3430. moicheia
Lexical Summary
moicheia: Adultery

Original Word: μοιχεία
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: moicheia
Pronunciation: moy-KHI-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (moy-khi'-ah)
KJV: adultery
NASB: adulteries, adultery
Word Origin: [from G3431 (μοιχεύω - commit adultery)]

1. adultery

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
adultery.

From moicheuo; adultery -- adultery.

see GREEK moicheuo

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from moicheuó
Definition
adultery
NASB Translation
adulteries (2), adultery (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 3430: μοιχεία

μοιχεία, μοιχειας, (μοιχεύω), adultery: John 8:3; Galatians 5:19 Rec.; plural (Winers Grammar, § 27, 3; Buttmann, § 123, 2): Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21. (Jeremiah 13:27; Hosea 2:2; Hosea 4:2; (Andocides (), Lysias), Plato, Aeschines, Lucian, others.)

Topical Lexicon
Overview

The noun μοιχεία (Strong’s Greek 3430) designates the act of adultery—violation of the marriage covenant by sexual union with someone other than one’s spouse. Scripture consistently presents it as a grave sin against God, one’s spouse, and the covenant community. Because marriage is patterned after God’s own covenant faithfulness, adultery represents both moral and spiritual treachery.

Occurrences in the New Testament

1. Matthew 15:19 – Jesus lists adultery among the heart-sins that defile: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander”.
2. Mark 7:21 – A parallel catalog of sins: “For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery.”
3. John 8:3 – The woman “caught in adultery” is brought before Jesus, providing a living illustration of both the law’s severity and Christ’s redemptive mercy.

Old Testament Foundations

Adultery is prohibited in the Decalogue: “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). The Mosaic Law demanded severe penalties, even death (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:22). Proverbs warns, “Whoever commits adultery with a woman lacks judgment; whoever does so destroys himself” (Proverbs 6:32). The prophets employ the language of adultery to describe Israel’s covenant unfaithfulness, underscoring its spiritual dimension (Jeremiah 3:8-9; Hosea 2:2-5).

Historical and Cultural Context

In Second-Temple Judaism, adultery remained punishable by stoning, though Roman rule often limited capital sentences. Rabbinic teaching distinguished between adultery (relations with a married woman) and fornication (with an unmarried woman), but both were condemned. Greco-Roman society generally displayed looser sexual morals, so the New Testament church confronted both Jewish rigor and Gentile laxity.

Jesus’ Teaching on Adultery

Jesus intensifies the commandment, exposing the heart-level origin of the sin: “Anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:27-28). He upholds marital permanence (Matthew 19:3-9) and refuses to trivialize divorce, recognizing that easy divorce fosters adulterous unions. In John 8 Jesus neither condones adultery nor sanctions lawless punishment; instead He offers grace that calls the sinner to “sin no more” (John 8:11).

Apostolic Instruction

Paul names adultery as a barrier to inheriting the kingdom (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21) and exhorts believers to honor marriage: “Marriage should be honored by all and the marriage bed kept undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers” (Hebrews 13:4). James applies the term metaphorically to believers who court worldliness: “You adulterous people, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God?” (James 4:4), revealing the covenant dimension underlying the physical act.

Theological Significance

1. Covenant Faithfulness: Adultery violates the one-flesh union established by God (Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5-6) and thus undermines the covenantal picture of Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:31-32).
2. Holiness of God: Because God is faithful, unfaithfulness among His people contradicts His character.
3. Spiritual Adultery: Idolatry and worldly compromise are described in marital terms to convey God’s personal investment in His covenant (Hosea 1–3; Revelation 2:20-22).
4. Judgment and Mercy: Adultery invites judgment, yet Scripture also showcases divine mercy toward repentant adulterers (Psalm 51; John 8).

Pastoral and Ministry Applications

• Upholding Marriage: Churches must teach marital fidelity, provide premarital counseling, and cultivate accountability structures.
• Church Discipline: When adultery occurs, loving confrontation and, if necessary, formal discipline aim at repentance and restoration (Matthew 18:15-17; 1 Corinthians 5).
• Healing and Restoration: Genuine repentance opens the door to forgiveness and renewed fellowship. Ministries should offer counseling for offended spouses and guidance for rebuilding trust.
• Guarding the Heart: Following Jesus’ emphasis on inward purity, believers are called to flee lust, steward their eyes and thoughts, and pursue holiness (Job 31:1; Philippians 4:8).

Redemptive Hope

Though adultery shatters trust and incurs guilt, Scripture offers hope through the gospel. David’s repentance after his sin with Bathsheba (Psalm 51) and Christ’s treatment of the adulterous woman demonstrate that God’s grace can cleanse the deepest stains. The church’s task is to proclaim that through Christ, adulterers can become faithful spouses, and unfaithful sinners can become the pure bride of the Lamb.

Forms and Transliterations
μοιχεια μοιχεία μοιχείᾳ μοιχειαι μοιχείαι μοιχεῖαι μοιχείαν moicheia moicheiai moicheíāi moicheîai
Links
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Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 15:19 N-NFP
GRK: πονηροί φόνοι μοιχεῖαι πορνεῖαι κλοπαί
NAS: murders, adulteries, fornications,
KJV: murders, adulteries, fornications,
INT: evil murders adulteries sexual immorality thefts

Mark 7:21 N-NFP
GRK: κλοπαί φόνοι μοιχεῖαι
KJV: thoughts, adulteries, fornications,
INT: thefts murders adulteries

John 8:3 N-DFS
GRK: γυναῖκα ἐπὶ μοιχείᾳ κατειλημμένην καὶ
NAS: caught in adultery, and having set
KJV: in adultery; and
INT: a women in adultery having been caught and

Strong's Greek 3430
3 Occurrences


μοιχείᾳ — 1 Occ.
μοιχεῖαι — 2 Occ.

3429
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