Deuteronomy 5:21
A plain-spoken deep dive on this verse. Read the chapter →
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or field, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
A. The True Essence of the Law and Its Fulfilment The exposition of the law commences with a repetition of the ten words of the covenant, which were spoken to all Israel directly by the Lord Himself.
Open source ↗In this chapter we have the second edition of the ten commandments. I. The general intent of them; they were in the nature of a covenant between God and Israel (Deu 5:1-5). II. The particular precepts are repeated (v. 6-21), with the double delivery of them, both by word and writing (Deu 5:22). III. The settling of the correspondence thenceforward between God and Israel, by the mediation and ministry of Moses. 1. It was Israel's humble petition that it might be so (Deu 5:23-27). 2. It was God's gracious grant that it should be so (Deu 5:28-31). And hence he infers the obligation they were under to obedience (Deu 5:32, Deu 5:33).
Open source ↗5:21 covet: This commandment differs from the others because it pertains to a desire rather than to an act. An evil desire is no less offensive to God than an evil deed (see Matt 5:27-28).
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
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.”
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.”
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.”
They covet fields and seize them; they take away houses. They deprive a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance.
Woe to him who builds his house by unjust gain, to place his nest on high and escape the hand of disaster!
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.”