I think Jesus deepens the logic already implicit in God’s Ten Commandments. He certainly gets to the heart of the matter. But what he gets at was already present in Exodus 20, albeit without the same level of specificity.

As my pastor recently emphasized, the Ten Commandments come from the mouth of God. He speaks them into existence. They are the Word of God. So they represent his character. And yet interestingly, when Jesus gives the New Law in Matthew 5–7, he internalizes the commandments. 

Instead of murder alone, Jesus cites anger as equally a sin (Matt 5:22). Rather than adultery alone, the Lord calls lust itself adultery in our heart (Matt 5:28). Jesus as the original divine Law Giver can of course modify his requirements. But I do not think that is the case.

I think Jesus deepens the logic already implicit in God’s Ten Commandments. He certainly gets to the heart of the matter. But what he gets at was already present in Exodus 20, albeit without the same level of specificity. 

What The Tenth Commandment Says

After giving nine commands, God gave Moses the tenth and last one: “You shall not desire your neighbour’s household; you shall not desire your neighbour’s wife, male servant, handmaiden, ox, donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour” (Exod 20:17). 

The command “you shall not desire” appears twice in the last command to emphasize the point. Of all the Ten Commandments, it is the only command repeated twice. Likely, this not only emphasizes the importance of the injunction but also highlights the comprehensive nature of the command—as the following examples of what not to desire confirm (i.e., the people and things listed in Exod 20:17). 

The word “neighbour” with the personal pronoun “your” in the singular is repeated three times. This language makes the “desire” personal; it is not abstract. God prohibits the desire for “your neighbour’s” wife and possessions. He cuts to the quick, right to the heart of the matter. 

This leads us to ask the question of how we should understand “desire” in context. 

What Desire Means

The ESV, NIV, and KJV translate the Hebrew word “desire” (chamad) as “covet.” This is a venerable translation which makes perfect sense in context. To desire something that should not be ours means “to covet.” Even so, the translation of “covet” cannot capture the full sense of the Hebrew term— not because there is any weakness in the translation but because of the normal limitations of translation from one language to another. 

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