Matthew 5:28...That whoever looks on a woman to lust

Spoken to
audience

Sermon on Mount, law and fulfillment, adultery and sacrifice, visible and invisible

KJV

Matthew 5:28 But I say to you, That whoever looks on a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

 

NIV

Matthew 5:28  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

3RD (NLT, if not otherwise identified)

Matthew 5:28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

 

LISTENERS HEARD

I myself, however, tell you that everyone watching a woman to the point of this longing for her already degraded her in that heart of his.

MY TAKE

Visible temporary beauty can lead to invisible mistakes.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The Greek verb translated as "to lust after/lustfully" is not as sexual as it seems. This same word is translated as "covet" in Exodus 20:17 and Deuteronomy 5:21 and applied to all types of property. The Greek word is closer to "desire." It refers to the desire of our passions. Its root is the Greek word for "chest," which was the seat of strong, higher emotions. There is a connection and  the This connects to the concept of "heart." Jesus uses the Greek term "heart" as the Greek's generally use the term "chest," which is the root of the "lust" verb. (See this article.)  Jesus uses this verb five times to refer to strong desire, however, usually related to food and drink. The sense is more like "crave." The word is not used as a verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, "the craving."

The word translated as "already" could be the adverb, but it could also be a noun. means "delights" or "pleasures." So the phrase would be "he craves her--pleasures. The "her" is not a possessive in ther version I show, but it is in some ancient manuscripts. If "her" is a direct object, there would be two direct objects, both "her" and "pleasures."


The Greek verb translated as "committed adultery" has the sense of debauching a woman. Here, the idea seems to be that the thought of seducing someone is in itself destructive of defiling. Leviticus 18:20  is specific in the Hebrew and Greek about the crime of having intercourse with another man's woman, implanting sperm, and staining the woman.  The Greek word for adultery is not used in Levitus, but a rare word that means "causing stain" is used. Jesus, however, often seems to use this concept more broadly to refer to vow-breaking and degrading others generally.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
10
  • MW -- Missing Word  -- The pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "all" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "whoever" means "the one."
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "looks" is not an active verb but a participle, "watching."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word meaning "for the purpose" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown in the English translation.  This article changes the following infinitive into a noun.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "lust" has a meaning more like "desiring" or "longing" and it not usually associated with sex. 
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "her" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "has" seems to indicate an action completed in the past, but the tense is something happening at a point in time past, present, or future.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "heart" is not shown in the English translation.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
11
  • MW -- Missing Word  -- The pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "anyone" means "the one."
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "who" means "the one."
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "looks" is not an active verb but a participle, "watching."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word meaning "for the purpose" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown in the English translation.  This article changes the following infinitive into a noun.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "lustfully" has a meaning more like "desiring" or "longing" and it not usually associated with sex. 
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "lustfully" is an infinitive of the verb used a noun describing the action.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "her" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "has" seems to indicate an action completed in the past, but the tense is something happening at a point in time past, present, or future.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "heart" is not shown in the English translation.
# 3RD TRANSLATION ISSUES
13
  • MW -- Missing Word  -- The pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word meaning "you" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word meaning "that" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "anyone" means "the one."
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "who" means "the one."
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "even" doesn't exist in the source.
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "looks" is not an active verb but a participle, "watching."
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "with" means "for the purposes."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown in the English translation.  This article changes the following infinitive into a noun.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "lust" has a meaning more like "desiring" or "longing" and it not usually associated with sex.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "her" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "has" seems to indicate an action completed in the past, but the tense is something happening at a point in time past, present, or future.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "heart" is not shown in the English translation.
EACH WORD of KJV

But  The Greek word translated as "but" joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better. When used in writing, it creates complex sentences, but when spoken, it makes a good pausing point so that an important or humorous word can follow.

I --  (MW) The pronoun "I" is used here. Since, as the subject of the sentence, it is part of the verb, its explicit use accentuates who is speaking "I." Saying "I myself" captures this feeling in English.

say -- The word translated as "say" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak." When used with an object is has the sense of "call by name." . It also has many ancillary meanings such as "to count" ("to number" or like we might say, "to recount" a story) or "to choose for yourself." Christ usually uses this word to refer to his own speaking or teaching.

to -- This word "to" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English, but the translator must decide which preposition to use: a "to" as an indirect object,.

you, The Greek pronoun "you" here is plural and in the form of an indirect object, "to you," "for you," etc. 

That -- The word translated as "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore."

missing "all"-- (MW) The untranslated word "all," "whole," or "every." Appears here. The sense is "every" to the following word meaning "one."

whoever -- (WW) The word translated as "whosoever" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.  The sense here is "one" to the above "every."

looks -- (WF) The verb translated as "looks" means "to see," "to look to," "to look like," "to beware," and "to look for." It is the more tangible sense of seeing, such as seeing what is right in front of you rather than understanding so  "watch" works better.  The form is not an active verb but a participle, so "watching." With the previous article,  "the one watching." "Look" does not work as well because it doesn't take a direct object and this word does.

on -- This word is not on the source, but the verb "look" is not transitive so it requires a preposition.

a -- There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a word doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.

woman  -- The word translated as "woman" is  the Greek word that means "woman (as opposed to man)," "wife," "spouse," "mortal woman (as opposed to a goddess)," and "female mate (among animals)." It is in some ways closer to our "female." 

missing "for the purpose"-- (MW) The untranslated word "primarily means"towards" with verbs of seeing and looking. It also means "by reason of (for)," and "against," and several other types of "before."  Here, however, that preposition is used with the meaning of "to the purpose of" or "to the point of."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one."  Here, however, it is used with an infinitive, which makes it act like a noun describing the verb's action. In Greek, infinitives work like verb forms ending in "ing" (gerunds} in English.  The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.

to --   This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.

lust   --  (WW) "Lust" is a Greek verb that means "to set one's heart upon," "to desire," "to covet," and "too long for." The verb indicates heat and passion, but not sexual passion (see this article and the reference to thumos, the root of this word.)  Jesus uses this word five times, always in reference to hunger and thirst except for here. The form is an infinitive uses as a noun describing the action, so "the craving."

after -- This word is not in Greek but it is added because the word "lust" doesn't take a direct object as the Greek verb does.

her - The word translated as "her" is the Greek word commonly translated as pronouns in English.  The word means "the same" when used as an adjective.

has -- (WT) This helping verb "has" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verbs here, which is a point of time, past, present, or future.

committed adultery ​ -- The  Greek verb translated as "commit adultery" means "to debauch a woman" that is, to degrade a person by having sex outside of marriage. The concept is used more broadly to mean degrading people in general, specifically by encouraging them to break their vows.

with -- There is not "with" in the Greek source but it is added because the Greek verb used above takes a direct object but the English phrase includes an object.

her -- The word translated as "her" is the Greek word commonly translated as pronouns in English.  The word means "the same" when used as an adjective.

already -- "Already" is a Greek adverb meaning "by this time," "forthwith," "after," "immediately," and "now." It means proximity in time, but also place.

in -- The word translated as "in" also means "within," "with," or "among." With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for." When referring to time, it means "during."

his -- The word translated as "his" is the Greek word commonly translated as pronouns in English.  The word means "the same" when used as an adjective. In the adverbial form, it  means "just here" or "exactly there." This pronoun follows the noun so "of his."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

heart. -- "Heart" is the Greek word that means "heart" both the physical organ and as the seat of emotions, which we discuss in a larger Greek context in this article here. However, this phrase can be read as defining the "heart" and both the "soul" and "the mind." The word for "heart" means the physical heart, but also the components of being human that feels the desires and creates motivation. The Greek concept is "chest," which is the root of the word translated as "lust." More about the heart and its relationship to the other components of being human, as defined by Jesus, in this article.

EACH WORD of NIV

But  The Greek word translated as "but" joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better. When used in writing, it creates complex sentences, but when spoken, it makes a good pausing point so that an important or humorous word can follow.

