[papertyger]

You know I'm not trying to insult you Hitman, but you are mistaken.

Think of the comandments like the bill of rights, not a ranking order.

As I said, both offenses were punishable by death in the old testament.

[HitmanLV]

If all the commandments tie in significance, why isn't that explicit in scripture anywhere? They do appear to be ranked in terms of descending severity if you look at them with a clear mind. That is, murder appears to be more serious than coveting your neighbors belongings, at least to most people.

Also 'adultery' in that context isn't what it means today - it meant a man having sex with a married woman who is not his wife.

The biblical punishment for adultery is indeed death (Leviticus 20:10). But in the example of a married man having sex with a single woman, neither of them has committed adultery under the original understanding of the commandment. Not very fair, especially when life and death is involved.

The truth is, no civilized modern culture considers adultery a capital crime. Many biblical laws are ignored today even by the most religious folks. it's certainly bad and may be grounds to dissolve the marriage, but the only folks who consider it a crime tend to be aligned with the Taliban and those with similar worldviews.