Exodus 20:17 Meaning: The Commandment That Targets the Heart
“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.”
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.
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.
`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.'
Thou shalt not desire thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not desire thy neighbour's wife, nor his bondman, nor his handmaid, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's.
Meaning in one sentence
Exodus 20:17 forbids coveting, targeting the inner desires that lead to breaking the other commandments. Read its meaning and how it calls us to contentment.
Context
This verse is the tenth and final of the Ten Commandments given at Mount Sinai. The people of Israel stood at the foot of the mountain, trembling at the thunder and lightning, as God spoke these words directly. The commandments before this one forbid outward acts, murder, adultery, theft, false witness. But this last one moves inward. It forbids a hidden mental state: the desire for something that belongs to someone else. The commandment reaches past behavior to the place where behavior begins, the human heart. It is the capstone of the law, showing that God cares not only about what we do but also about what we want.
Key Words
The Hebrew verb at the center of this command is chamad (תַּחְמֹד), which means to desire, to take pleasure in, or to long for. The word itself is not always negative, the same verb appears in Psalm 68:16 where God “desires” to dwell on a mountain. But here it is forbidden because the object is what belongs to your neighbor. The context turns a neutral longing into a dangerous craving.
The word for “neighbor” (rea, רֵעַ) means friend, fellow, or another person. It is the same word used throughout the commandments for the person you share life with, not a stranger, but someone near to you. Coveting breaks the bond of community by wishing away what God has given them.
The list that follows, house, wife, servants, ox, donkey, “anything”, shows that no part of a neighbor’s life is off-limits to our envy. The command does not say “do not take,” because that was already covered. It says “do not desire.” It goes straight to the root.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians across traditions have seen this commandment as the spiritual depth of the law. Calvin wrote that while the earlier commands forbid the act, this one forbids the “inward concupiscence” that leads to it, not a repetition, but a clearer standard. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges describes it as forbidding “a hidden mental state, which is the spring and root of nearly every sin against a neighbour.” Keil and Delitzsch note the progression: the commandments move from deed to word to thought, proving that obedience must be complete in the heart as well as the hand. Matthew Henry calls coveting the language of discontent and envy, the sins principally forbidden here. All agree that this command exposes how far we fall short of perfect love for our neighbor.
A common misunderstanding
Some people think coveting is a harmless feeling, a quiet wish that does not hurt anyone. In fact, Scripture shows that coveting is the seed of real harm. Achan coveted a beautiful robe and silver, then stole them, and it cost him his life (Joshua 7:21). David coveted another man’s wife, and it led to adultery and murder (2 Samuel 11). Coveting is not neutral. It is the first step on a road that breaks every commandment about loving your neighbor.
Living This Out
This week, pay attention to the small moments when a desire for something another person has rises up in you. Maybe it is a coworker’s success, a friend’s house, or someone else’s ease in life. Notice whether that desire begins to sour into resentment or discontent with your own lot. The tenth commandment does not just tell you to stop feeling that way, it invites you to bring that desire to God and ask Him to reshape what you want. Contentment is not pretending you want nothing; it is wanting what God has already given you.
Main takeaway: God cares about what we want, not just what we do, because our desires reveal where our trust in Him truly lies.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
This commandment says we should not want things that belong to other people. It is okay to like your friend’s toy, but it is not okay to wish it was yours and be unhappy with what you have. God wants you to be happy with what He gave you.
For ages 9, 12
Coveting is wanting something so badly that it makes you unhappy with your own stuff. The tenth commandment teaches us that the first step of doing something wrong often starts with wanting it in our hearts. That is why we need to ask God to help us be thankful for what we have, instead of looking at what others have and feeling jealous.
Questions People Ask
What does the word 'covet' mean in Exodus 20:17?
The Hebrew word is 'chamad,' which means to desire or long for. It can be used in a good sense in other places (like desiring God's commands), but here it is forbidden because the object is what belongs to your neighbor. It is a craving that leads to discontent and often to sinful actions.
Why does the Tenth Commandment forbid a feeling instead of an action?
The earlier commandments forbid outward acts like murder, adultery, and theft. The Tenth Commandment goes deeper by forbidding the inner desire that gives birth to those acts. God wants obedience from the heart, not just outward compliance. This commandment reveals that our thoughts and longings matter to Him.
How is coveting different from simply wanting something?
Wanting something becomes coveting when it involves a longing for what belongs to someone else, paired with discontent with your own situation. It is not wrong to want good things, but coveting is a desire that disregards God’s provision for you and your neighbor. It often leads to envy, resentment, or taking what is not yours.
Does this commandment mean I can never admire what someone else has?
No. Admiring a neighbor’s success or belongings is not the same as coveting. Coveting carries a sense of grasping, of wishing it were yours with a dissatisfied heart. The commandment targets the craving that makes you bitter toward your neighbor and ungrateful toward God. Healthy appreciation gives thanks, while coveting grumbles.
How does the Tenth Commandment relate to the other nine?
It is the capstone that exposes the root of every sin against a neighbor. Jesus taught that anger is a form of murder and lust a form of adultery (Matthew 5). The Tenth Commandment shows that God’s law is spiritual, it governs not only our hands and words but also our hearts. Keeping this command helps us keep all the others.
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