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What Does Covet Mean In The Bible

What Does The Word Covenant Mean In The Bible

Is Dreaming Considered Coveting?
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Question: What does the word covenant mean in the Bible?

Answer: A covenant is an agreement between two parties based upon mutual promises. In the Bible, there were a number of covenants made, yet the most obvious or spoken of are the Old and the New Covenants. Hebrews 8:7, 10 describe these two, For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. In that he saith, a new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.

The Old Covenant

The Old Covenant was an agreement between God and Israel in which God promised to bless Israel upon condition of obedience to Him . The Ten Commandments were the basis of the covenant . The Lord wished to write His commandments in the hearts of the people but the people instead promised that they would do that themselves, thus relying on their own works instead of letting God do the work in them. They said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do . Here lies the premise of the weakness of the Old Covenant in that it was dependent on the promises of people.

The New Covenant

The Old Covenant was by works, sacrifices, and ordinances. The New Covenant is by faith in the promises of God. The New Covenant does not cancel out obedience to Gods word and His commandments but rather it makes it possible for the believers to keep them through Christ dwelling in the heart .

In His service,

Choose The Right Synonym For Covet

desire, wish, want, crave, covet mean to have a longing for. desire stresses the strength of feeling and often implies strong intention or aim. desires to start a new lifewish sometimes implies a general or transient longing especially for the unattainable. wishes for permanent world peacewant specifically suggests a felt need or lack. wants to have a familycrave stresses the force of physical appetite or emotional need. craves sweetscovet implies strong envious desire. covets his rise to fame

Equal To All Other Commandments

Philos thinking here is reminiscent of the statement of R. Yakum , quoted in the 9th century C.E. midrashic work Pesikta Rabbati :

Rabbi Yakum says: To violate do not covet is tantamount to violating all ten commandments: do not covetI am

Following a rabbinic tradition in which a commandment from the second list is paired with a commandment from the first, Rabbi Yakum reads the tenth and the first together as if they state in a sentence do not covet Me. In other words, not only are social sins such as adultery and theft committed because the person desires what a fellow human possesses, but religious sins between humans and God, are committed because a person covets being God or having divine power/authority. If God is the master of the world, how can a person desire to have that which God did not give, or act in a way God does not permit?

This point was teased out by R. Yaakov Culi , in his Ladino commentary on the Torah, Me-Am Loez:

A person should contemplate somberly and reason with himself: God is the master of my fate, not I. If I deserve to own something, surely God will not withhold it from me. But if something is not destined to be mine, then all of my pains and efforts to acquire it will come to naught. So it is futile to pursue it.

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Earn The Right To Better Stuff

My son recently asked me if he could get a first base glove if he played first base in this Springs baseball! My answer was a firm NO. Once again, I had to explain to him that wearing a first base glove was not going to make him a better player. In fact, I told him that he had to earn the right to get one. That means lots of practice and if he gets into his high school or college team, then he would probably have earned his right to get the right gear.

Same goes to the grand piano example. If an aspiring pianist has made it and is a professional, then he or she has earned the right to get a grand piano. In fact, you would even say that it is a necessity then. If a college student has excellent grades and has a gotten a job with a top law firm or something equivalent, then he or she has probably earned the right to a slightly more expensive but stylish working attire. A chef probably has earned the right to good or even high end kitchen equipment because he will make use of them to the fullest. Ordinary folks like us who can hardly make a scramble egg properly should settle for the most affordable gear.

Trust In His Wisdom To Know What Is Right For Youand What Isnt

Book of Ecclesiastes Overview

God desires to answer our requests with a yes! He wants us to ask and receive, to seek and find, and to find open doors when we knock . And when we ask for fish, He wont throw a snake at us . Re-read number one above. God loves you. But because He loves you so much, He also doesnt want to give you things that you beg for when He knows those things will not help you in the long run. Ask for anything but temper your wants with honoring and respecting Gods wisdom. He knows much more than you do. Trust that God will bring whats best for your life.

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Is Lust The Same As Adultery

Just as lusting after the fruit with her eyes caused her to want to physically eat the fruit, the sinful desires of the lust of our eyes today can cause us to commit physical sin. Jesus told His disciples that if a person even looks lustfully at a person, the individual has already committed adultery with that person in their heart .

If we merely look and covet after any material possession, we are sinning against God. The Lord tells us clearly that we must not covet, You shall not covet your neighbors house. You shall not covet your neighbors wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor .

In the same manner, Paul reaffirms the importance of abstaining from covetousness when he wrote to the Church in Ephesus . Covetousness or desiring something someone else has is a sin. When we are not content with what God has given us, we are ultimately complaining against God.

