Reference: Covetousness
Easton
a strong desire after the possession of worldly things (Col 3:5; Eph 5:5; Heb 13:5; 1Ti 6:9-10; Mt 6:20). It assumes sometimes the more aggravated form of avarice, which is the mark of cold-hearted worldliness.
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but be laying up or yourselves treasures in heaven, where, neither moth nor rust, doth tarnish, and where, thieves, dig not through nor steal:
For, this, ye know, if ye take note - that no fornicator, or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of the Christ and God.
Make dead, therefore, your members that are on the earth - as regardeth fornication, impurity, passion, base coveting, and greed, the which, is idolatry, -
Without fondness for money, be your way of life, - being content with the present things, - for, he, hath said: In nowise, thee, will I leave, no indeed! in nowise, thee, will I forsake:
Hastings
In the Bible, covetousness is a crime. In the Ten Commandments it is put under the ban along with murder, adultery, theft, and slander (Ex 20:17; De 5:21). Achan was guilty of this crime, and was stoned to death (Jos 7:16-26). Every occurrence of the word or the thing in the OT is connected with a prohibition or a curse (Ps 10:3; 119:36; Pr 21:26; 28:16; Isa 57:17; Hab 2:9). In the NT adultery and covetousness are usually classed together (1Co 5:11; 6:9-10; Col 3:5; 2Pe 2:14). This conjunction of sensual sin and love of money probably rests upon the authority of Jesus (Mr 7:21-22). Jesus and the Apostles declared that the worshipper of Bacchus and the worshipper of Venus and the worshipper of Mammon belong to one and the same class. Grasping avarice is as incompatible with the spirit of self-sacrifice taught in the NT as is the selfish indulgence in drink or the grosser indulgence in vice. The Bible puts the covetous man in the same category with the murderer and the thief. The Christian Church needs to study anew the Bible teaching concerning covetousness, as found in Jer 22:17; Mic 2:2; Lu 12:15; Ro 7:7; Eph 5:3,6; 1Ti 6:10; Heb 13:5, and other passages. No covetous man has any inheritance in the Kingdom of God.
D. A. Hayes.
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Thou shalt not covet, thy neighbours house, - thou shalt not covet, thy neighbour's wife nor his servant nor his handmaid nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything which belongeth unto thy neighbour.
Neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's wife, - neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's house, his field, or his servant, or his handmaid, his ox or his ass, or anything that is thy neighbour's.
So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought Israel near by their tribes, - and, the tribe of Judah, was seized; and he brought near the family of Judah, and, the family of the Zarhites, was seized, - and he brought near the family of the Zarhites, man by man, and, Zabdi, was seized; read more. and he brought near his household, man by man, - and, Achan son of Carmi son of Zabdi son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was seized. And Joshua said unto Achan - My son give I pray thee glory unto Yahweh God of Israel and make to him confession, - and tell me I pray thee what thou hast done, do not hide it from me. And Achan answered Joshua and said, - Of a truth, I, have sinned against Yahweh God of Israel, and, thus and thus, have I done: When I saw among the spoil a certain goodly mantle of Babylonia and two hundred shekels of silver and a certain wedge of gold - fifty shekels the weight thereof, then I coveted them, then I took them, - and, there they are, hid in the earth, in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent, - and, there it was, hid in his tent, and, the silver, under it. And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them in unto Joshua, and unto all the sons of Israel, - and poured them out before Yahweh. And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan - son of Zerah, and the silver and the mantle and the wedge of gold, and his sons and his daughters, and his oxen and his asses and his sheep and his tent, and all that he had, and brought them up the valley of Achor. And Joshua said - Why hast thou troubled us? Yahweh, will trouble thee, this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them up with fire, and covered them with stones; yea they raised over him a great heap of stones which remaineth until this day. And Yahweh turned from the fierceness of his anger, - for which cause, hath the name of that place been called - The Valley of Achor, until this day.
For the lawless one hath boasted over the longing of his soul, and, the robber, hath blasphemed Yahweh.
Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not unto unjust gain.
All the day, he greatly craveth, whereas, the righteous, giveth, and doth not spare.
A leader, may lack intelligence, yet abound in oppressions, The hater of greed, shall lengthen out days.
Because of his iniquitous gain, was I wroth - and smote him Hiding myself that I might be wroth, - But he went on turning aside in the way of his own heart.
Verily thou hast neither eyes nor heart, save for thy plundering and for thy shedding of innocent blood, and for oppression and for crushing to do them!
Thus do they covet fields and seize them, and houses and take them away, - and so they oppress the master and his household, the man and his inheritance.
Alas! for him who extorteth an extortion of wrong for his own house, - that he may set on high his nest, that he may be delivered from the grasp of calamity.
For, from within, out of the heart of men, the base designs, come forth, - fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, covetousnesses, knaveries, deceit, wantonness, an evil eye, profane speaking, foolishness, -
And he said unto them - Mind and be guarding yourselves from all covetousness; for not, in one's abundance, doth his life spring out of his possessions.
What, then, shall we say? Is the law sin? Far be it! On the contrary, I had not discovered, sin, save through law, for even, of coveting, I had not been aware if, the law, had not kept on saying - Thou shall not covet;
But, now, I have written unto you not to be mixing yourselves up, - if anyone named a brother, be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner, with such a one as this, not so much, as to be eating together,
Or know ye not that, wrong-doers, shall not inherit, God's kingdom? Be not deceiving yourselves: - neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor sodomites, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners - shall inherit, God's kingdom.
But, fornication, and all impurity, or covetousness, let it not be named among you - even as becometh saints;
Let no one be deceiving you with empty words; for, because of these things, is coming the anger of God upon the sons of obstinacy:
Make dead, therefore, your members that are on the earth - as regardeth fornication, impurity, passion, base coveting, and greed, the which, is idolatry, -
Without fondness for money, be your way of life, - being content with the present things, - for, he, hath said: In nowise, thee, will I leave, no indeed! in nowise, thee, will I forsake: