Ezekiel 18:11

18:11 (though the father did not do any of them). ¹  He eats pagan sacrifices on the mountains, ²  defiles his neighbor’s wife,

Leviticus 18:20

18:20 You must not have sexual intercourse ³  with the wife of your fellow citizen to become unclean with her.

Leviticus 20:10

20:10 If a man ⁴  commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, ⁵  both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death.

Deuteronomy 22:22

22:22 If a man is caught having sexual relations with ⁶  a married woman ⁷  both the man who had relations with the woman and the woman herself must die; in this way you will purge ⁸  evil from Israel.

Job 31:9-11

31:9 If my heart has been enticed by a woman,

and I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s door, ⁹ 

31:10 then let my wife turn the millstone ¹⁰  for another man,

and may other men have sexual relations with her. ¹¹ 

31:11 For I would have committed ¹²  a shameful act, ¹³ 

an iniquity to be judged. ¹⁴ 

Jeremiah 5:7-8

5:7 The Lord asked, ¹⁵ 

“How can I leave you unpunished, Jerusalem? ¹⁶ 

Your people ¹⁷  have rejected me

and have worshiped gods that are not gods at all. ¹⁸ 

Even though I supplied all their needs, ¹⁹  they were like an unfaithful wife to me. ²⁰ 

They went flocking ²¹  to the houses of prostitutes. ²² 

5:8 They are like lusty, well-fed ²³  stallions.

Each of them lusts after ²⁴  his neighbor’s wife.

Jeremiah 9:2

9:2 (9:1) I wish I had a lodging place in the desert

where I could spend some time like a weary traveler. ²⁵ 

Then I would desert my people

and walk away from them

because they are all unfaithful to God,

a congregation ²⁶  of people that has been disloyal to him. ²⁷ 

Jeremiah 29:23

29:23 This will happen to them because they have done what is shameful ²⁸  in Israel. They have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives and have spoken lies while claiming my authority. ²⁹  They have spoken words that I did not command them to speak. I know what they have done. I have been a witness to it,’ says the Lord.” ³⁰ 

Malachi 3:5

3:5 “I ³¹  will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination, those who commit adultery, those who break promises, ³²  and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, ³³  who refuse to help ³⁴  the immigrant ³⁵  and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the Lord who rules over all.

Matthew 5:27-28

Adultery

5:27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ ³⁶  5:28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 5:1

The Beatitudes

5:1 When ³⁷  he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. ³⁸  After he sat down his disciples came to him.

Colossians 1:9

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

1:9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ³⁹  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ⁴⁰  to fill ⁴¹  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

Galatians 5:19

5:19 Now the works of the flesh ⁴²  are obvious: ⁴³  sexual immorality, impurity, depravity,

Hebrews 13:4

13:4 Marriage must be honored among all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge sexually immoral people and adulterers.

[18:11]  ¹ tn Heb “and he all of these did not do.” The parenthetical note refers back to the father described in the preceding verses.

[18:11]  ² sn See note on “mountains” in v. 6.

[18:20]  ³ tn Heb “And to the wife of your fellow citizen you shall not give your layer for seed.” The meaning of “your layer” (שְׁכָבְתְּךָ, shÿkhavtÿkha) is uncertain (see B. A. Levine, Leviticus [JPSTC], 122, “you shall not place your layer of semen”; but cf. also J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 283, and the literature cited there for the rendering, “you shall not give your penis for seed”).

[20:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “And a man who.” The syntax here and at the beginning of the following verses elliptically mirrors that of v. 9, which justifies the rendering as a conditional clause.

[20:10]  ⁵ tc The reading of the LXX minuscule mss has been followed here (see the BHS footnote a-a). The MT has a dittography, repeating “a man who commits adultery with the wife of” (see the explanation in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 328). The duplication found in the MT is reflected in some English versions, e.g., KJV, ASV, NASB, NIV.

[22:22]  ⁶ tn Heb “lying with” (so KJV, NASB), a Hebrew idiom for sexual relations.

[22:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “a woman married to a husband.”

[22:22]  ⁸ tn Heb “burn.” See note on the phrase “purge out” in Deut 21:21.

