Exodus 20:17
in Exodus 20You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbor’s.
KJV
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.
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This verse in Exodus 20
Commentary
24 notes on this verseLove of money then is an old, an ancient vice, which showed itself even at the declaration of the divine law; for a law was given to check it.
This site's exposition
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour
The tenth commandment reaches something no court can try, since coveting leaves no evidence and gives nobody a charge to bring. Paul names this one commandment at Romans 7:7, saying he had not known lust except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet, and it is the one he picks to show what the law does inside a man. The list runs from the house down to the ox and the ass, the same kind of household inventory the sabbath commandment used at verse 10.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
A commentator
Augustine of HippoON MARRIAGE AND CONCUPISCENCE 1.32 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
For the truth is, one does a good deal of good when he does what the Scripture enjoins, "Go not after thy lusts;" yet he falls short of perfection, in that he fails to keep the great commandment, "Thou shalt not covet." The law said, "Thou shalt not covet," in order that, when we find ourselves lying in this diseased state, we might seek the medicine of Grace, and by that commandment know both in what direction our endeavours should aim as we advance in our present mortal condition, and to what a height it is possible to reach in the future immortality. For unless perfection could somewhere be attained, this commandment would never have been given to us.
There you are then, the law tells you "you shall not covet." You know the law which says, "You shall not covet." Covetousness surges up in you, which you didn't know. It was there inside, you see, but it wasn't known. You started to make an effort to overcome what was inside, and what was hidden came to light. Proud fellow, through the law you have been made into a transgressor. Acknowledge grace, and become a singer of praise.
Even a lion can be shooed off its prey by the terrifying threat of arms and weapons and the crowd of people perhaps surrounding it or coming to attack it; and yet the lion comes, the lion returns. It hasn't seized its prey; it hasn't either laid aside its evil intention. If that's what you're like, your justice is still the sort by which you take care not to get tortured. What's so great about being afraid of punishment? Who isn't afraid of it?
A commentator
Augustine of HippoTRACTATE ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 41.12 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
"To will," he says, "is present with me; but not so, how to perfect that which is good." Has he said, To do good is not present with me? Had he said so, hope would be wanting. He does not say, To do is not present with me, but, "To perfect is not present with me." For what is the perfecting of good, but the elimination and end of evil? And what is the elimination of evil, but what the law says, "Thou shalt not lust [covet]"? To lust not at all is the perfecting of good, because it is the eliminating of evil. This he said, "To perfect that which is good is not present with me," because his doing could not get the length of setting him free from lust. He labored only to bridle lust, to refuse consent to lust, and not to yield his members to its service.
To save me from saying a lot, among other commandments it contains "You shall not covet your neighbor's property." Don't covet; don't go up and down in front of that country house belonging to someone else and sigh because it's such a fine one. Do not covet your neighbor's property. "The Lord's is the earth and its fullness." What haven't you acquired, if you have got hold of God? So don't covet your neighbor's property.
17 more voices on this verse
The Church Fathers2 voices
There you are then, the law tells you "you shall not covet." You know the law which says, "You shall not covet." Covetousness surges up in you, which you didn't know. It was there inside, you see, but it wasn't known. You started to make an effort to overcome what was inside, and what was hidden came to light. Proud fellow, through the law you have been made into a transgressor. Acknowledge grace, and become a singer of praise.
Love of money then is an old, an ancient vice, which showed itself even at the declaration of the divine law; for a law was given to check it.
The Medieval Church10 voices
St. John says in his first Epistle that "all that is in the world is the concupiscence of the flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life" [1 Jn 2:16]. Now, all that is desirable is included in these three, two of …
But because the neighbor is an image of the Trinity, and to him, insofar as he bears the image of the Holy Spirit, benignity is owed: with respect to benignity, to which cupidity and concupiscence are opposed, each of which can be in deed or …
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 1 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
Offense in the mind has two roots according to the twofold concupiscence, namely of the flesh and of the eyes. Against the concupiscence of the flesh there is one commandment: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife." Against the concupiscence of the eyes there is …
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 7 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
"You shall not covet your neighbor's goods, nor shall you desire his wife;" in which He prohibits the twofold concupiscence, namely of the eyes and of the flesh, which are the kindling of all evils and the root of all sins: because when the concupiscible …
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 7 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
The ninth plague was of darkness, by which the covetous and avaricious are struck, because nothing so blinds a man as covetousness. Whence the Prophet: "Gifts and presents blind the eyes of the prudent and change the words of the just;" Solomon: "Nothing is more …
A commentator
BonaventureCollationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 7 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
The tenth plague was the death of the firstborn, by which the carnal are struck, like Esau. For the Apostle says: "Lest anyone among you be a fornicator, like Esau, and lose his birthright." Carnal concupiscence took from us our noble generation, by which we …
A commentator
BonaventureCollations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 21 · Written in the 13th century.
proposed
That which straightens all affective dispositions is as follows: You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, etc. As Augustine writes, "The law is good, for while prohibiting concupiscence, it also prohibits any evil." But concupiscence is twofold, of the flesh and of cupidity, and the …
A commentator
Gregory the Dialogist40 Homilies on the Gospels, Homily 34 · Written before 604.
proposed
The Law of the Old Testament certainly forbids coveting another's wife, but it does not punish a king for commanding brave deeds of soldiers, or for desiring water. And we all know that David, pierced by the sword of concupiscence, both coveted and took away another man's wife. Fitting scourges followed his fault, and he corrected the evil he had perpetrated through the lamentations of penance.