I --  (MW) The pronoun "I" is used here. Since, as the subject of the sentence, it is part of the verb, its explicit use accentuates who is speaking "I." Saying "I myself" captures this feeling in English.

tell -- The word translated as "tell" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak." When used with an object is has the sense of "call by name." . It also has many ancillary meanings such as "to count" ("to number" or like we might say, "to recount" a story) or "to choose for yourself." Christ usually uses this word to refer to his own speaking or teaching.

you, The Greek pronoun "you" here is plural and in the form of an indirect object, "to you," "for you," etc. 

that -- The word translated as "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore."

anyone -- (WW) The word translated as "all" is the Greek adjective meaning "all," "the whole," "every," and similar ideas. When it is used as a noun, we would say "everything." As an adverb, it means "in every way," "on every side," and "altogether."

who -- (WW) The word translated as "anyone" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.  The sense here is "one" to the above "every."

looks -- (WF) The verb translated as "looks" means "to see," "to look to," "to look like," "to beware," and "to look for." It is the more tangible sense of seeing, such as seeing what is right in front of you rather than understanding so  "watch" works better.  The form is not an active verb but a participle, so "watching." With the previous article,  "the one watching." "Look" does not work as well because it doesn't take a direct object and this word does.

at -- This word is not on the source, but the verb "look" is not transitive so it requires a preposition.

a -- There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a word doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.

woman  -- The word translated as "woman" is  the Greek word that means "woman (as opposed to man)," "wife," "spouse," "mortal woman (as opposed to a goddess)," and "female mate (among animals)." It is in some ways closer to our "female." 

missing "for the purpose"-- (MW) The untranslated word "primarily means"towards" with verbs of seeing and looking. It also means "by reason of (for)," and "against," and several other types of "before."  Here, however, that preposition is used with the meaning of "to the purpose of" or "to the point of."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one."  Here, however, it is used with an infinitive, which makes it act like a noun describing the verb's action. In Greek, infinitives work like verb forms ending in "ing" (gerunds} in English.  The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.

lustfully --  (WW, WF) "Lustfully" is a Greek verb that means "to set one's heart upon," "to desire," "to covet," and "too long for." The verb indicates heat and passion, but not sexual passion (see this article and the reference to thumos, the root of this word.)  Jesus uses this word five times, always in reference to hunger and thirst except for here. The form is an infinitive used as a noun describing the action, so "the craving."

missing "her"-- (MW) The untranslated word "her" is the Greek word commonly translated as pronouns in English.  The word means "the same" when used as an adjective.

has -- (WT) This helping verb "has" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verbs here, which is a point of time, past, present, or future.

already -- "Already" is a Greek adverb meaning "by this time," "forthwith," "after," "immediately," and "now." It means proximity in time, but also place.

committed adultery ​ -- The  Greek verb translated as "commit adultery" means "to debauch a woman" that is, to degrade a person by having sex outside of marriage. The concept is used more broadly to mean degrading people in general, specifically by encouraging them to break their vows.

with -- There is no "with" in the Greek source but it is added because the Greek verb used above takes a direct object but the English phrase includes an object.

her -- The word translated as "her" is the Greek word commonly translated as pronouns in English.  The word means "the same" when used as an adjective.

in -- The word translated as "in" also means "within," "with," or "among." With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for." When referring to time, it means "during."

his -- The word translated as "his" is the Greek word commonly translated as pronouns in English.  The word means "the same" when used as an adjective. In the adverbial form, it  means "just here" or "exactly there." This pronoun follows the noun so "of his."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

heart. -- "Heart" is the Greek word that means "heart" both the physical organ and as the seat of emotions, which we discuss in a larger Greek context in this article here. However, this phrase can be read as defining the "heart" and both the "soul" and "the mind." The word for "heart" means the physical heart, but also the components of being human that feels the desires and creates motivation. The Greek concept is "chest," which is the root of the word translated as "lust." More about the heart and its relationship to the other components of being human, as defined by Jesus, in this article.

EACH WORD 3RD (NLT or as noted)

But  The Greek word translated as "but" joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better. When used in writing, it creates complex sentences, but when spoken, it makes a good pausing point so that an important or humorous word can follow.

