An entry in the 7 Scrolls Bible Dictionary, with every example verse shown in the Berean Standard Bible.
What is the biblical definition of covet?
To covet is to desire something that belongs to someone else in a way that wants it for yourself, at their expense. The Ten Commandments forbid it, and the Bible treats it as a problem of the heart that leads to harmful action.
How often does the Bible use the word covet?
| Word form (BSB) | Times used | Verses |
|---|---|---|
| covet | 10 | 8 |
| coveted | 2 | 2 |
| covets | 1 | 1 |
| coveting | 1 | 1 |
| covetous | 2 | 2 |
| greed | 12 | 12 |
| All listed forms | 28 | 25 |
Books where these words appear in the most verses: Romans (4), Exodus (2), Deuteronomy (2), Luke (2), 2 Peter (2).
The covet word family is rare in the BSB, so greed is included to show the wider theme. Many passages describe coveting with other words, such as crave or desire, so these counts understate the topic.
How we counted: a whole-word, case-insensitive search of every verse of the Berean Standard Bible (31,086 verses in our data) for each listed English form. Counts describe the English translation, not the Hebrew or Greek behind it, and include every sense of the word.
How does the Bible use covet?
What does the commandment against coveting forbid?
Exodus 20:17 lists a neighbor's house, wife, servants, ox, donkey, and anything else that belongs to the neighbor. Deuteronomy 5:21 repeats the command, puts the wife first, and adds the neighbor's field. It is the only one of the Ten Commandments aimed directly at an inner desire rather than an outward act.
Traditions number this commandment differently. Jewish tradition and most Protestant and Orthodox churches count it as one commandment, the tenth. Catholic and Lutheran traditions divide it into two: the ninth about a neighbor's wife and the tenth about a neighbor's goods.
What counts as coveting?
Wanting good things is not coveting. Psalm 37:4 speaks warmly of the desires of the heart. Coveting fixes on what is someone else's and wants it for yourself.
The Bible's examples show how coveting turns into action. Achan saw silver and gold, coveted them and took them (Joshua 7:21). Ahab wanted Naboth's vineyard so badly that it ended in Naboth's death (1 Kings 21). Micah 2:2 describes people who covet fields and seize them. James 4:2 traces fights and even killing back to unmet craving.
How does the New Testament speak about coveting?
Paul says the command Do not covet showed him his own sin (Romans 7:7). In Romans 13:9 he lists it among commandments that are summed up in loving your neighbor. Jesus warns against every form of greed in Luke 12:15, then tells the parable of the rich fool. Colossians 3:5 goes further and calls greed idolatry, because it puts possessions in God's place.
What does the Bible offer instead of coveting?
The main answer is contentment. Paul says he learned to be content in any circumstance (Philippians 4:11–12). 1 Timothy 6:6 calls godliness with contentment great gain. Hebrews 13:5 ties contentment to God's promise never to leave. Psalm 119:36 turns the struggle into a prayer, and humility helps by loosening the habit of comparison.
Key Bible verses about covet
You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
Exodus 20:17 BSB
The commandment itself, listing what belongs to a neighbor.
You 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.”
Deuteronomy 5:21 BSB
The second version of the command, with the neighbor's wife first and the field added.
When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”
Joshua 7:21 BSB
Achan's confession: he saw, coveted and took.
They covet fields and seize them; they take away houses. They deprive a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance.
Micah 2:2 BSB
A prophet exposes the powerful who covet fields and seize homes.
What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Certainly not! Indeed, I would not have been mindful of sin if not for the law. For I would not have been aware of coveting if the law had not said, “Do not covet.”
Romans 7:7 BSB
Paul says the command against coveting made him aware of sin.
And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
Luke 12:15 BSB
Uses greed. Jesus says life does not consist in possessions.
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5 BSB
A concept verse without the word: contentment as the opposite of coveting.
What are the Hebrew and Greek words behind it?
Hebrew: chamad — to desire, to covet
The verb in Exodus 20:17. Elsewhere it can describe something simply desirable, so context decides.
Hebrew: ʾavah — to crave, to long for
Deuteronomy 5:21 uses this verb for the neighbor's house and goods, alongside chamad for the wife.
Greek: epithymeō — to desire, to long for
Used in Romans 7:7. It can be neutral or good, as when Jesus eagerly desired to share the Passover in Luke 22:15.
Greek: pleonexia — greed, wanting more
The word behind greed in Luke 12:15 and Colossians 3:5.
Covet vs envy: what is the difference?
Coveting wants the thing; envy resents the person who has it. They often travel together, and James 4:2 shows both feeding conflict. One looks at the possession, the other at the neighbor.
Why does covet matter?
The command against coveting shows that the Bible cares about the heart, not only behavior. Stealing and adultery usually begin as coveting, so this commandment works like a root beneath several others.
It also speaks to a culture built on comparison and advertising. The Bible's alternative is contentment and gratitude, not guilt about every wish. More words for the inner life are explained in our A to Z Bible dictionary.
How do Jewish and Christian traditions understand covet?
- Jewish tradition: Counts Do not covet as the tenth of the Ten Commandments, though it groups the earlier commandments differently from most churches.
- Catholic and Lutheran traditions: Split the command into two: the ninth about coveting a neighbor's wife and the tenth about coveting a neighbor's goods.
- Orthodox and most other Protestant churches: Treat the command against coveting as a single tenth commandment.
Quick check
Who confessed that he saw, coveted and took silver and gold after Jericho?
Achan (Joshua 7:21).
Which letter calls greed idolatry?
Colossians, in Colossians 3:5.
Which two books record the command against coveting?
Exodus (Exodus 20:17) and Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 5:21).
Related Bible words
In summary
- To covet is to set your desire on what belongs to someone else.
- It is forbidden in the last of the Ten Commandments, numbered differently across traditions.
- Biblical examples like Achan and Ahab show coveting turning into action.
- The New Testament links coveting to greed and calls greed idolatry.
- The Bible's alternative is contentment, not the absence of all desire.