. He paid the bride price to her father in addition to marrying her. The bride price was not to be used by her father for any purpose other than supporting his daughter and her children should she become a widow. The whole purpose was to protect young female virgins from being put in an almost impossible situation. To protect both her and her children.

 

[Michael74]

There is far more to it, of course. No one today should sleep with anyone that they are not married to. There are spiritual considerations, as well as temporal ones. The best plan is for one man to marry one woman, and love each other madly forever. Anything that detracts from that ideal is keeping people away from what is best for them.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

HIR,

You are correct. This passage from Deut 22 demonstrates the Old Covenant view of adultery vs fornication:

Deuteronomy 22:22-29 New Living Translation (NLT)

22 “If a man is discovered committing adultery, both he and the woman must die. In this way, you will purge Israel of such evil.

23 “Suppose a man meets a young woman, a virgin who is engaged to be married, and he has sexual intercourse with her. If this happens within a town, 24 you must take both of them to the gates of that town and stone them to death. The woman is guilty because she did not scream for help. The man must die because he violated another man’s wife. In this way, you will purge this evil from among you.

25 “But if the man meets the engaged woman out in the country, and he rapes her, then only the man must die. 26 Do nothing to the young woman; she has committed no crime worthy of death. She is as innocent as a murder victim. 27 Since the man raped her out in the country, it must be assumed that she screamed, but there was no one to rescue her.

28 “Suppose a man has intercourse with a young woman who is a virgin but is not engaged to be married. If they are discovered, 29 he must pay her father fifty pieces of silver.[a] Then he must marry the young woman because he violated her, and he may never divorce her as long as he lives.

Oz

I don't really understand all those verses you quoted but I do understand enough of the correct response when it comes to this issue because of the other answers.

Ooops...I said Ozpen and I should have said Michael74

My bad

Actually I do believe that I'm the one who said that. LOL!

 

[OzSpen]

I have a concern that we look too much at the letter and not the intent. When it comes to the Bible, does adultery specifically refer to a relationship between a man and a married woman or does it include a relationship between a woman and a married man? How about a single man and a woman or a single woman and a man?

The Bible was penned by men that did not value women aside from property and as one reads through it, a chauvinistic tone is certainly present.

When Jesus addressed the question of adultery in Matthew 5:28 He said (NKJV) "whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." He doesn't separate married from single but if we take it just at the letter, is it appropriate to say that He did not intend it the other way around so if a woman looks at a man to lust for him has she committed adultery in her heart?

WIP,

So who then are fornicators since they are separate from adulterers and homosexuals (1 Cor 6:9-11)?

Oz

 

[OzSpen]

Oh yeah and OzSpen, if committing adultery only revolves around a married person having sex with somebody else then explain the meaning of Matthew 5:28

HIR,

Commentaries are available online to have Bible teachers to explain this verse. Are you trying to catch me out?

In the phrase, “the husband of but one wife” in 1 Tim 3:12, it uses the word for “wife” as the Greek, gune. Arndt & Gingrich's Greek-English Lexicon (1957:167) states that gune can refer to the following:

1. Remember Matt. 9:20? It reads, “Just then a woman [gune] who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. So, gune here refers to “any adult female.” You’ll find a similar kind of use for gune in Lk. 1:42; 1 Cor. 14:34ff.
2. It can refer to “wife” as in Matt. 5:28; I Cor. 9:5; Col. 3:18ff. In Luke 4:26, we read, “Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.” The “widow” is gune in the Greek.
3. In Matt. 1:20, Mary is said to be Joseph’s bride or wife [gune].
4. In Rev. 12:1-17, gune speaks of “the woman in heaven.”

So, gune can mean an adult woman, wife, or widow.

Exceptions are provided in Scripture and Matt 5:28 is one of them.

We know God hates divorce (Mal 2:16). However, he makes exceptions: (1) If the unbelieving spouse leaves (1 Cor 7:15), and (2) If one spouse commits adultery (Matt 5:31-32).

From God’s perspective, to lust after a woman is committing adultery in men’s minds.

Oz

 

[Corn Pop]

Lusting after someone is putting God second so in Jesus eyes its adultary. May as well be worshipping an idol.

 

[WIP]

WIP,

So who then are fornicators since they are separate from adulterers and homosexuals (1 Cor 6:9-11)?

Oz

Fornicators are those who indulge in sexual activity outside the bonds of marriage. Why do you ask? That is my point in the post you referenced. I'm thinking Jesus called out all sexual sin under the umbrella of adultery.

 

[WIP]

Commentaries are available online to have Bible teachers to explain this verse. Are you trying to catch me out?

Therein lies the problem. Nobody is trying to trap you in your own words. Just discussing the topic to gain Godly understanding.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

HIR,

Commentaries are available online to have Bible teachers to explain this verse. Are you trying to catch me out?

In the phrase, “the husband of but one wife” in 1 Tim 3:12, it uses the word for “wife” as the Greek, gune. Arndt & Gingrich's Greek-English Lexicon (1957:167) states that gune can refer to the following:

1. Remember Matt. 9:20? It reads, “Just then a woman [gune] who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. So, gune here refers to “any adult female.” You’ll find a similar kind of use for gune in Lk. 1:42; 1 Cor. 14:34ff.
2. It can refer to “wife” as in Matt. 5:28; I Cor. 9:5; Col. 3:18ff. In Luke 4:26, we read, “Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.” The “widow” is gune in the Greek.
3. In Matt. 1:20, Mary is said to be Joseph’s bride or wife [gune].
4. In Rev. 12:1-17, gune speaks of “the woman in heaven.”

