Exodus 20:17
New International Version
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

New Living Translation
“You must not covet your neighbor’s house. You must not covet your neighbor’s wife, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

English Standard Version
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Berean Standard Bible
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.”

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

New American Standard Bible
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male slave, or his female slave, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

NASB 1995
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

NASB 1977
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Legacy Standard Bible
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male slave or his female slave or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Amplified Bible
“You shall not covet [that is, selfishly desire and attempt to acquire] your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

Christian Standard Bible
Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Do not covet your neighbor’s house. Do not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

American Standard Version
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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
You shall not lust for the house of your neighbor; you shall not lust for the wife of your neighbor or his Servant or his Maid Servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that is your neighbor’s.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house; nor his field, nor his servant, nor his maid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any of his cattle, nor whatever belongs to thy neighbour.

Contemporary English Version
Do not desire to possess anything that belongs to another person--not a house, a wife, a husband, a slave, an ox, a donkey, or anything else.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house: neither shalt thou desire his wife, nor his servant, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his.

English Revised 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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Never desire to take your neighbor's household away from him. "Never desire to take your neighbor's wife, his male or female slave, his ox, his donkey, or anything else that belongs to him."

Good News Translation
"Do not desire another man's house; do not desire his wife, his slaves, his cattle, his donkeys, or anything else that he owns."

International Standard Version
"You are not to covet your neighbor's house. You are not to covet your neighbor's wife, his male or female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor."

JPS Tanakh 1917
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

Literal Standard Version
You do not desire the house of your neighbor, you do not desire the wife of your neighbor, or his manservant, or his handmaid, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything which [is] your neighbor’s.”

Majority Standard Bible
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.”

New American Bible
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, his male or female slave, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

NET Bible
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor."

New Revised Standard Version
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

New Heart English Bible
"Do not covet your neighbor's house. Do not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor's."

Webster's Bible Translation
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 any thing that is thy neighbor's.

World English Bible
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

Young's Literal Translation
Thou dost not desire the house of thy neighbour, thou dost not desire the wife of thy neighbour, or his man-servant, or his handmaid, or his ox, or his ass, or anything which is thy neighbour's.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Ten Commandments
16You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 17You 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.”

Cross References
Matthew 5:28
But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

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."

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."

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.

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.

Deuteronomy 5:21
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."

Deuteronomy 7:25
You must burn up the images of their gods; do not covet the silver and gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it; for it is detestable to the LORD your God.


Treasury of Scripture

You shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is your neighbor's.

thy neighbour's house

Genesis 3:6
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Genesis 14:23
That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:

Genesis 34:23
Shall not their cattle and their substance and every beast of theirs be ours? only let us consent unto them, and they will dwell with us.

wife

2 Samuel 11:2-5
And it came to pass in an eveningtide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house: and from the roof he saw a woman washing herself; and the woman was very beautiful to look upon…

Job 31:1,9
I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid? …

Proverbs 4:23
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

is thy neighbour's

Matthew 20:15
Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

Acts 5:4
Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

Jump to Previous
Ant Ass Belongs Bondman Covet Desire Donkey Female Handmaid House Maidservant Maid-Servant Male Manservant Man-Servant Neighbor's Neighbour's Ox Servant Turned Wife Woman-Servant
Jump to Next
Ant Ass Belongs Bondman Covet Desire Donkey Female Handmaid House Maidservant Maid-Servant Male Manservant Man-Servant Neighbor's Neighbour's Ox Servant Turned Wife Woman-Servant
Exodus 20
1. The ten commandments are spoken by Jehovah
18. The people are afraid, but Moses comforts them
21. Idolatry is forbidden
23. Of what sort the altar should be














(17) Thou shalt not covet.--This command seems to have been added in order to teach the general principle that the Law of God is concerned, not with acts and words only, but with the thoughts of the heart. Rightly understood, the seventh and eighth commandments contain the tenth, which strikes at covetousness and lustful desire. (Comp. Matthew 5:27-28.) But ancient moralists did not usually recognise this; thought, unless carried out into acts, was regarded as "free;" no responsibility was considered to attach to it, and consequently no one felt it needful to control his thoughts or regulate them. It was therefore of importance that the Divine Law should distinctly assert a control over men's thoughts and feelings, since they are the source of all that is evil in word and act; and true godliness consists in bringing "every thought into captivity to Christ" (2Corinthians 10:5).

Verse 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 slaves of our natural desires and passions, but have a controlling power implanted within us, by means of which we can keep down passion, check desire, resist impulse. Man is lord of himself, capable, by the exercise of his free-will, of moulding his feelings, weakening or intensifying his passions, shaping his character. God, who "requires truth in the inward parts," looks that we should in all cases go to the root of the matter, and not be content with restraining ourselves from evil acts and evil words, but eradicate the evil feeling from which the acts and words proceed. Thy neighbours house, etc. The "house" is mentioned first as being of primary necessity, and as in some sort containing all the rest. A man does not take a wife until he has a home to bring her to, or engage domestic servants, or buy slaves, except to form part of a household. The other objects mentioned are placed in the order in which they are usually valued. The multiplication of objects is by way of emphasis.

CHAPTER 20:18-21

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You shall not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

covet
תַחְמֹ֖ד (ṯaḥ·mōḏ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 2530: To desire, take pleasure in

your neighbor’s
רֵעֶ֑ךָ (rê·‘e·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7453: Friend, companion, fellow

house.
בֵּ֣ית (bêṯ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1004: A house

You shall not
לֹֽא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

covet
תַחְמֹ֞ד (ṯaḥ·mōḏ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 2530: To desire, take pleasure in

your neighbor’s
רֵעֶ֗ךָ (rê·‘e·ḵā)
Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7453: Friend, companion, fellow

wife,
אֵ֣שֶׁת (’ê·šeṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 802: Woman, wife, female

or his manservant
וְעַבְדּ֤וֹ (wə·‘aḇ·dōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

or maidservant,
וַאֲמָתוֹ֙ (wa·’ă·mā·ṯōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 519: A maidservant, female slave

or his ox
וְשׁוֹר֣וֹ (wə·šō·w·rōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7794: A head of cattle (bullock, ox, etcetera)

or donkey,
וַחֲמֹר֔וֹ (wa·ḥă·mō·rōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 2543: A male ass

or anything
וְכֹ֖ל (wə·ḵōl)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

that
אֲשֶׁ֥ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

belongs to your neighbor.
לְרֵעֶֽךָ׃ (lə·rê·‘e·ḵā)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7453: Friend, companion, fellow


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OT Law: Exodus 20:17 You shall not covet your neighbor's house (Exo. Ex)
Exodus 20:16
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