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how might modern advertising or social media platforms inadvertently amplify coveting?

Adds the setting and its conversation across both testaments.

Exodus 20:17

““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.””

This verse is part of the Ten Commandments, given by God to the Israelites through Moses at Mount Sinai after their liberation from slavery in Egypt. These commandments served as foundational laws for their new society, outlining principles for their relationship with God and with each other.

What does a truthful examination of our own desires reveal about our relationship with others and the things we possess?

Then — the setting

This commandment was given around the 13th-15th century BCE in the wilderness, addressed to the newly formed nation of Israel. It was a societal and personal guideline for a community transitioning from slavery to self-governance. The items listed—house, wife, servants, livestock—represent the core elements of a person's security, status, and ability to sustain their household in an agrarian, patriarchal society. To covet these was to desire the unraveling or transfer of a neighbor's well-being and stability, threatening the social fabric.

Across the Testaments

The Old Testament commandment in Exodus 20:17 directly forbids the internal desire for what belongs to another, laying the groundwork for an ethics that goes beyond mere outward actions. The New Testament, particularly in Jesus's teachings, significantly deepens this internal focus. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus extends the prohibition against murder to include anger and the prohibition against adultery to include lustful thoughts (Matthew 5:21-28). This shows a continuity and intensification of the idea that sin originates in the heart and mind, not just in external deeds. The New Testament affirms the spirit of this commandment, underscoring that the root of many societal ills and personal suffering lies in unchecked desires and covetousness (e.g., James 4:1-3; Romans 7:7-8).

Keep thinking

Read alongside it

Deuteronomy 5:21
This parallel text in Deuteronomy reiterates the same commandment, emphasizing its importance in the renewed covenant.
Romans 7:7-8
Paul discusses how the commandment against coveting made him aware of his own sinfulness, showing its psychological depth.
James 4:1-3
James links quarrels and conflicts directly to unfulfilled desires and coveting within the community.

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