[31:9]  ⁹ tn Gordis notes that the word פֶּתַח (petakh, “door”) has sexual connotations in rabbinic literature, based on Prov 7:6ff. (see b. Ketubbot 9b). See also the use in Song 4:12 using a synonym.

[31:10]  ¹⁰ tn Targum Job interpreted the verb טָחַן (takhan, “grind”) in a sexual sense, and this has influenced other versions and commentaries. But the literal sense fits well in this line. The idea is that she would be a slave for someone else. The second line of the verse then might build on this to explain what kind of a slave – a concubine (see A. B. Davidson, Job, 215).

[31:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “bow down over her,” an idiom for sexual relations.

[31:11]  ¹² tn Heb “for that [would be].” In order to clarify the referent of “that,” which refers to v. 9 rather than v. 10, the words “I have committed” have been supplied in the translation.

[31:11]  ¹³ tn The word for “shameful act” is used especially for sexual offenses (cf. Lev 18:27).

[31:11]  ¹⁴ tc Some have deleted this verse as being short and irrelevant, not to mention problematic. But the difficulties are not insurmountable, and there is no reason to delete it. There is a Kethib-Qere reading in each half verse; in the first the Kethib is masculine for the subject but the Qere is feminine going with “shameless deed.” In the second colon the Kethib is the feminine agreeing with the preceding noun, but the Qere is masculine agreeing with “iniquity.”

[5:7]  ¹⁵ tn These words are not in the text, but are supplied in the translation to make clear who is speaking.

[5:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “How can I forgive [or pardon] you.” The pronoun “you” is second feminine singular, referring to the city. See v. 1.

[5:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “your children.”

[5:7]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “and they have sworn [oaths] by not-gods.”

[5:7]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “I satisfied them to the full.”

[5:7]  ²⁰ tn Heb “they committed adultery.” It is difficult to decide whether literal adultery with other women or spiritual adultery with other gods is meant. The word for adultery is used for both in the book of Jeremiah. For examples of its use for spiritual adultery see 3:8, 9; 9:2. For examples of its use for literal adultery see 7:9; 23:14. The context here could argue for either. The swearing by other gods and the implicit contradiction in their actions in contrast to the expected gratitude for supplying their needs argues for spiritual adultery. However, the reference to prostitution in the next line and the reference to chasing after their neighbor’s wives argues for literal adultery. The translation opts for spiritual adultery because of the contrast implicit in the concessive clause.

[5:7]  ²¹ tn There is a great deal of debate about the meaning of this word. Most of the modern English versions follow the lead of lexicographers who relate this word to a noun meaning “troop” and understand it to mean “they trooped together” (cf. BDB 151 s.v. גָּדַד Hithpo.2 and compare the usage in Mic 5:1 [4:14 HT]). A few of the modern English versions and commentaries follow the reading of the Greek and read a word meaning “they lodged” (reading ִיתְגּוֹרְרוּ [yitggorÿru] from I גּוּר [gur; cf. HALOT 177 s.v. Hithpo. and compare the usage in 1 Kgs 17:20] instead of יִתְגֹּדָדוּ [yitggodadu]). W. L. Holladay (Jeremiah [Hermeneia], 1:180) sees a reference here to the cultic practice of cutting oneself in supplication to pagan gods (cf. BDB 151 s.v. גָּדַד Hithpo.1 and compare the usage in 1 Kgs 18:28). The houses of prostitutes would then be a reference to ritual prostitutes at the pagan shrines. The translation follows BDB and the majority of modern English versions.

[5:7]  ²² tn Heb “to a house of a prostitute.”

[5:8]  ²³ tn The meanings of these two adjectives are uncertain. The translation of the first adjective is based on assuming that the word is a defectively written participle related to the noun “testicle” (a Hiphil participle מַאֲשִׁכִים [ma’ashikhim] from a verb related to אֶשֶׁךְ [’eshekh, “testicle”]; cf. Lev 21:20) and hence “having testicles” (cf. HALOT 1379 s.v. שָׁכָה) instead of the Masoretic form מַשְׁכִּים (mashkim) from a root שָׁכָה (shakhah), which is otherwise unattested in either verbal or nominal forms. The second adjective is best derived from a verb root meaning “to feed” (a Hophal participle מוּזָנִים [muzanim, the Kethib] from a root זוּן [zun; cf. BDB 266 s.v. זוּן] for which there is the cognate noun מָזוֹן [mazon; cf. 2 Chr 11:23]). This is more likely than the derivation from a root יָזַן ([yazan]reading מְיֻזָּנִים [mÿyuzzanim], a Pual participle with the Qere) which is otherwise unattested in verbal or nominal forms and whose meaning is dependent only on a supposed Arabic cognate (cf. HALOT 387 s.v. יָזַן).