I --  (MW) The pronoun "I" is used here. Since, as the subject of the sentence, it is part of the verb, its explicit use accentuates who is speaking "I." Saying "I myself" captures this feeling in English.

say -- The word translated as "say" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak." When used with an object is has the sense of "call by name." . It also has many ancillary meanings such as "to count" ("to number" or like we might say, "to recount" a story) or "to choose for yourself." Christ usually uses this word to refer to his own speaking or teaching.

missing "you"-- (MW) The untranslated word "you" here is plural and in the form of an indirect object, "to you," "for you," etc.

missing "that"-- (MW) The untranslated word "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore."

anyone -- (WW) The word translated as "all" is the Greek adjective meaning "all," "the whole," "every," and similar ideas. When it is used as a noun, we would say "everything." As an adverb, it means "in every way," "on every side," and "altogether."

who -- (WW) The word translated as "anyone" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.  The sense here is "one" to the above "every."

even -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "even" in the Greek source.

looks -- (WF) The verb translated as "looks" means "to see," "to look to," "to look like," "to beware," and "to look for." It is the more tangible sense of seeing, such as seeing what is right in front of you rather than understanding so  "watch" works better.  The form is not an active verb but a participle, so "watching." With the previous article,  "the one watching." "Look" does not work as well because it doesn't take a direct object and this word does.

at -- This word is not on the source, but the verb "look" is not transitive so it requires a preposition.

a -- There is no indefinite article in Greek, but when a word doesn't have a definite article, the indefinite article can be added in English translation.

woman  -- The word translated as "woman" is  the Greek word that means "woman (as opposed to man)," "wife," "spouse," "mortal woman (as opposed to a goddess)," and "female mate (among animals)." It is in some ways closer to our "female."

with -- (WW) This word primarily means"towards" with verbs of seeing and looking. It also means "by reason of (for)," and "against," and several other types of "before."  Here, however, that preposition is used with the meaning of "to the purpose of" or "to the point of."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one."  Here, however, it is use with an infinitive, which makes it act like a noun describing the verb's action. In Greek, infinitives work like verb forms ending in "ing" (gerunds} in English.  The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.

lust --  (WW) "Lust" is a Greek verb that means "to set one's heart upon," "to desire," "to covet," and "to long for." The verb indicates heat and passion, but not sexual passion (see this article and the reference to thumos, the root of this word.)  Jesus uses this word five times, always in reference to hunger and thirst except for here. The form is an infinitive uses as a noun describing the action, so "the craving."

missing "her"-- (MW) The untranslated word "her" is the Greek word commonly translated as pronouns in English.  The word means "the same" when used as an adjective.

has -- (WT) This helping verb "has" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verbs here, which is a point of time, past, present, or future.

already -- "Already" is a Greek adverb meaning "by this time," "forthwith," "after," "immediately," and "now." It means proximity in time, but also place.

committed adultery ​ -- The  Greek verb translated as "commit adultery" means "to debauch a woman" that is, to degrade a person by having sex outside of marriage. The concept is used more broadly to mean degrading people in general, specifically by encouraging them to break their vows.

with -- There is not "with" in the Greek source but it is added because the Greek verb used above takes a direct object but the English phrase includes an object.

her -- The word translated as "her" is the Greek word commonly translated as pronouns in English.  The word means "the same" when used as an adjective.

in -- The word translated as "in" also means "within," "with," or "among." With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for." When referring to time, it means "during."

his -- The word translated as "his" is the Greek word commonly translated as pronouns in English.  The word means "the same" when used as an adjective. In the adverbial form, it  means "just here" or "exactly there." This pronoun follows the noun so "of his."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

heart. -- "Heart" is the Greek word that means "heart" both the physical organ and as the seat of emotions, which we discuss in a larger Greek context in this article here. However, this phrase can be read as defining the "heart" and both the "soul" and "the mind." The word for "heart" means the physical heart, but also the components of being human that feels the desires and creates motivation. The Greek concept is "chest," which is the root of the word translated as "lust." More about the heart and its relationship to the other components of being human, as defined by Jesus, in this article.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

Ἐγὼ (pron 1st sg nom) I" is from ego, which is the first person singular pronoun meaning "I." It also means "I at least," "for my part," "indeed," and for myself.