So, gune can mean an adult woman, wife, or widow.

Exceptions are provided in Scripture and Matt 5:28 is one of them.

We know God hates divorce (Mal 2:16). However, he makes exceptions: (1) If the unbelieving spouse leaves (1 Cor 7:15), and (2) If one spouse commits adultery (Matt 5:31-32).

From God’s perspective, to lust after a woman is committing adultery in men’s minds.

Oz

That didn't really answer my question. You said that adultery only had to do with sex and I posted scripture to prove you wrong and unless the scripture (that I don't understand) you provided shares your thoughts on that verse then all it proves is that you were mistaken.


Which I know I've been mistaken many times before (and I have admitted it on here) and only God knows everything so it's nothing to get upset over.

 

[OzSpen]

Therein lies the problem. Nobody is trying to trap you in your own words. Just discussing the topic to gain Godly understanding.

WIP,

We should realise that God gave teachers to the church (1 Cor 12:28-29; Eph 4:10-12; Rom 12:3-8). These teachers can come to us as commentators who explain Scripture from the original languages. We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us.

Our understanding of those teachers need to be accompanied by this discernment (by ALL believers): 'Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so' (Acts 17:11 ESV).

Oz

​

 

[OzSpen]

That didn't really answer my question. You said that adultery only had to do with sex and I posted scripture to prove you wrong and unless the scripture (that I don't understand) you provided shares your thoughts on that verse then all it proves is that you were mistaken.

Which I know I've been mistaken many times before (and I have admitted it on here) and only God knows everything so it's nothing to get upset over.

HIR,

That's my error in not explaining it further in #10 where I stated: "Why not call adultery for what it is? It is a married person having sex with another person who is not his/her spouse".

You stated "You said that adultery only had to do with sex and I posted scripture to prove you wrong". I did not use 'only' but from what I said in #10 I made myself open to that interpretation.

According to Matt 5:28 (ESV) another dimension is added by Jesus: "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart". What is 'lustful intent'? Jesus' enemies regarded the physical act of adultery as sin. Jesus went further in considering the lust of the heart as evil, just as he viewed hatred of the heart as murder (Matt 5:21-22 ESV).

Could this mean adultery of the heart-mind? Matt 5:28 could refer us back to Exodus 20:27 to remind us that the physical act of adultery is already in the mind when a man covets his neighbour's wife?

Oz

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

HIR,

That's my error in not explaining it further in #10 where I stated: "Why not call adultery for what it is? It is a married person having sex with another person who is not his/her spouse".

You stated "You said that adultery only had to do with sex and I posted scripture to prove you wrong". I did not use 'only' but from what I said in #10 I made myself open to that interpretation.

According to Matt 5:28 (ESV) another dimension is added by Jesus: "But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart". What is 'lustful intent'? Jesus' enemies regarded the physical act of adultery as sin. Jesus went further in considering the lust of the heart as evil, just as he viewed hatred of the heart as murder (Matt 5:21-22 ESV).

Could this mean adultery of the heart-mind? Matt 5:28 could refer us back to Exodus 20:27 to remind us that the physical act of adultery is already in the mind when a man covets his neighbour's wife?

Oz

So what I'm getting from you is that you didn't mean it like that, it just happened to come out that way. Is that right?

 

[OzSpen]

So what I'm getting from you is that you didn't mean it like that, it just happened to come out that way. Is that right?

No. I didn't do a comprehensive exposition. It was only partial. What I stated was true as far as it went.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

No. I didn't do a comprehensive exposition. It was only partial. What I stated was true as far as it went.

I'm sorry, could you please rephrase that?

 

[OzSpen]

I'm sorry, could you please rephrase that?

Is it true biblically that a person, outside of a marriage union, who has sexual relations with one of the spouses has committed adultery? But that's not the only way the Bible says we can commit adultery.

 

[WIP]

Is it true biblically that a person, outside of a marriage union, who has sexual relations with one of the spouses has committed adultery? But that's not the only way the Bible says we can commit adultery.

This would be worth clarifying. I believe as you do that the Bible defines adultery a little more broadly than Webster's dictionary. Can you please provide some examples?

 

[OzSpen]

This would be worth clarifying. I believe as you do that the Bible defines adultery a little more broadly than Webster's dictionary. Can you please provide some examples?

WIP,

The Merriam-Webster dictionary (online) gives the definition that adultery is 'voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than that person's current spouse or partner' (2019. s.v. adultery).

You can check out Strong's Concordance online to find the other biblical meanings of adultery. See: http://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html

Oz

 

[WIP]

WIP,

The Merriam-Webster dictionary (online) gives the definition that adultery is 'voluntary sexual intercourse between a married person and someone other than that person's current spouse or partner' (2019. s.v. adultery).

You can check out Strong's Concordance online to find the other biblical meanings of adultery. See: http://www.eliyah.com/lexicon.html

Oz

Concordances confuse the daylights out of me and I get little value from reading them. I was hoping you could provide a laymen's explanation for us.

 

[dianegcook]

I'm pretty sure that this question was answered already but I can't remember the answer. I was just a little curious if an engaged person could commit it, or if somebody is lusting after another married person (or in a sexual relationship with them already) does that mean they are just as guilty as them? Well yes they are but I mean are they considered an adulterer then?

Yes, you can commit adultery spiritual.
By following after false doctrine, other gods.

This is why God DIVORCED Israel.
Jer.3:8
And when I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce, yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.

Flesh?
It is wrong also.
Though it is not the unforgiven sin.