[5:8]  ²⁴ tn Heb “neighs after.”

[9:2]  ²⁵ tn Heb “I wish I had in the desert a lodging place [inn, or place to spend the night] for travelers.”

[9:2]  ²⁶ tn Or “bunch,” but this loses the irony; the word is used for the solemn assemblies at the religious feasts.

[9:2]  ²⁷ tn Heb “they are all adulterers, a congregation of unfaithful people.” However, spiritual adultery is, of course, meant, not literal adultery. So the literal translation would be misleading.

[29:23]  ²⁸ tn It is commonly assumed that this word is explained by the two verbal actions that follow. The word (נְבָלָה, nÿvalah) is rather commonly used of sins of unchastity (cf., e.g., Gen 34:7; Judg 19:23; 2 Sam 13:12) which would fit the reference to adultery. However, the word is singular and not likely to cover both actions that follow. The word is also used of the greedy act of Achan (Josh 7:15) which threatened Israel with destruction and the churlish behavior of Nabal (1 Sam 25:25) which threatened him and his household with destruction. The word is also used of foolish talk in Isa 9:17 (9:16 HT) and Isa 32:6. It is possible that this refers to a separate act, one that would have brought the death penalty from Nebuchadnezzar, i.e., the preaching of rebellion in conformity with the message of the false prophets in Jerusalem and other nations (cf. 27:9, 13). Hence it is possible that the translation should read: “This will happen because of their vile conduct. They have propagated rebellion. They have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives. They have spoken words that I did not command them to speak. They have spoken lies while claiming my authority.”

[29:23]  ²⁹ tn Heb “prophesying lies in my name.” For an explanation of this idiom see the study notes on 14:14 and 23:27.

[29:23]  ³⁰ tn Heb “Oracle of the Lord.”

[3:5]  ³¹ tn The first person pronoun (a reference to the Lord) indicates that the Lord himself now speaks (see also v. 1). The prophet speaks in vv. 2-4 (see also 2:17).

[3:5]  ³² tn Heb “those who swear [oaths] falsely.” Cf. NIV “perjurers”; TEV “those who give false testimony”; NLT “liars.”

[3:5]  ³³ tn Heb “and against the oppressors of the worker for a wage, [the] widow and orphan.”

[3:5]  ³⁴ tn Heb “those who turn aside.”

[3:5]  ³⁵ tn Or “resident foreigner”; NIV “aliens”; NRSV “the alien.”

[5:27]  ³⁶ sn A quotation from Exod 20:14; Deut 5:17.

[5:1]  ³⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[5:1]  ³⁸ tn Or “up a mountain” (εἰς τὸ ὄρος, eis to oro").

[1:9]  ³⁹ tn Or “heard about it”; Grk “heard.” There is no direct object stated in the Greek (direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context). A direct object is expected by an English reader, however, so most translations supply one. Here, however, it is not entirely clear what the author “heard”: a number of translations supply “it” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV; NAB “this”), but this could refer back either to (1) “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8, or (2) “your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints” (v. 4). In light of this uncertainty, other translations supply “about you” (TEV, NIV, CEV, NLT). This is preferred by the present translation since, while it does not resolve the ambiguity entirely, it does make it less easy for the English reader to limit the reference only to “your love in the Spirit” at the end of v. 8.

[1:9]  ⁴⁰ tn The term “God” does not appear in the Greek text, but the following reference to “the knowledge of his will” makes it clear that “God” is in view as the object of the “praying and asking,” and should therefore be included in the English translation for clarity.

[1:9]  ⁴¹ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as substantival, indicating the content of the prayer and asking. The idea of purpose may also be present in this clause.

[5:19]  ⁴² tn See the note on the word “flesh” in Gal 5:13.

[5:19]  ⁴³ tn Or “clear,” “evident.”