Matthew 5:28 (ASV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Matthew 5:30 And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body go into hell.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "looketh", "woman", "lust", "after", "hath", "committed", "adultery", and "already". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "looketh" and "woman", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 27's "Ye have heard that it was said..." into verse 29's "And if thy right eye causeth thee...", so "looketh" and "woman" 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 "looketh" and "woman" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.