MAT 5:27-30

Adultery

27"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.'

28But I say to you that everyone who is gazing upon a woman with intent to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29And if your right eye is causing you to stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of your members be destroyed than that your whole body be thrown into Gehenna.

30And if your right hand is causing you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of your members be destroyed than that your whole body go off into Gehenna."

In the world it was spoken into

In 1st-century Jewish culture, adultery was understood primarily as a violation of marital fidelity, punishable under Mosaic law. The prohibition against adultery (Exodus 20:14) was widely known and upheld as a cornerstone of societal morality. However, Jesus’s statement reframes adultery as an internal matter of the heart, focusing on the intentional gaze and desire rather than the external act alone. This would have been jarring to listeners accustomed to equating righteousness with outward compliance to the law. The mention of (Gehenna), a term evoking the valley associated with judgment and destruction, heightened the stakes of this teaching. The hyperbolic imagery of removing an eye or hand to avoid sin reflects a radical prioritization of spiritual integrity over physical wholeness, a concept that would have challenged both Jewish and Greco-Roman notions of bodily honor and function.

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How other translations render this

MAT 5:27

KJV: Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
BSB: You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’
Koinōnos: You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery.

MAT 5:28

KJV: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
BSB: But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Koinōnos: But I say to you that everyone who is gazing upon a woman with intent to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

MAT 5:29

KJV: And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
BSB: If 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.
Koinōnos: And if your right eye is causing you to stumble, tear it out and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of your members be destroyed than that your whole body be thrown into Gehenna.

MAT 5:30

KJV: And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
BSB: And 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.
Koinōnos: And if your right hand is causing you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you that one of your members be destroyed than that your whole body go off into Gehenna.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Translator's notes

MAT 5:28

is looking upon:The word translated 'is looking upon' implies a sustained, intentional gaze, not a fleeting glance. It suggests a deliberate act of observation.
to lust after:The term translated 'to lust after' describes a strong, often illicit, desire or craving. It's a deep longing that goes beyond simple admiration.

MAT 5:29

causes to stumble:The word translated 'causes to stumble' refers to placing an obstacle or trap that leads someone to fall into sin or moral failure. It's about creating a snare.
hell.:The word translated 'hell' refers to 'Gehenna,' a valley outside Jerusalem historically associated with child sacrifice and later used as a garbage dump, becoming a metaphor for a place of fiery judgment and destruction.