δὲ (partic) "But" is from de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be an explanation of cause ("so").

λέγω (1st sg pres ind act) "Say" is from lego), which means "to recount," "to tell over," "to say," "to speak," "to teach," "to mean," "boast of," "tell of," "recite," nominate," and "command." Another Greek word spelled the same means "to pick up," "to choose for oneself," "to pick out," and "to count."

ὑμῖν (pronoun 2nd pl dat) "You" is from humas and humon, which is a plural form of su the pronoun of the second person, "you."

ὅτι (pron sg neut acc) That" is from hoti, which introduces a statement of fact "with regard to the fact that," "seeing that," and acts as a causal adverb meaning "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore."

πᾶς (adj sg masc nom) Untranslated is from pas, which means "all," "the whole," "every," "anyone," "all kinds," and "anything."

  (article sg masc nom) "Whosoever" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."

βλέπων (part sg pres act masc nom) "Looks" is from of blepo, which means "to look," "to see," "to look to," "to look like," "to rely on," "to look longingly," "to propose," "to beware," "to behold," and "to look for." It is the more tangible sense of seeing, such as seeing what is right in front of you rather than understanding.

γυναῖκα (noun sg fem acc) "Woman" is from gyne, which means "woman (as opposed to man)," "wife," "spouse," "mortal woman (as opposed to a goddess)," and "female mate (among animals)."

πρὸς (prep) Untranslated is pros, which means "on the side of," "in the direction of," "from (place)," "towards" "before," "in the presence of," "in the eyes of," "in the name of," "by reason of," "before (supplication)," "proceeding from (for effects)," "dependent on," "derivable from," "agreeable,""becoming," "like," "at the point of," "in addition to," "against," and "before."

τὸ (article sg neut acc )  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." --

ἐπιθυμῆσαι [5 verses](aor inf act) "To lust after" is epithymeo, which means "to set one's heart upon," "to desire," "to covet," and "to long for." The root of this word is thymos, (θυμός), which is the seat of passion and heat. The prefix means "upon." The word literally has the sense of "hot upon" and "set your heart upon." 

[αὐτὴν] (adj sg fem acc) "Her" is from autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him," "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord."

ἤδη (adv) "Already" is from ede, which means "already," "by this time," "forthwith," "after," "immediately," and "now." It means proximity in time, but also place. OR ἤδη (noun pl neut nom/acc) "Already" is from edos, which means "delight," "pleasures." 

ἐμοίχευσεν (3rd sg aor ind act) "Hath committed adultery" is moicheuo, which means "commit adultery with a woman, " "to debauch a woman," and generally, "to commit adultery with anyone." It is a metaphor for "worshiping idolatrously."

αὐτὴν (adj sg fem acc) "Her" is from autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him," "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord."

ἐν (prep) "In" is from en, which means "in," "on," "at," "by," "among," "within," "surrounded by," "in one's hands," "in one's power," and "with."

τῇ (article sg fem dat)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").

καρδίᾳ (noun sg fem dat) "Heart" is from kardia, which means "heart (the physical organ)," "the seat of emotions (especially passion, rage, and anger)," "inclination," "desire," "purpose," "mind," "the pith (in wood), and "the deep (of the sea)."

αὐτοῦ. (adj sg masc gen) "His" is from autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him," "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord."

Wordplay

The word translated as "already" also means "delights" as an object.

Possible Symbolic Meaning
Unimportant Opinions and Imaginings

“I am telling you, that everyone watching...” he continued. He copied my drawing of a curved figure in the air as he enthusiastically said, “A woman!”
He continued staring without saying anything, pulling open his collar and fanning himself.
We laughed. It was clear that the Master was neither a prude nor an innocent.
Then he shook himself as if awakening.
“Toward this craving for her?” he asked more seriously. As he said it, we could see his lightheartedness fade. He drew out the word “craving” with some distaste. We sensed a change in his mood.
“He already defiled her,” he continued slowly and sadly, drawing out the word “defiled” in a way that made it seem especially repulsive. Then he touched his chest and finished, “In that heart of his.”
Some young men and boys chuckled at this comment, but most took the Master’s words quietly and seriously.

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