Matthew 5:28 (GNV)

Passage

But I say vnto you, that whosoeuer looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adulterie with her already in his heart.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:26 Verely I say vnto thee, thou shalt not come out thence, till thou hast payed the vtmost farthing.

Matthew 5:27 Ye haue heard that it was sayd to them of olde time, Thou shalt not commit adulterie.

Matthew 5:28 But I say vnto you, that whosoeuer looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adulterie with her already in his heart.

Matthew 5:29 Wherefore if thy right eye cause thee to offend, plucke it out, and cast it from thee: for better it is for thee, that one of thy members perish, then that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Matthew 5:30 Also if thy right hand make thee to offend, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for better it is for thee that one of thy members perish, then that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 27's "Ye haue heard that it was sayd..." into verse 29's "Wherefore if thy right eye cause thee...", so "vnto" and "whosoeuer" 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 "vnto" and "whosoeuer" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.