Exodus 20:17 - Forerunner Commentary

Exodus 20:17

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Articles, Bible studies, and sermons that contain The Second Book of Moses Called Exodus 20:17:

Exodus 20:17
Excerpted from: God's Rest (Part 4)

You can see that the translators made a change in the first phrase—from "covet" to desire. This is just a little item to keep track of, one of those little bits of trivia. They are exactly the same word in the Hebrew, in Exodus as in Deuteronomy. Why they made the change, I have no idea. But one thing that you can learn from it is that very frequently when you look at the word desire in some other part of the Old Testament it is very likely going to be exactly the same word that is translated covet in a different context. And so the word, of and by itself in the Hebrew, isn't going to tell you a great deal. It's the context that may tell you what God intends.

That word is khawmad. It simply means, "to delight in, to covet." It can be translated "desire, covet, or lust" (among other things). This same word is translated only one time into the English word lust in the Old Testament, and you will find that in Proverbs 6. I think this is because there is a subtle difference in the usage—between the word "covet" and "lust." This is especially noticeable in the English.

Coveting generally means to simply long after in order to enjoy the property that belongs to another (or, as a property that which belongs to another). Another way of putting it is that coveting is grasping thoughts, which lead to grasping deeds. By contrast, lusting, though somewhat similar, is specifically used in the English to indicate a sexual desire.

Regardless of which it is, both arrive from two different sources. One will begin with a perception of beauty—as in a thing, so that it begins to be desired. The other will arise from an inclination, or something more abstract—as like a desire for power, or fame. Much of the first one arises from the senses—from what we see, from what we hear, smell, taste, or feel. The second primarily arises from within. One leans towards excitement, or arising of desire—beginning without. The other arises from within. It is primarily inward, and that is the one that tends to be more abstract.

But regardless of which source it comes from, to give you some sort of a sense of their impact on life, one commentator said that all public crime would cease if just this one commandment were kept. Another one said that every sin against neighbor springs from the breaking of this one commandment, whether of word or deed.

You might recall that when I read the commandment in Exodus 20:17, that the word "house" appeared in it. It will be somewhat better for you, and a little bit more 'all inclusive,' if you will understand that that word "house", in that kind of a context, generally means household rather than simply a dwelling in which one lives. One way to help you to understand this is that when they were given those commandments they had no houses. They were standing there at Mt. Sinai. The commandments were given. And, as we are going to see in just a minute, the commandments were given primarily with "the wandering" in mind—because some adjustments were made with the commandments in Deuteronomy 5. They aren't real big ones. They are subtle, but they are important.

The commandments are given in Deuteronomy 5 just as they were ready to go into the Land. They were then going to begin to dwell in houses once again. That signifies the reason for the other changes that are in that commandment. "Neither shall you desire your neighbor's wife." (Deuteronomy 5:21) In Exodus 20, "wife" is not put first. "Household" is put first; and then the next five terms are giving you an indication of what God means by "households"—that which is within the house, even including the animals that are owned. That is, that which is within the "household." But now they are going to go into the Land, and "wife" is moved into first position. We should also understand that, included within it (though not mentioned) should be the term "husband" (because women are just as capable of coveting after a man, as a man is after a woman). So … . . .

Exodus 20:17
Excerpted from: The Tenth Commandment

I am going to give you three paraphrase definitions of the word covet. These are not one-word things, but paraphrases and expansions as well. It should give us a little better sense of what the word means.

Coveting normally arises from two sources. The first one is a perception of beauty in the eye of the beholder as of an object to be desired. The second one is an inclination as for something more abstract, like a desire for power. The first of those two incites from without, because the eye or ear is directly involved; the second, from within; but both of them are equally bad.

Regarding the pervasiveness of this sin, one commentator said, "All public crime would cease if this one law were kept." Another commentator said, "Every sin against neighbor springs from the breaking of this commandment, whether in word or deed."

In the Exodus 20 wording, the word house implies "household." Then follow six other terms so that we would clearly understand what is meant. In Deuteronomy 5:21, wife is moved into first position, displacing house as the very crown of one's possessions. Of course, that would imply husband, as well. The word field is inserted because, earlier, when the Exodus 20 one was given, a field was of no concern because they had no land. They were out in the wilderness.

Thus, in the two wordings, there is a seven-fold guarding of the other person's interests. What this does is show that the underlying concept of all of God's law is of outgoing concern. It is in this commandment that we step from the outer world of word and deed into the secret place where all good and evil begin, which is in the heart. It is through this commandment that one clearly penetrates into the spirit of God's law, and its importance lies in the fact that it is the inner life that ultimately determines a person's choices. It is in the inner man where the change of heart that determines conversion and growth must take place.

Exodus 20:17
Excerpted from: Keeping God's Standards

This commandment of not coveting does promote peace. Because coveting promotes idolatry as the thing one covets takes God's place in importance. Coveting promotes stealing or war to obtain what one desires.

The Fourth Commandment

Articles
Do We Need the Old Testament?
Hating Evil, Fearing God
Lowly and Riding on a Donkey?
The Tenth Commandment
The Tenth Commandment (1998)

Bible Questions & Answers
Why Are There Different Forms of the Ten Commandme

Bible Studies
Parable of the Rich Fool
The Tenth Commandment

Essays
Coveting and the Roots of Sin
Revelations at Mount Sinai
The Hand You Are Dealt
The Obsolescing Right
What Does It Say? (2003)

Sermons
The Doctrine of Israel (Part Two): The Old Covenant
The Beauty of God's Law
Agape: Does Not Envy
Micah (Part One): Hope for the Hopeless
Hosea's Prophecy (Part Five)
Gambling: A Question of Motive

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