Put to death therefore your members which are on the earth: sexual immorality, uncleanness, depraved passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
World English Bible
Colossians 3:5
This verse is examined in more than one Scripture Analysis section. Each lens is shown on its own terms, in the section's own words; GEBible reaches no verdict of its own.
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Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (2)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
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Is it wrong to have sex outside of marriage?
The Torah (Exod 20:14, Deut 5:18) and the New Testament (Acts 15:20, 1 Cor 5:1, 6:13, 6:18, 10:8, 2 Cor 12:21, Gal 5:19-21, Eph 5:3, Col 3:5-6, 1 Thess 4:3, Heb 13:4, Jude 7) repeatedly condemn fornication and adultery. But Hosea 1:2 and 3:1 have YHWH commanding the prophet Hosea to take a "wife of whoredoms" and later to love an adulteress — God explicitly commanding the act his own law forbids.
Critical scholarship: Leans toward reconciliation.
Law & ethics
More on this question
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
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Is it OK to covet?
The Tenth Commandment as quoted by Paul in Romans 7:7 and 13:9 prohibits coveting, and Ephesians 5:3 and Colossians 3:5 reinforce that covetousness is idolatry and should not even be named among believers. But 1 Corinthians 14:39 has Paul himself saying "covet to prophesy" — using the same Greek verb (zeloo, in some manuscripts; KJV renders zelote as "covet") in a positive sense.
Critical scholarship: Usually considered reconciled.
Law & ethics
More on this question
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
Each section sets the viewpoints side by side; you weigh the evidence. Here, "critical scholarship" means academic study, not a value judgment. How this is built →
Other verses examined for the same kind of question or claim
Within each section, grouped by shared field or question type — not a cross-section comparison.
Cite this page
This citation refers to this GEBible page — the verse and the analysis gathered here. To cite the underlying scholarship, cite those sources directly.
"Colossians 3:5 — Scripture Analysis" GEBible, https://gebible.app/analysis/verse/colossians/3/5?version=WEB (retrieved 26 August 2026).