Breaking Down The Meaning Of Adult-ery!

Please take a sit and read and if you cannot join in,please move to another post.

Good day Mrs Korkus,

I have been following your blog for some years now and I have just finished reading the story about Richard Keys and his wife. I have never failed to be amused at how people manage to make themselves miserable over this issue of adultery. Let me say outrightly here that ADULTERY IS NOT ABOUT S3X! 

This misconception was deliberately encouraged by the Roman Catholic Church which introduced the word adulterare (in place of another word with an entirely different meaning) in order to gain greater control of the marriage institution. (However going into how that was done does not bear directly on this discussion).

The word ADULTERY was not known to the English language until the 16th century when it was introduced through the translation into English of the Geneva Bible in 1570. Two earlier translation of the Bible in English (by Wycliffe [1384] and Tyndale [1535]) did not contain it but rather talked about 'breaketh wedlock'.

My dictionary  (Chambers 21st Century Dictionary) says the word ADULTERY is from the Latinadulterare, adulteratum which means to defile. The dictionary goes on to say to adulterate is to debase something or to render it impure by mixing it with something inferior or harmful.

Now in the Bible we discover that the word is used to describe many different actions, none of which is sex! In Matt 19:9 and Luke 16:18, Jesus is quoted as saying: “Whosoever shall put away his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall marry another, committeth adultery: and whoso marrieth her which is put away doth commit adultery.” (emphasis mine). (Needless to say, ‘fornication' as meant in the Bible is not what our pastors now says it is. Lol. But that discussion is perhaps meant for another day)

It is clear from this quotation that it is the act of putting away that Jesus Christ frowns at here. Mark 10:11 says: “Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her." So ADULTERY is against the first wife, not with the second wife!

Jeremiah 3: 8 – 9, talked about committing “adultery with stones and stocks.” (If it is about sex, pray how do you do it with stones?)

Adultery, as far as the Bible is concerned goes beyond a mere sex act.

This next is my favourite in the entire Bible because here Jesus is presented with,  what I see, as the perfect opportunity to present his ‘manifesto', and he didn’t disappoint! Matthew 19:16 – 22 describes Jesus' encounter with the rich young man who wanted to know the secret of eternal life. And Jesus said, (18) “Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery , Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness. (19) Honour thy father and thy mother: and Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” 

When the young man claimed he carries out those injunctions Jesus now told him to go and sell his possessions and give to the poor.  (I love pointing these out to people: no where, I mean, no where did Jesus say attend church every Sunday; give offerings or pay tithes to your pastor; partake in Holy Communion, etc; or even believe I am the son of God! But these are the things we like to do and pretend we are followers of Jesus Christ. But God is not deceived!!).

Jesus Christ in talking about adultery could not have meant our sexual preferences (or lack thereof)  would determine where we spend eternity!

James 4:4 says, “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world (I am thinking: like inordinate love of worldly things? The ultimate test that the rich young man failed) is the enemy of God.” (And today you find so called churches and their pastors amassing wealth and earthly riches)

Adultery is therefore less about SEX but more about BETRAYAL, TREACHERY 

and UNFAITHFULNESS against God, a spouse, or even a business partner. 

(See also Malachi 2:14, 16)

A man puts away his wife when he ceases to care for her and at the same time (wickedly) refuses to give her a paper setting her free (paper of divorce) which would allow her to marry another man. (Deut 24: 1-3). 

Remember in those days a woman was solely dependent on her husband for her upkeep. It is this act of betrayal that is called adultery. 

Recall also that king David was said to be God’s favourite despite marrying hundreds of wives but incurred God’s wrath when he lusted after another man’s wife.

Thank you.

Esien Ita

WOOOOW!!!