The Ten Commandments
Q19. What is the Tenth Commandment?
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his workers, his animals, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.
Scripture Proofs — King James Version
Exodus 20:17
“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 5:21
“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.”
Parent Guide
Discuss this question together
Discussion Questions
- 1
What are the specific things the Tenth Commandment lists that you should not covet?
- 2
Why does God care about what you want inside your heart, not just what you do?
- 3
What person or relationship do you sometimes wish you could have for yourself?
Illustration
A girl sees her classmate laughing with another friend and feels a knot in her stomach. She wants that friendship for herself. She starts trying to pull her classmate away from the other girl. She has not stolen anything you can see, but she is coveting a relationship that is not hers. This commandment reaches all the way into the desires of your heart.
Application
If you feel jealous of someone's friendships or family this week, stop and pray. Ask God to help you be thankful for the people he has placed in your life and to be glad for others instead of envious.
Read Luther’s expanded teaching
From the Large Catechism (1529)