The Lord has given us everything we need: redemption, forgiveness, and eternal life. There is nothing greater than living in the truth of Jesus love. The lust of the eyes will try to trick us into thinking that God is withholding good things from our lives. This is simply not true as God richly provides us with everything we need .

What Does Covet Mean In The Bible

This infamous command is a subject of debate.

chamadchamad chamad lakachchamad lakach lakach chamad chamad chamad chamad chamad lakach chamad chamad chamad chamad chamad chamad chamad chamadchamad Stephanie Hertzenberg is a writer and editor at Beliefnet. She is a graduate of the College of William and Mary where she majored in Religious Studies and minored in Creative Writing. She maintains an avid interest in health, history and science.

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Examples Of Covet In A Sentence

The Known WorldReader’s DigestTom Sawyercovetingcovetingcovet oregonlivecovet clevelandcovet Los Angeles Timescovet oregonlivecovet oregonlivecovet oregonlivecovet oregonlivecovetStar Tribune

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word ‘covet.’ Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

The Heart Of The Matter And The Spirit Of The Law

The Third Commandment

Jesus Christ made clear in the Sermon on the Mount and throughout His teachings that Gods law involves more than just our actions. Really obeying the 10 Commandments involves our thoughts and attitudes and approaches.

Even before Christ expanded on the laws, this 10th Commandment added depth to all the commandments by drawing attention to our hearts and motives. Coveting, and all sin, begins in our hearts.

But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies. These are the things which defile a man .

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The Lxx Translation: Desire

The LXX translators of Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5 used the verb epithumeo , which the Greek English Lexicon of the Septuagint translates as to set ones heart upon, to long for, to desire. The Greek verb epithumeo is different than the English verb covet since it can be used for positive as well as negative desires. For example, before he is taken by the authorities, Jesus tells his disciples that he greatly desires to have the Passover feast with them .

The LXX translators used the term epithumeo for all coveting prohibitions in both versions of the Decalogue, i.e., as a translation of both the Hebrew root ×.×.× as well as the root ×.×.×, perhaps because it understood these Hebrew roots as synonyms. For this reason, readers interpreting the Greek Bible were likely to miss the specific connection between ×.×.× and taking.

Do Not Go To The Mall Just For Sales And Discounts

Most of the time, it never pays to buy stuff just because they are on sale or on credit. Sales are always designed to stimulate impulse purchases. Furniture stores and car dealers are always offering 0% financing deals . Heres the thing if you cannot pay in cash, you cannot afford it! Very often, I find myself tempted to buy something I would never have bought because it is on sale!.

Make use of sales, but do not let SALES MAKE USE OF YOU.

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Thou Shalt Not Covet Meaning

Another synonym for these two words is coveting and that is one of the Ten Commandments. You shall not covet anything that belongs to your neighbor . Who is your neighbor? Everyone other than you. Both envy and jealousy can make you feel angry, resentful, inadequate, helpless, and bitter. Both are destructive. Nothing good can come of either one.

Its normal and natural to compare my life with everyone elses. If Im not careful, I will always see my lot in life as less than. But less than what? Im only comparing one aspect of their lives with my whole life. I dont really know what theyre going through. If I saw their whole picture, I might not be jealous at all. Everyone has problems to deal with and no ones life is perfect.

Jealousy causes you to feel bad about yourself and then also lash out at other people. It can cause fights and quarrels. Arguments begin with evil desires in peoples minds. You want things you dont have. And you want to hold onto things that you do possess. Then your mind concocts schemes to get anything that you want. Read James 4:1-2. We forget the fact that not everything we want is good for us. We make ourselves miserable when we look at all the shiny things and desire to have them right away. We forget that there is a loving Creator that willingly gives us the best things in His timing. He gives us the best, but He doesnt give us everything.

Coveting And Taking: A Biblical Pair

What Does Covet Mean? Bible Definition of Covet or ...

The root ×.×.× in the qal verbal form is often paired with an active verb, such as taking:

Precious metals used for idolatry

פְּסִ××Öµ× ×Ö±×Ö¹×Öµ××Ö¶× ×ªÖ´Ö¼×©Ö°×רְפ×Ö¼× ×Ö¸Ö¼×Öµ×©× ×Ö¹× ×ªÖ·×Ö°×Ö¹× ×ֶּסֶף ×Ö°×Ö¸×Ö¸× ×¢Ö²×Öµ××Ö¶× ×Ö°×ָקַ×ְתָּ ×Ö¸×Ö°

You shall consign the images of their gods to the fire you shall not covet the silver and gold on them and keep it for yourselves

