Exodus 20:17

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 20:16-21

The ten words. "And God stake all these words." "And the people stood afar off: and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was." ( Exodus 20:1 , Exodus 20:21 ). Our subject is the law of the ten commandments, and— I. The NAMES of the code, for names are oft the keys to things. There are five chief names; four in the Old Testament and one in the New. 1 . " The ten words ." ["The ten commandments" is an unscriptural phrase.] ( Exodus 34:28 ; Deuteronomy 4:13 ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 20:17

Thou shalt not covet . Here the Mosaic law takes a step enormously in advance of any other ancient code. Most codes stopped short at the deed; a few went on to words; not one attempted to control thoughts. "Thou shalt not covet" teaches men that there is One who sees the heart; to whose eyes "all things are naked and open;" and who cares far less for the outward act than the inward thought or motive from which the act proceeds. "Thou shalt not covet: lays it down again that we are not mere... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Exodus 20:17

The last commandment of the second table. Murder, adultery, theft, slander, all these spring from a corrupt heart. The wrong thought admitted nourishes the wrong desire, which in time gives birth to the wrong action. Out of the heart are the issues of life, therefore keep thy heart with all diligence. I. THE SOURCE OF COVETOUSNESS . There are two ideals by which men mould their lives. One makes God the centre of all things, the other makes self the centre. One says "Thy will be... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Exodus 20:1-17

The Hebrew name which is rendered in our King James Version as the ten commandments occurs in Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13; Deuteronomy 10:4. It literally means “the Ten Words.” The Ten Commandments are also called the law, even the commandment Exodus 24:12, the words of the covenant Exodus 34:28, the tables of the covenant Deuteronomy 9:9, the covenant Deuteronomy 4:13, the two tables Deuteronomy 9:10, Deuteronomy 9:17, and, most frequently, the testimony (e. g. Exodus 16:34; Exodus 25:16),... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Exodus 20:17

Exodus 20:17. Thou shalt not covet The foregoing commands implicitly forbid all desire of doing that which will be an injury to our neighbour; this forbids all inordinate desire of having that which will be a gratification to ourselves. 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. God give us all to... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Exodus 20:1-17

Basic principles of the covenant (20:1-17)The form of the covenant God made with Israel followed a pattern that was common in the ancient world when an overlord made a covenant with his subjects. God introduced himself to his people by declaring his name and status as Yahweh the sovereign Lord, and recounting to his people what he had graciously done for them. He reminded them that their God was living and active, and that the words they were about to hear were a revelation direct from him... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Exodus 20:17

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Exodus 20:17

THE TENTH COMMANDMENTTHOU SHALT NOT COVET "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." Notice the relationship between this commandment and the eighth where the guardianship of private property is established. The big words here are the POSSESSIVE nouns and pronouns: "thy neighbor's ... thy neighbor's ... his ... his ... his ... his ... thy... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Exodus 20:17

Exodus 20:17. Thou shalt not covet— Prohibitions being given against particular vices, God concludes his commandments with a prohibition against vice in general; discountenancing that concupiscence and restless desire of our corrupt nature, which prompts discontent with our station and property, and leads, in consequence, to every unjust method of gratifying the criminal desire. This commandment, therefore, is designed to strike at the root of all evil; that is, corrupt dispositions: for, as... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Exodus 20:1-17

2. The Ten Commandments 20:1-17"We now reach the climax of the entire Book, the central and most exalted theme, all that came before being, as it were, a preparation for it, and all that follows, a result of, and supplement to it." [Note: Cassuto, p. 235.] There are two types of law in the Old Testament, and these existed commonly in the ancient Near East. Apodictic laws are commands with the force of categorical imperatives. They are positive or negative. The Ten Commandments are an example of... read more

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