Adultery was a great wickedness (Genesis 39:9). It was a breach of trust and faithfulness to one’s marriage partner. Marriage, which mirrors God’s covenant relationship with his people, must be held in honour, and the marriage bed must not be defiled (Hebrews 13:4). God commanded that adultery be punished with death.
5 “Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the LORD of hosts.