Achan takes from the cherem in Jericho

×ַשָּ××Ö¸× ×Ö·×ֶּרֶת שִ×× Ö°×¢Ö¸×¨ ×Ö·×ַת ××Ö¹×Ö¸× ×Ö¼×Ö¸×תַ×Ö´× ×©Ö°×קָ×Ö´×× ×ֶּסֶף ×Ö¼×ְש××Ö¹× ×Ö¸×Ö¸× ×Ö¶×Ö¸× ×Ö²×ִשִּ××× ×©Ö°×קָ×Ö´×× ×ִשְ×קָ××Ö¹ ×Ö¸×Ö¶×Ö°×Ö°×Öµ× ×Ö¸×ֶקָּ×Öµ×

I saw among the spoil a fine Shinar mantle, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, and I coveted them and took them

Even when root ×.×.× isnt paired with the term taking, it often refers to circumstances where action follows the desire. For example, Proverbs 6:25, which warns about the dangers of adultery, notes:

Prov 6:25 Do not covet her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes.

The chapter ends with the warning that a husband never forgives a man who cuckolds him, so that adultery is a self-destructive act. The assumption is that if the man covets her beauty he will sleep with her.

Similarly, the pilgrimage law in Exodus states:

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Bible Verses On Jealousy

1 Corinthians 3:3: “You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere humans?”

1 Corinthians 10:3: “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Ecclesiastes 4:4: “And I saw that all toil and all achievement spring from one persons envy of another. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.”

James 4:2-3: “You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

1 Peter 2:9: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, Gods special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

Column: The Last And Final Commandment Is An Important One

You shall not covet your neighbors house. You shall not covet your neighbors wife, or his manservant or maidservant, his ox or his donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

I recently read an article about the lasting importance of the Ten Commandments in which the author observed, When God gave his people the Ten Commandments, he wrote them on stone to symbolize their durable, lasting nature he wrote them on both sides of the stone to signify their thoroughness and he wrote these laws with his own finger to attest to their supernatural character.

Interestingly, the first four commandments deal with our relationships with God, while the last six commandments are concerned with our relationships with each other. Strangely, however, the 10th Commandment does not deal with outward and visible acts like the other nine but with the inner desire of wanting something that we cannot have. Its different from the other nine commandments because its more concerned with what is wrong with us on the inside. Even though it comes last, it certainly doesnt rank least. In fact, it is the only commandment of the 10 with which God chose to give examples to illustrate his point.

Jesus once told us that the two greatest commandments are to love the Lord with all of our hearts and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

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What Does Covet Mean

For English-speakers, there is little if any doubt about what it means to covet. Based on considerations of etymology and widely accepted usage, I define it in this way: to desire obsessively, wrongfully, and/or without due regard for the rights/feelings of others. It is an emotion, a strong emotion, to be avoided or recanted. When a person experiences this emotion, he/she covets. But does covet capture the meaning of the Hebrew verb, from the root ×.×.×?

The Doubled Prohibition Of Coveting

The Fifth Commandment

The writers of the Torah were dead set in their opposition to coveting of this, at least, there can be no doubt. It is the only prohibition mentioned twice in the Decalogue and with an impressive list of interdicted items :

×Ö¹× ×ªÖ·×Ö°×Ö¹× ×ÖµÖ¼×ת רֵעֶ×Ö¸

You shall not covet your neighbors house.

You shall not covet your neighbors wife, or his male or female slave, or his ox or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbors.

In MT Deuteronomy, the verb covet appears only once, and another term, crave or desire appears in the second prohibition :

You shall not covet your neighbors wife.

You shall not crave your neighbors house, or his field, or his male or female slave, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbors.

This doubled prohibition of coveting is so important in the Roman Catholic tradition that it views the above as two separate commandments instead of one.

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Coveting As An Active Plotting: Rabbinic Texts

Ibn Ezras understanding of the tenth commandment as a feeling is unusual for rabbinic interpreters of the Hebrew Bible since, as noted above, the Hebrew text associates the verb ××× with the action of taking and rabbinic interpreters tend to follow suit. For example, the third century C.E. halakhic midrash from the R. Yishmael school, Mekhilta de-Rabbi Ishmael, inextricably links action and thought under the category of coveting :

Perhaps even the mere expressing of ones desire in words is also meant? But it says: you shall not covet the silver and gold on them and keep it for yourselves . Just as there, only the carrying out of ones desire into practice is forbidden, so also here, it is forbidden only to carry out the desire into practice.

Gersonides also explains the tenth commandment as active planning :

The meaning of covet is to attempt to attain something from ones neighbor, for example, to offer him money to divorce his wife so that he can marry her, or to sell him his slave or his ox or his donkey or any other piece of his property. This is a very evil characteristic, to attempt to take away ones neighbors possessions when he himself does not wish to sell them and part with them.

Hence, we infer that one does not violate the prohibition if one does not actually do something in order to obtain the coveted object.

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