the jewish understanding of adultery

[steve]

does anyone here hold to the jewish understanding of the concept of adultery, or do you just believe that it is sex outside of marriage?

if this was covered somewhere else, please forgive me for not finding it and please let me know where to find it

thanx
steve

 

[Mark C]

Literally, "woman who breaks wedlock" in most renderings, steve.

The status of the man is immaterial. It is the fact that a married woman has sex outside of her Covenant commitment that defines the act. (Note that the question of a man, married or not, who has sexual relations with other women is addressed elsewhere in Scripture. This is a confusion, of course, for those who try to deny the self-consistency of what God has to say about marriage.)

Most concordances that I have seen manage to render this one correctly. (Now that I think of it, that definition is probably a good 'litmus test' for such references. )

 

[steve]

i knew that you would have it down pat, mark, and since no one else spoke up i will assume that everyone understands that a husband can commit the sin of fornication without it being adultery

 

[rncj_33830]

My understanding of the word is that adultery is a change of allegiance. not necessarily in a physical idea but spiritually as well. The woman has allegiance to her husband and a physical relationship outside of marriage is adultery. But the man as the head of the wife is guilty of adultery if he does not uphold the marriage commitment to provide for the wife and her children. A sexual relationship outside of the marriage would be sinful if it was hidden or reduced the wife's proper care and emotional well being. In our current society it wold be nearly 100% wrong. but in God's word it was not.

Rob

 

[steve]

My understanding of the word is that adultery is a change of allegiance. not necessarily in a physical idea but spiritually as well. The woman has allegiance to her husband and a physical relationship outside of marriage is adultery. But the man as the head of the wife is guilty of adultery if he does not uphold the marriage commitment to provide for the wife and her children. A sexual relationship outside of the marriage would be sinful if it was hidden or reduced the wife's proper care and emotional well being.

that may be the modern day definition, but it is not the biblical one. when we read the bible we must be carefull to read it in the way that the Author wrote it, not as we have reinterpreted it.

In our current society it wold be nearly 100% wrong. but in God's word it was not.

i am not sure what you mean here. whoring and fornication always was and still is sin.

 

[sadanyagci]

that may be the modern day definition, but it is not the biblical one. when we read the bible we must be carefull to read it in the way that the Author wrote it, not as we have reinterpreted it.

I concur. If sin changes based on our definition of it then one could redefine it or reinterpret it out of existence. So then what is decided by man is meaningless. It is God's Word that stands firm.

By the original, God-given definition of adultery, a man is in adultery by having sexual relations with another man's wife, and a woman is in adultery by being married and having sexual relations with a man who is not her husband. Therefore, worldly definitions of adultery and the less defined "cheating" are invalid and worthless.

As such redefining methods used upon marriage and relationships are not based in God's word, to hold up such new definitions is calling God a fool and thinking one's self wiser than Him... judging Him. To top it off, it is also societally and self detrimental, as God's word was written not for His benefit but for our's. To go beyond it and say one's own thinking and current ideologies are greater is to stand upon the Law and judge it, which is to hold yourself better than it.

It is no wonder that those who hold to these definitions and act or speak concerning them tend to display great amounts of pride and rebelliousness, just in their general temperament. Such should be far from the hearts of God's people.

 

[Tlaloc]

"if sin changes based on our definition of it then one could redefine it or reinterpret it out of existence"

This seems to be mankinds present goal.