Deuteronomy 22:22 Meaning: Law, Adultery, and Jesus’ Mercy
If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both die, the man who lay with the woman and the woman. So you shall remove the evil from Israel.
If a man be found lying with a woman married to an husband, then they shall both of them die, both the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away evil from Israel.
If a man be found lying with a woman married to a husband, then they shall both of them die, the man that lay with the woman, and the woman: so shalt thou put away the evil from Israel.
`When a man is found lying with a woman, married to a husband, then they have died even both of them, the man who is lying with the woman, also the woman; and thou hast put away the evil thing out of Israel.
If a man be found lying with a man's wife, they shall both of them die, the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; and thou shalt put away evil from Israel.
Meaning in one sentence
Why does Deuteronomy 22:22 prescribe death for adultery? Learn how this law reflects God’s view of marriage and how Jesus’ mercy fulfills the Law.
Context
This verse comes from a collection of laws Moses gave to Israel as they prepared to enter the promised land. The surrounding verses deal with various cases of sexual sin, each with a specific judgment. Adultery, breaking the marriage covenant, carried the death penalty for both parties. For ancient Israel, marriage was not just a personal arrangement but a covenant that reflected God’s own faithfulness to His people. The law was designed to protect that sacred bond and to remove what was seen as corrupting influence from the community. Understanding this context helps us see why the penalty was so severe, even as Christians later read these laws through the lens of Christ’s fulfillment.
Key Words
Three Hebrew words shape the weight of this verse. First, the verb ‘found’ (matsa) does not mean suspicion or rumor. It pictures discovery in the act, concrete evidence, not hearsay. The law does not punish accusation; it deals with what is known.
Second, the phrase ‘lying with’ (shakhav) is the ordinary word for sexual intimacy. It is not euphemistic; it names the act plainly. Both parties are named, both held accountable.
Third, the command to ‘remove the evil’ (bi’arta hara) uses a word for burning out or purging. In the Old Testament, evil is compared to a contagion that must be expelled to protect the whole community. This is not harshness for its own sake. It reflects how seriously God takes the covenant of marriage, a covenant that points to His own faithfulness to His people.
How Christians Read This Verse
Across Christian traditions, this verse is read as a sign of the sacredness of marriage. Many understand it as part of the civil law for theocratic Israel, not a rule for modern governments. As Calvin put it, the law shows “how greatly God abominates adultery” because marriage is a covenant consecrated by God. Others emphasize that the law itself included safeguards, the woman caught in adultery in John 8 was brought before Jesus, who reminded the accusers of their own sin and then told her, “Go, and sin no more.” Both Testaments agree on the gravity of adultery, but the New Covenant responds with grace that leads to repentance rather than death.
A common misunderstanding
One common misunderstanding is that this verse commands Christians today to execute people for adultery. In fact, this law was part of the civil code for ancient Israel as a theocratic nation. The New Testament, while affirming the seriousness of adultery, instructs the church to address sin through repentance, forgiveness, and church discipline, not capital punishment. Jesus himself, when confronted with a woman caught in adultery, did not condemn her but called her to a changed life.
Living This Out
You may never face a decision about adultery in your community. But this verse still asks something of you. It calls you to take the marriage covenant seriously, your own and others’. That might mean guarding your own heart and boundaries. It might mean supporting someone whose marriage is under threat. And the phrase ‘remove the evil’ invites you to look at what corrupts your own life and relationships, and with God’s help, to cut it out. The law’s severity points to how destructive sin is. But the gospel shows that God’s ultimate response to that sin is not death for us, but death for His Son, so we could be forgiven and start again.
Main takeaway: God’s law against adultery reveals the sacredness of marriage and our deep need for the mercy He offers in Christ.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
This rule in the Bible shows that God wants married people to be faithful to each other. It was very serious in Israel because marriage is a special promise. God cares about our promises too.
For ages 9, 12
This verse is part of the laws God gave to Israel. It tells us how important marriage is to God, a promise not to be broken. Today, we don’t follow these civil laws, but we still learn that faithfulness matters. Jesus showed mercy to the woman caught in adultery, and He calls us to be faithful and forgiving, just as He is with us.
Questions People Ask
Why did God command death for adultery in the Old Testament?
In the nation of Israel, God was the direct ruler. Adultery broke the marriage covenant, which was a picture of God’s covenant with His people. The death penalty protected the community from the kind of corruption that spreads when trust is destroyed. It showed how seriously God takes faithfulness.
Does Deuteronomy 22:22 mean Christians should execute adulterers today?
No. This law was part of the civil code for the nation of Israel, not a rule for all governments. The New Testament addresses adultery through church discipline and calls for repentance and forgiveness, not capital punishment. Christians are under the New Covenant, where grace leads to transformation.
How does this law relate to Jesus and the woman caught in adultery in John 8?
In John 8, religious leaders brought a woman caught in adultery and reminded Jesus of Moses’ law. Jesus did not deny the law’s seriousness, but He showed mercy and called the woman to leave her sin. This shows that while the law condemns, Jesus offers forgiveness and a new start. The moral standard remains, but the response is grace.
Why does this verse punish both the man and the woman equally?
The law holds both parties responsible for the act of adultery because both willingly broke the marriage covenant. The surrounding verses show that the law distinguished between consensual adultery and rape (vv. 25, 27). In cases of mutual consent, both were equally guilty before God and the community.
What does “remove the evil from Israel” mean?
The word “remove” (ba’ar) has the sense of purging or burning out something harmful, like a disease. In Israel, unpunished sin was seen as a danger to the whole community’s relationship with God. The execution removed both the guilty person and the public corruption of the covenant. For Christians, we still take sin seriously but trust that Christ has removed our evil through His sacrifice.
For pastors & researchers
Hebrew interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study