A commentator
Gregory the Dialogist40 Homilies on the Gospels, Homily 34 · Written before 604.
proposed
The Law of the Old Testament certainly forbids coveting another's wife, but it does not punish a king for commanding brave deeds of soldiers, or for desiring water. And we all know that David, pierced by the sword of concupiscence, both coveted and took away another man's wife. Fitting scourges followed his fault, and he corrected the evil he had perpetrated through the lamentations of penance.
"You shall not covet your neighbor's goods." There is this difference between the divine and the human laws that human law judges only deeds and words, whereas the divine law judges also thoughts. The reason is because human laws are made by men who see …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
O that such a man's house were mine! such a man's wife mine! such a man's estate mine! This is certainly the language of discontent at our own lot, and envy at our neighbour's, and these are the sins principally forbidden here.
O that such a man's house were mine! such a man's wife mine! such a man's estate mine! This is certainly the language of discontent at our own lot, and envy at our neighbour's, and these are the sins principally forbidden here.
Thou shall not covet thy neighbour's house,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s house - wife, etc. - Covet signifies to desire or long after, in order to enjoy as a property the person or thing coveted.
Modern Voices1 voice
But to urge people to be content with what they haven't got is a piece of impudence hard for even the English poor to pardon. But though the creed of content is unsuited to certain special riddles and wrongs, it remains true for the normal …
The words behind it
15 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לֹ֥א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תַחְמֹ֖ד | tachmod | you must covet | H2530 → | 25 times |
| בֵּ֣ית | beit | [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| רֵעֶ֑ךָ | reekha | neighbor your | H7453 → | 188 times |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| תַחְמֹ֞ד | tachmod | you must covet | H2530 → | 25 times |
| אֵ֣שֶׁת | ʾeshet | [the] wife of | H802 → | 781 times |
| רֵעֶ֗ךָ | reekha | neighbor your | H7453 → | 188 times |
| וְעַבְדּ֤וֹ | veavdo | and [male] servant his | H5650 → | 799 times |
| וַאֲמָתוֹ֙ | vaamato | and female servant his | H519 → | 56 times |
| וְשׁוֹר֣וֹ | veshoro | and ox his | H7794 → | 79 times |
| וַחֲמֹר֔וֹ | vachamoro | and donkey his | H2543 → | 96 times |
| וְכֹ֖ל | vekhol | and all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | that | H834 → | 5497 times |
| לְרֵעֶֽךָ׃ פ | lereekha | [belongs] to neighbor your | H7453 → | 188 times |
לֹ֥אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
תַחְמֹ֖דyou must covet
tachmodH2530 →25 times
בֵּ֣ית[the] house of
beitH1004 →2046 times
רֵעֶ֑ךָneighbor your
reekhaH7453 →188 times
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
תַחְמֹ֞דyou must covet
tachmodH2530 →25 times
אֵ֣שֶׁת[the] wife of
ʾeshetH802 →781 times
רֵעֶ֗ךָneighbor your
reekhaH7453 →188 times
וְעַבְדּ֤וֹand [male] servant his
veavdoH5650 →799 times
וַאֲמָתוֹ֙and female servant his
vaamatoH519 →56 times
וְשׁוֹר֣וֹand ox his
veshoroH7794 →79 times
וַחֲמֹר֔וֹand donkey his
vachamoroH2543 →96 times
וְכֹ֖לand all
vekholH3605 →5413 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רthat
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
לְרֵעֶֽךָ׃ פ[belongs] to neighbor your
lereekhaH7453 →188 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Hebrews 13:5Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 31:8
The LORD Himself goes before you; He will be with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid or discouraged.”
- Joshua 1:5
No one shall stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so will I be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.
- Deuteronomy 31:6
Be strong and courageous; do not be afraid or terrified of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.”
- 1 Samuel 12:22
Indeed, for the sake of His great name, the LORD will not abandon His people, because He was pleased to make you His own.
- Isaiah 41:17
The poor and needy seek water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst. I, the LORD, will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them.
- Deuteronomy 31:8
Through
Ephesians 5:3But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed.
it leads to
- Colossians 3:5
Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Colossians 3:5
Through
Romans 13:9The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
it leads to
- Exodus 20:12–17
Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
- Matthew 22:39
And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
- Exodus 20:12–17
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies6
On this chapter
About Exodus
This page draws on 18 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Ambrose of Milan, On the Duties of the Clergy 2.26.130; Augustine of Hippo, ON MARRIAGE AND CONCUPISCENCE 1.32; Augustine of Hippo, SERMON 26.9; Augustine of Hippo, SERMON 169.8; Augustine of Hippo, TRACTATE ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 41.12; Augustine of Hippo, SERMON 252A.6; Bonaventure, Breviloquium, Part 5; Bonaventure, Collationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 1; Bonaventure, Collationes de Decem Praeceptis, Collation 7; Bonaventure, Collations on the Hexaemeron, Collation 21; GK Chesterton, A Miscellany of Men: The Contented Man; Gregory the Dialogist, 40 Homilies on the Gospels, Homily 34; John Calvin, Commentary on the Four Last Books of Moses Arranged in the Form of a Harmony; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Explanation of the Ten Commandments.