The Ten Commandments Part 10: What Does The Bible Say About Coveting?

What does the Bible say about coveting? This article is an in-depth exegesis of the Tenth Commandment. It explains the true meaning of coveting and the consequences it can produce in individuals, families, and nations.

👉 Follow the complete Ten Commandments series:

• The Ten Commandments (Part 1): No Other Gods Before Me
• The Ten Commandments (Part 2): What Does the Second Commandment Mean?
• The Ten Commandments (Part 3): Do Not Take His Name in Vain
• The Ten Commandments (Part 4): Sabbath — Saturday or Sunday?
• The Ten Commandments (Part 5): Honor Your Father and Mother
• The Ten Commandments (Part 6): You Shall Not Kill
• The Ten Commandments (Part 7): What Is Adultery According to the Bible?
• The Ten Commandments (Part 8): What Does “You Shall Not Steal” Mean?
• The Ten Commandments (Part 9): What Does the Bible Say About Lying?
• The Ten Commandments (Part 10): What Does the Bible Say About Coveting [Present]

Scripture Foundation

Exodus 20:17 NKJV

17. “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.”

Understanding Covetousness

The Scripture says, “You shall not covet.” But what does it mean to covet? According to Merriam-Webster, to covet is to desire something earnestly, especially something that belongs to another person, in an excessive or wrongful way.

In simple terms, coveting is an uncontrolled desire for wealth, possessions, status, or anything that belongs to someone else.

Biblically, covetousness is a selfish, excessive desire to possess what another person has. It goes beyond ordinary desire and becomes a craving for wealth, position, or possessions that replaces contentment in God. Scripture identifies this kind of desire as idolatry.

Colossians 3:5 NKJV

5. Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

Colossians uses the word “covetousness,” which means the state of being covetous. The root word is covet.

Coveting is destructive because it often begins quietly—as a thought or desire—but can gradually take control of the heart and mind. If it is not confronted, it can grow into a temptation that feels difficult to resist. That is why we need God’s strength to help us reject the desire to take or pursue what does not belong to us. Covetousness is rooted in human nature and lies behind many problems in society.

The Tenth Commandment Addresses the Heart

This commandment is different from all the others.

Most of the previous commandments deal with actions, such as:

• Murder
• Adultery
• Stealing
• Lying

But coveting deals with something that may never become visible to anyone else.

It addresses the heart.

Although covetousness appears last in the Ten Commandments, it is not a lesser sin. It is often overlooked because, unlike murder or theft, it may remain hidden. Yet it is dangerous precisely because it can take hold of us before we recognize it.

Few sermons, lessons, or books focus on covetousness, even though it is one of society’s most common struggles. At its core, covetousness is a craving that can capture the heart, and our culture is saturated with it, just as Israel was.

Covetousness in Society and Culture

Let’s look at what God said through His prophet Jeremiah as He pronounced judgment upon Israel.

Jeremiah 6:13 NKJV

13. “Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, Everyone is given to covetousness; And from the prophet even to the priest, Everyone deals falsely.

Unchecked covetousness produces the condition Jeremiah described: “Everyone deals falsely.”

Modern culture often encourages coveting. Entire industries profit by creating dissatisfaction, and advertising frequently pushes the idea that we need more than we have.

For example, five mornings a week, I power walk outside and use an app to track my steps, time, and distance. Before I can begin, advertisements often interrupt the app, forcing me to wait. Those few seconds may seem small, but they show how aggressively advertising inserts itself into our lives. If we are not careful, it trains us to want what we do not need.

Advertising frequently says:

• You must have more
• You deserve more.
• You need what they have.
• Your life would be better if you owned this.
• Compare yourself to others.

We live in a comparison-driven society, and social media has intensified that pressure.

People constantly see:

• Other people’s homes
• Vacations
• Cars
• Relationships
• Success

When we focus on what others have, admiration can turn into envy, envy into resentment, and resentment into obsession.

Examples of Covetousness and Its Destruction

Covetousness is deeply destructive. It harms individuals, families, and even nations. Let’s consider both a biblical example and a modern-day example.

Biblical Example: Israel Desiring a King

First, the biblical example: Israel had been delivered from slavery in Egypt and was led by God. But over time, the people decided that God’s leadership was not enough.

1 Samuel 8:4-22 NKJV

This passage is lengthy, but it is important to read it fully. Afterward, we will consider what it reveals.

This is the account of Israel’s request to Samuel for a king.

4. Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,
5.  and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
6. But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord.
7. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. ^8. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.
8. Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”
9. So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king.
10. And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots.
11. He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
12. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.
13. And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.
14. He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants.
15. And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
16. He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants.
17. And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”
18. NEVERTHELESS the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us,
19. that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
20. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the Lord.
21. So the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.”

And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.”

If Israel chose to live under a monarchy, their freedom would be greatly limited. Samuel warned them of several consequences.

1) In verses 11–12, their sons would be taken for military service. They would care for horses and chariots, serve in the king’s forces, and many would be removed from their homes for war.

2) In verse 12, people would be forced into labor, working in fields and producing food, weapons, and equipment for the king.

3) In verse 13, their daughters would be taken to serve in the royal household as perfumers, cooks, and bakers.

4) In verse 14, the king would take their best fields, vineyards, and olive groves for his servants and officials.

5) In verse 15, he would impose taxes to support his government and reward his officers.

6) In verse 16, he would take servants, workers, and valuable animals for his own use.

7) In verse 17, he would take a portion of their flocks and increase their burdens.

8) In short, the people would lose freedoms and become servants of the king. His demands would come first, and their liberty would depend on his character and justice.

Yet even after hearing these warnings, the people insisted in verses 19–20: “No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

It is important to understand that wanting a king was not wrong in itself. God had already allowed for a king in His law (Deuteronomy 17:14–20; see also Genesis 49:10; Numbers 24:7, 17).

Deuteronomy 17:15, 20 NKJV

15. you shall surely set a king over you whom THE LORD YOUR GOD CHOOSES; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.
16. that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he may prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children in the midst of Israel.

The problem was their motive. They wanted a king “like all the nations,” instead of a leader chosen and shaped by God. In doing so, they rejected God’s rule and broke the covenant with Him.

There is a saying: Be careful what you ask for—you just might get it. Israel asked, and God gave them what they wanted.

As pointed out earlier, the king’s demands would come first, and their liberty would depend on his character and justice.

Because of Solomon’s sins, God divided the kingdom, leaving only one tribe, Judah in the south because of His covenant with David (1 Kings 11:13). The northern kingdom of Israel eventually had nineteen kings, all of whom were evil. Judah had twenty kings, twelve of whom were evil.

Those wicked kings led Israel and Judah into idolatry and destruction. Eventually, both kingdoms fell, and many survivors were exiled to Babylon for 70 years.

All of this began with a covetous desire to be like the surrounding nations. They wanted what others had, without considering the spiritual cost.

The lesson is clear: we must not covet what others have because we do not know the cost behind it. We may not know why they have it, how they got it, or what burdens came with it. The grass may look greener on the other side—until we get there.

The consequences of sin are not always immediate. Israel’s downfall unfolded over hundreds of years, but it still came.

Now, there are other Biblical examples of covetousness, but this is the one I was led to share.

Modern Example: Coveting What Belongs to Another Nation

Now, let’s look at a modern example of the destruction of covetousness.

Now let’s consider a modern example. Russia is geographically the largest country in the world, yet its leader desired control over Ukraine. The consequences have been devastating.

According to reports from the World Bank and Reuters:

If we use mid-range estimates:

• Military dead: roughly 300,000–450,000+
• Military wounded/missing: well over 1 million
• Civilian dead: 15,000+ verified, likely more
• Civilians injured: 40,000+ verified
• Property damage in Ukraine alone: about $195 billion
• Reconstruction cost: roughly $588 billion

And those figures do not fully account for economic losses, lost productivity, demographic decline, refugees, or the destruction inside Russia from Ukrainian strikes. The true economic cost on both sides is far higher.

From a historical perspective, it is already one of the bloodiest and most destructive wars in Europe since World War II.

The numbers are staggering, and the war is not over. This is what covetousness can produce when one leader desires what belongs to another nation. We must ask: is it worth it?

So, we have two examples of covetousness destroying nations. Now imagine what can happen in individual lives and families.

Covetousness Today: The Financial Cost of Wanting More

Scriptural Warnings Against Coveting

We are so warned about coveting in the Scriptures.

Again, the tenth Commandment reads in  Exodus 20:17: NKJV

17. “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.”

We are not to covet, as the Scripture reads, “anything that is your neighbor’s.”

That means we should not be consumed with our neighbor’s possessions, business, or blessings. Instead, we are to focus faithfully on what God has entrusted to us.

As we do, we should live with thanksgiving and contentment.

Hebrews 13:5 NKJV

5. Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

1 Timothy 6:6 NKJV

6. Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

Our focus should be on God and godliness, not on our neighbor’s possessions or the temporary things of this world.

When we put our trust in man rather than in God, there is a price to pay.

Jeremiah 17:5 NKJV

5. Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the Lord.

This is what Israel did, and we have seen the result. The same warning applies to individuals who place their trust in people or possessions rather than in God.

And now we look at the end result.

Ephesians 5:5 NKJV

5. For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor COVETOUS man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Notice that these warnings appear in both the Old and New Testaments.

How Covetousness Leads to Other Sins

The Tenth Commandment ties the others together because covetousness can lead us to break every commandment. It can lead us to:

Have other gods before God #1

Bow down to idols #2

Take the Lord’s name in vain #3

Not honor the Sabbath #4

Dishonor our fathers and mothers #5

Kill one another #6

Commit adultery #7

To steal #8

To bear false witness #9

A covetous person cannot covet without breaking at least one or more of these commandments; depending on how severe a case may be.

Bottom line: They will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Choosing Contentment and Trusting God

The Tenth Commandment teaches that God is concerned not only with our actions, but also with our desires.

We cannot live consumed by what our neighbors have or driven by excessive desire for the things of this world.

How can we inherit heaven while holding on to jealousy and envy? It cannot work.

But the Lord is gracious. If covetousness has taken root in us, it is not too late to turn from it and learn contentment.

My position is this: things can always be better, but they could also be worse. So I thank God for what I have and choose to be content. What is not mine was not meant for me, and what God has for me will come in His time.

As Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Seek God, trust what He has for you, and let Him bring it to pass.

Be blessed— and have a Great Day!

Amen

Questions, comments, and concerns may be left below.

👉 Videos

👉 Watch the full video presentation:

For the short version, click the link

https://youtube.com/shorts/ryDRLwZ5y6s

👉 Follow the complete Ten Commandments series:

• The Ten Commandments (Part 1): No Other Gods Before Me
• The Ten Commandments (Part 2): What Does the Second Commandment Mean?
• The Ten Commandments (Part 3): Do Not Take His Name in Vain
• The Ten Commandments (Part 4): Sabbath — Saturday or Sunday?
• The Ten Commandments (Part 5): Honor Your Father and Mother
• The Ten Commandments (Part 6): You Shall Not Kill
• The Ten Commandments (Part 7): What Is Adultery According to the Bible?
• The Ten Commandments (Part 8): What Does “You Shall Not Steal” Mean?
• The Ten Commandments (Part 9): What Does the Bible Say About Lying?
• The Ten Commandments (Part 10): What Does the Bible Say About Coveting [Present]

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