Have you ever thought about which of the commandments might be the most difficult to keep? I realize this might be a somewhat individual thing. For instance, a habitual thief would say the command not to steal would be the most difficult to keep. Many of us might say we have trouble telling the truth all the time, so the command not to lie is most difficult. After thinking about this question for several months, I propose that another of the ten commandments is the most difficult to keep. This commandment is rarely mentioned in the Bible. Though stated both in Exodus 20 and in Deuteronomy 5, this command, or even the main word in it, is not mentioned in the Gospels. Even when Jesus listed several of the commandments to the rich young ruler, (Mark 10:19) He does not mention this one. Which command am I thinking of? The final one – “You shall not covet.”

While many people have a general idea about what this word means, I think many of us are somewhat confused about its essential meaning in the Bible. Webster’s Dictionary defines covet as “to wish for enviously”, or “to desire (what belongs to another) inordinately or culpably.” I have heard people say that it means to want what somebody else has so much that you would take it away from them or possibly hurt them to get it. While that may be true of the English word “covet”, it is not the basic meaning of the word in the Bible.

The Hebrew word from which “covet” comes (חָמַד -  chamad) is used 49 times in its various forms the Old Testament, though only translated “covet” six times. The core meaning of all these terms is “to desire, take pleasure in” (BDB Lexicon 326). This word is often used for a desire for evil things, (in which case is could be translated “lust”), but it is also used for good desires. For example Isaiah 53:2 in reference to the Messiah says, “…he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him” (NRSV). The same word describes God’s judgments in Psalms 19:10: “They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;” (NASB). 

So then what is the essence of the commandment “You shall not covet”? I believe it would be better translated “You shall not desire -------.” However, that is either too restrictive or too vague. I don’t believe God ever intended us to understand the command that way, so he added some specifics to clarify it a bit. “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.”(Ex. 20:17 NASB) It would seem that many kinds of desire are acceptable and normal, but desire for things that belong to your neighbor are not. Nor is the desire for other forbidden things, even if they do not belong to your neighbor. The very word for covet is used in Genesis 3:6 of the tree that was forbidden to Adam and Eve -  “…the tree was desirable to make one wise,…” (NASB) The same word is used when Achan coveted some of the spoils of Jericho. (Josh. 7:21) And even though the story doesn’t say so, this undoubtedly was part of what happened when David saw Bathsheba bathing, and saw that she was a beautiful woman. He desired her so much that he sent for her, and committed adultery with her. One commentator said that breaking the tenth commandment “leads to the violation of commandments 6–9 in matters of ethical morality” (WBC on Deut 5:21). The thought of evil, or the will to do evil, always precedes the evil act. Consequently, desire is sometimes viewed as the root of all sins, since desire for things of this earth is inherently in conflict with total devotion to God.

In the New Testament passages where “covet” is used, it is a translation of the word epithumeo (ἐπιθυμέω).  Noun and verb forms combined occur 54 times in the New Testament.  Interestingly enough, of those passages the English word “covet” is only used 5 times; some expression of longing or desire is used 26 times, and an even stronger expression using the word “lust” is used 19 times. The word itself, like its Hebrew counterpart, is an essentially neutral word – “desire” or “strong desire” is probably the closest equivalent. It is only “lust” when the object is something bad. So both in its OT setting and in its NT references, “Do not covet” means something like “Do not desire.”

So why is this the most difficult command to keep? Have you ever had someone tell you “You shouldn’t feel that way”? My reaction is to just stare at them and think, “Well, maybe I shouldn’t, but I do!” I think desire is much the same. Someone might say to me, “You shouldn’t want that.” I might respond, “I know, but I do! I can’t just stop wanting what I want, even though I know I shouldn’t.” I think that is why so many people have tried to give “covet” a somewhat different meaning. Otherwise the command says, “You must not desire your neighbor’s wife.” To this you reply, “I know that, and I’m not going to do anything about it, but I still do desire her.” That is good! You are not guilty of adultery, but I’m afraid you are still guilty of coveting. I think this is what Jesus had in mind in Matt. 5:28 when he said that whoever looks on a woman with desire for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Desire comes before the act; eliminate the desire, and prevent the act. James explains it this way: “Each person is tempted when he is lured away and trapped by his own desires. Then when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is finished, it produces death.” (James 1:14-15, my translation)

The question I wrestle with though, is how can I control what I desire? I think Paul writes about this issue in Romans 6, 7, and 8. In the flesh, that is in my own human capacity, I do not have the power to desire only what I ought to desire. But thanks be to God through the power of the Holy Spirit that dwells in me, I can align my desires with the will of God. I can let my thoughts dwell on the things that are true, honorable, pure, lovely, of good repute, excellent, and worthy of praise. (Phil. 4:8) I can be content with what I have, and not always desiring something else or something more. By surrendering myself to Christ, by allowing my mind to be renewed, I can ultimately keep the tenth commandment: “Do not desire what you aren’t supposed to desire.”

Works Cited

“Covet.” Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary. 1974. Print

Brown, Francis, S. R. Driver, and Charles A. Briggs. A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. London: Oxford University Press, 1907.

Christiansen, Duane L. Word Biblical Commentary, Vol. 6a; Deuteronomy 1 – 11. Dallas: Word Books, 1991.