Matthew 5:27 (ASV)

Passage

Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art with him in the way; lest haply the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

Matthew 5:26 Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the last farthing.

Matthew 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said, Thou shalt not commit adultery:

Matthew 5:28 but I say unto you, that every one that looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

Matthew 5:29 And if thy right eye causeth thee to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body be cast into hell.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heard", "said", "thou", "shalt", "commit", and "adultery". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heard" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 26's "Verily I say unto thee thou shalt..." into verse 28's "but I say unto you that every...", so "heard" and "said" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "heard" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.