μοιχ-εύω G3431
To commit adultery; in the causative sense, to bring about or cause adultery to occur.
One of the gravest moral terms in the New Testament, μοιχεύω appears in Jesus' intensification of the Torah's prohibition: not only the physical act but even the lustful gaze constitutes adultery of the heart (Matt 5:27-28). The word recurs across the Synoptic Gospels in the context of the Decalogue's seventh commandment, with Spanish 'adulterar,' French 'commettre l'adultère,' and German 'Ehebruch begehen' all preserving the seriousness of covenant violation. Jesus' teaching on divorce (Matt 5:32) introduces a causative dimension — one who wrongly divorces a spouse 'causes her to be adulterated.'
Senses
1. commit adultery — The standard sense of committing adultery, covering direct prohibitions (Matt 5:27; Mark 10:19), descriptions of those who commit it (Matt 5:28; Luke 16:18), and confessional acknowledgments. Across languages the translations are remarkably uniform — Spanish 'adultera/adulterar,' French 'commettre l'adultère,' German 'Ehebruch begehen' — reflecting the universal moral gravity of marital unfaithfulness. This sense spans active declarations, participial descriptions, and future prohibitions across 14 occurrences. 14×
AR["الزّانينَ", "تَزني", "تَزنِ", "تَزْنِ", "زانِيَة", "زَنَى-بِهَا", "يَزْنِي"]·ben["তুমি-ব্যভিচার-কর?", "ব্যভিচার-কর", "ব্যভিচার-করতে", "ব্যভিচার-করতে,", "ব্যভিচার-করবে", "ব্যভিচার-করবে,", "ব্যভিচার-করবে:", "ব্যভিচার-করে", "ব্যভিচার-করেছে", "ব্যভিচার-করো", "ব্যভিচারকারীদের"]·DE["Ehebruch-begehen", "bricht-Ehe"]·EN["commits-adultery", "committed-adultery", "committing-adultery", "do-you-commit-adultery", "to-commit-adultery", "you-commit-adultery", "you-shall-commit-adultery", "you-will-commit-adultery"]·FR["commettre-l'adultère"]·heb["הָ-מְנָאֲפִים", "לִנְאֹף", "נִאֵף", "נִאוּף", "נוֹאֵף", "נוֹאֵף-אַתָּה", "תִּנְאַף", "תִּנְאָף"]·HI["व्यभिचअर-करेग", "व्यभिचार-कर", "व्यभिचार-करता-है", "व्यभिचार-करता-है।", "व्यभिचार-करते", "व्यभिचार-करते-हुए।", "व्यभिचार-करना", "व्यभिचार-करनेवालों-को", "व्यभिचार-करेगा", "व्यभिचार-करो", "व्यभिचार-किया"]·ID["berzina", "berzinah", "berzinah,", "berzinah?", "yang-berzinah"]·IT["commettere-adulterio", "emoicheusen", "moicheuei", "moicheueis", "moicheuomene", "moicheuontas", "moicheuseis", "moicheuses", "moicheusēs"]·jav["Panjenengan-mboten-badhé-mejahi,", "ingkang-laku-jina", "jina;", "laku-jina", "laku-jina,", "laku-jina.", "panjenengan-laku-jina?"]·KO["간음하기-를", "간음하는-자들-을", "간음하는-중에", "간음하는가", "간음하라", "간음하지", "간음하지-말라", "간음하지-말라,", "간음하지-않고,", "간음한다", "간음했다"]·PT["adulterando", "adulterar", "adulterareis,", "adulterarás;", "adulteras", "adulterou", "cometas-adultério", "comete-adultério", "cometerás-adultério", "cometes-adultério", "que-adulteram"]·RU["не-", "прелюбодействовал", "прелюбодействовать", "прелюбодействует", "прелюбодействуешь", "прелюбодействуешь,", "прелюбодействуй", "прелюбодействуй,", "прелюбодействуй;", "прелюбодействующая", "прелюбодействующих"]·ES["adultera", "adulterar", "adulterarás", "adulteras", "cometas-adulterio", "cometerás-adulterio", "cometes-adulterio", "cometiendo-adulterio", "cometió-adulterio", "que-adulteran"]·SW["-", "akizini", "amezini-naye", "anazini", "huzini", "kuzini", "unazini", "uzini", "wazinaio", "zini", "zini,"]·TR["zina", "zina-edeceksin", "zina-edenleri", "zina-ederken", "zina-edersen", "zina-ediyor", "zina-et", "zina-etmek,", "zina-etti", "zina-mi-ediyorsun?"]·urd["تو-زنا-کرتا-ہے", "زنا-کر", "زنا-کرتا-ہے", "زنا-کرتی-ہوئی", "زنا-کرتے٬", "زنا-کرنا", "زنا-کرنے-والوں-کو", "زنا-کرو٬", "زنا-کرے-گا", "زنا-کیا"]
Matt 5:27, Matt 5:28, Matt 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 16:18, Luke 16:18, Luke 18:20, John 8:4, Rom 2:22, Rom 2:22, Rom 13:9, Jas 2:11 (+2 more)
2. cause to commit adultery — A causative or indirect sense appearing in Matt 5:32, where the one who divorces his wife without valid grounds 'causes her to commit adultery' (μοιχευθῆναι, aorist passive infinitive). The passive morphology here carries causative force: the divorcing husband, not the woman, bears moral responsibility. Spanish 'cometer adulterio' and German 'bricht Ehe' in this context point to the induced, rather than voluntary, nature of the transgression — a crucial distinction in Jesus' divorce teaching. 1×
AR["تَزْنِي"]·ben["ব্যভিচারিণী-হতে;"]·DE["bricht-Ehe"]·EN["to-commit-adultery"]·FR["commettre-l'adultère"]·heb["לִנְאֹף"]·HI["व्यभिचारिणी-बनाने"]·ID["berzina"]·IT["moicheuthenai"]·jav["laku-jina"]·KO["간음하도록"]·PT["adulterar"]·RU["прелюбодействующей"]·ES["cometer-adulterio"]·SW["kuzini"]·TR["zina-etmiş"]·urd["زانیہ-کروانے-والی"]
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451b 1. evil, wickedness (moral) (83×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)G1342 1. righteous, upright (of persons) (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
μοιχ-εύω, commit adultery with a woman, debauch her, with accusative, Refs 5th c.BC+:—passive, of the woman, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 metaphorically, worship idolatrously, τὸ ξύλον καὶ τὸν λίθον LXX __II intransitive, commit adultery, Refs 6th c.BC+ __III metaphorically, in future middle (in passive sense), οὐ μοιχεύσεταί μου τὰ φιλήματα her kisses shall not be adulterously stolen from me, Refs 3rd c.AD+