Exodus 20:17

You 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.”

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — God delivers this final prohibition to Israel at Sinai through Moses, positioning it immediately after the command against false witness and before the people’s terrified withdrawal from the mountain’s theophany.

The words — The Hebrew text repeats the verb תַחְמֹד (tachmod), meaning "you shall covet," alongside לֹא (lo'), "you shall not," to forbid desiring the neighbor’s house (בֵּית beit) and wife (אֵשֶׁת 'eshet).

The thread — The prohibition against coveting appears in Romans 13:9 and Hebrews 13:5, while Luke 12:15 addresses the related danger of greed.

Why it lands — The text commands the cessation of internal desire for another’s possessions, relationships, or property. Readers must address their own attachments rather than limiting their obedience to external actions like theft or deceit.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

לֹ֥אlo'not תַחְמֹ֖דtach.Modyou must covet בֵּ֣יתbeit[the] house of רֵעֶ֑ךָre.'E./khaneighbor/ your לֹֽא־lo'-not תַחְמֹ֞דtach.Modyou must covet אֵ֣שֶׁת'E.shet[the] wife of רֵעֶ֗ךָre.'E./khaneighbor/ your וְעַבְדּ֤וֹve./'av.D/oand/ [male] servant/ his וַאֲמָתוֹ֙va./'a.ma.T/oand/ female servant/ his וְשׁוֹר֣וֹve./sho.R/oand/ ox/ his וַחֲמֹר֔וֹva./cha.mo.R/oand/ donkey/ his וְכֹ֖לve./Kholand/ all אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.Sherthat לְרֵעֶֽךָ׃ פle./re.'E./kha[belongs] to/ neighbor/ your

King James Version

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.

Cross-references

Romans 13:9 The 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.”
Luke 12:15 And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Hebrews 13:5 Keep 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.”
Ephesians 5:5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Romans 7:7 What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law. For I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”
Ephesians 5:3 But 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.
Colossians 3:5 Put to death, therefore, the components of your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry.
Psalms 119:36 Turn my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetous gain.
Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.
Jeremiah 5:8 They are well-fed, lusty stallions, each neighing after his neighbor’s wife.