What does “thou shalt not covet” mean?

To covet is “to envy someone or to have an excessive desire for something.” The last of the Ten Commandments was the commandment not to covet anything that belongs to someone else (see Exodus 20:17).

The Lord had already given a commandment not to steal (see Exodus 20:15)—that is, not to take anything that belongs to someone else. But with the tenth commandment, the Lord was also letting us know that He “looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7) and not just on our outward actions.

Our desires matter because “desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions.” Because of this, our desires can also help determine our happiness. And the Lord wants us to be happy. That is one reason He commanded us not to covet.

“Coveting … is damaging to the soul. It can consume our thoughts and plague us with constant unhappiness and dissatisfaction. It often leads to other sins and to financial indebtedness.”