Exodus 20:17

THE TENTH COMMANDMENT, Exodus 20:17.

17. Thou shalt not covet The word חמד , here rendered covet, occurs some twenty times in the Hebrew Scriptures, and is commonly translated by desire . One may, of course, properly desire and long after every thing lawful and good, but no one can look with desire and longing upon any possession of his neighbour’s without violating this commandment . While the preceding commandments contemplate more directly the outward acts of men, this aims at the heart as the fountain of unlawful desires . The specification of house, wife, servant, ox, and ass simply indicates the general scope of the law, and shows, as the concluding words more explicitly teach, that human desire should be restrained so as not to settle upon any thing whatever which is the rightful property of one’s neighbour . This tenth commandment evidently passes beyond the province of human legislation, and reminds us that we are here in the presence of a divine law, and of a Lawgiver who can discern the secrets of the heart. It strikes at the source of all crimes and wickedness, “for from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.” Mark 7:21-22.