Deuteronomy 5 · Verse 21

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.
Deuteronomy 5:21, King James Version

Deuteronomy 5:21 in other translations

BSBYou shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or field, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
WEB“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
ASVNeither shalt thou covet thy neighbor’s wife; neither shalt thou desire thy neighbor’s house, his field, or his man-servant, or his maid-servant, his ox, or his ass, or anything that is thy neighbor’s.
YLT‘Thou dost not desire thy neighbour's wife; nor dost thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, and his man-servant, and his handmaid, his ox, and his ass, and anything which is thy neighbour's.
DARBYNeither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbour's house, his field, nor his bondman, nor his handmaid, his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that is thy neighbour's.
BBEOr let your desire be turned to your neighbour's wife, or his house or his field or his man-servant or his woman-servant or his ox or his ass or anything which is your neighbour's.
WebsterNeither shalt thou desire thy neighbor's wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor's house, his field, or his man-servant, or his maid-servant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is thy neighbor's.

What does Deuteronomy 5:21 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
21. Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbour's wife, ... house, his field--An alteration is here made in the words (see Ex 20:17), but it is so slight ("wife" being put in the first clause and "house" in the second) that it would not have been worth while noticing it, except that the interchange proves, contrary to the opinion of some eminent critics, that these two objects are included in one and the same commandment.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 21 His field - This clause is not in the tenth commandment as it stands in Exo 20:17.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Deuteronomy 5:6-22

There is some variation here from Ex 20 as between the Lord's prayer in Mt 6 and Lu 11. It is more necessary that we tie ourselves to the things, than to the words unalterably. The original reason for hallowing the sabbath, taken from God's resting from the work of creation on the seventh day, is not here mentioned. Though this ever remains in force, it is not the only reason. Here it is taken from Israel's…

Read the full comment on Deuteronomy 5:6-22 →

Deuteronomy 5:21 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְלֹ֥אve.Lo'and notH3808
תַחְמֹ֖דtach.Modyou must covetH2530
אֵ֣שֶׁת'E.shet[the] wife ofH802
רֵעֶ֑ךָ\ \סre.'E.khaneighbor yourH7453
וְלֹ֨אve.Lo'and notH3808
תִתְאַוֶּ֜הtit.'a.Vehyou must desireH183
בֵּ֣יתbeit[the] house ofH1004
רֵעֶ֗ךָre.'E.khaneighbor yourH7453
שָׂדֵ֜הוּsa.De.hufield hisH7704
וְעַבְדּ֤וֹve.'av.Doand [male] servant hisH5650
וַאֲמָתוֹ֙va.'a.ma.Toand female servant hisH519
שׁוֹר֣וֹsho.Roox hisH7794
וַחֲמֹר֔וֹva.cha.mo.Roand donkey hisH2543
וְכֹ֖לve.Kholand allH3605
אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherthatH834
לְרֵעֶֽךָ\׃\ \סle.re.'E.kha[belongs] to neighbor yourH7453

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Deuteronomy 5:21

  • 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.

  • Romans 13:9

    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.

  • Luke 12:15

    And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

  • 1 Kings 21:1-4

    And it came to pass after these things, that Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard, which was in Jezreel, hard by the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. And Ahab spake unto Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near unto my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or, if it seem good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. And Naboth said to Ahab, The Lord forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee. And Ahab came into his house heavy and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him: for he had said, I will not give thee the inheritance of my fathers. And he laid him down upon his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no bread.

  • 1 Timothy 6:9-10

    But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

  • Micah 2:2

    And they covet fields, and take them by violence; and houses, and take them away: so they oppress a man and his house, even a man and his heritage.

  • Romans 7:7-8

    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. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead.

  • Habakkuk 2:9

    Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil!

  • Hebrews 13:5

    Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Ex 20:17; 1Ki 21:1-4; Mic 2:2; Hab 2:9; Lu 12:15; Ro 7:7,8; 13:9
1Ti 6:9,10; Heb 13:5

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Deuteronomy 5:20

    Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.

  • 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.

  • Deuteronomy 5:22

    These words the Lord spake unto all your assembly in the mount out of the midst of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with a great voice: and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of stone, and delivered them unto me.

Read all of Deuteronomy 5

Deuteronomy 5:21 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
No codiciarás la mujer de tu prójimo, ni desearás la casa de tu prójimo, ni su tierra, ni su siervo, ni su sierva, ni su buey, ni su asno, ni ninguna cosa que sea de tu prójimo.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et tu ne convoiteras point la femme de ton prochain; et tu ne désireras point la maison de ton prochain, ni son champ, ni son serviteur, ni sa servante, ni son bœuf, ni son âne, ni rien qui soit à ton prochain.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und du sollst nicht begehren deines Nächsten Weib; und du sollst dich nicht gelüsten lassen deines Nächsten Hauses, noch seines Feldes, noch seines Knechtes, noch seiner Magd, noch seines Rindes, noch seines Esels, noch alles dessen, was dein Nächster hat.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Non concupisces uxorem proximi tui: non domum, non agrum, non servum, non ancillam, non bovem, non asinum, et universa quæ illius sunt.