Christian/Religion Studies

Covet, Covetousness:

Avarice - Greediness or wanting gain in a greedy manner. A clear understanding of the words "greed" and "need" are needed to understand the word "covet". Exodus chapter 20, verse 17  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.  Deuteronomy chapter  5, verse 21 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, or his manservant, or his maidservant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbour's.  Romans chapter 7, verse 7  What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.  Romans chapter 13, verse 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Clearly we get the message from the Bible that to covet is to do wrong. That is a strong message but a message worth thinking about. To covet is to take for your own personal gain -  to take unfairly - to steal - or just to want for things that you don't need, even to want something for just the sake of having it. To accumulate money to the love of it - for the joy of gathering (acquire wealth) money and hoarding it which is denying others of its benefits that they "need" but you "want". To get gain for your own sake. In Exodus chapter 20, verse 17  and Deuteronomy chapter  5, verse 21 we see a list of items that we should not covet. A neighbour meaning many people, those all around, or everyone. Remember many lived in tents which meant that their neighbours probably changed sometimes daily, weekly and even monthly as they moved on to another area to camp. Money is a good servant, but a bad master - Proverb.