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John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin
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MacArthur points out that "Total censure of artistic expression was not the issue; the absolute censure of idolatry and false worship was the issue." (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible)
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MacArthur adds "children would feel the impact of breaches of God’s law by their parents’ generation as a natural consequence of its disobedience, its hatred of God. Children reared in such an environment would imbibe and then practice similar idolatry, thus themselves expressing hateful disobedience. The difference in consequence served as both a warning and a motivation. The effect of a disobedient generation was to plant wickedness so deeply that it took several generations to reverse." (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) Mattoon - How are children affected by the iniquity of their fathers and forefathers? Even though children are not responsible or guilty for their father's iniquity, they are influenced and affected by it. Sons and remote descendants inherit the consequences of their fathers' sins, in disease, poverty, captivity, with all the influences of bad example and evil communications. The deception that Abraham practiced was picked up by his son and grandson. With each generation, the deception increased. (cf lie - Ge 20:2, lie - Ge 26:7, greater lie - Ge 27:32). David's iniquity and lust for women affected Solomon (1 Ki 11:1-3) and his grandson Reheboam (2 Chr 11:21, 2 Chr 12:1) What a father does in moderation, his kids may do in excess or extremes. Our kids amplify our weaknesses and compromises. The crack in the door that we give to sin, our children will open completely. The Bible stresses the importance of acknowledging the iniquities of forefathers (Neh 9:2, Da 9:16) By acknowledging the iniquities of the fathers, children agree with God that they are wrong and are able to deal with them in a Scriptural manner by building disciplines to avoid repeating them. On the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me - What does this mean? Does this describe a so-called generational curse? What it is key verb (actually the only verb) in this phrase? It is those who hate Me. The Hebrew verb "sane" describes those I would classify as "insane" because that is what anyone is who actively hates God! And so the Hebrew verb (sane) describes the recipients (whether first or fourth generation) as individuals who harbor and express and active opposition to Yahweh, Whom they detest and despise (REGARDLESS OF THEIR WORDS TO THE CONTRARY!) and with Whom they desire no contact or relationship. Instead of loving God, they hate God. Whereas love draw and unites, their hatred of God separates and keeps them distant from God. God as the hated Party is considered to be their foe, their enemy, one who is odious and utterly unappealing. Does this description sound harsh? Yes, it does, but it is exactly what the Hebrew verb means to convey! It would not be just and righteous for Yahweh to visit children in the third and fourth generation if they loved Him. The text is clear that the children if visited by Yahweh, will be visited because they have committed iniquity against God which in effect shows their hatred of God. This is a harsh reality, but shows beyond a shadow of a doubt God's hatred of sin in this case the hatred of Him! Adam
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MacArthur - To use God’s Name in such a way as to bring disrepute upon His character or deeds was to irreverently misuse His name. To fail to perform an oath in which His name had been legitimately uttered (cf. Ex 22:10, 11; Lv 19:12; Dt 6:13) was to call into question His existence, since the guilty party evidently had no further thought of the God whose name he had used to improve his integrity. For the believer in the church age, however, the use of the name of God is not a needed verification of his intention and trustworthiness since his life is to exhibit truth on all occasions, with his “yes” meaning “yes” and his “no” meaning “no” (Mt 5:37; Jas 5:12) (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) Considering that Jesus taught His disciples to pray "Our Father (GOD'S NAME) Who art in heaven, hallowed (hagiazo = set apart from all that is common and profane) by Thy Name." (Mt 6:9+). The idea of hallowed is "May Thy name be held in reverence." To misuse His Name is to profane it, in effect expressing contempt and irreverence for His Holy Name, His Name of course represents the totality of all that God is - His character, His attributes, His grace, His mercy, His holiness, etc. And so in effect by misusing His Name we make Jehovah to be nothing of value! Thus we begin to get a sense of why profaning rather than hallowing (using/treating as holy) His Name is such a serious sin! NET Note - The command prohibits use of the name for any idle, frivolous, or insincere purpose (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 196). This would include perjury, pagan incantations, or idle talk. The name is to be treated with reverence and respect because it is the name of the holy God. Vain (worthless, deceitful, empty, false) (07723)(shav) is a "masculine noun meaning emptiness, vanity, evil, ruin, uselessness, deception, worthless, without result, fraud, deceit. The primary meaning of the word is deceit, lie, or falsehood. The word is used to describe prohibition of a a "false witness" (Dt. 5:20). The most familiar use of shāvʾ is in the third commandment, "You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain" (Ex 20:7; Dt. 5:11). Here are just a few passages that describe God's Name... Psalm 8:1 For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens! Psalm 111:9 He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name. For - Term of explanation. It explains why taking the Name of God in vain is such a serious matter. The LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain - "Will not hold guiltless" (NET) The main idea is that there will "pay day, some day" for every misuse of the Name of the LORD! How many today use the great Name of Jesus as a curse word, which makes me cringe every time I hear the Name above every name used as an "expletive!"
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MacArthur - Each Sabbath day should have reminded the worshiper that the God whom he praised had indeed made everything in both realms of existence in 6 twenty-four hour days. The Sabbath would also stand, therefore, as a counter to evolutionary ideas prevalent in false religion. (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) Phillip Ryken - We are commanded to work and rest because we serve a working, resting God. (See Exodus: Saved for God's Glory ) Henry Morris a well-known creationist comments that "This verse, written on stone by God's own hand (Exodus 31:18) settles once and for all the question of the meaning of "day" in the creation chapter (Genesis 1). Man was to work six days and rest one day because God did; in fact, God took six days, instead of a single instant, to finish His work of creating and making all things to be a model for humanity (Genesis 2:1-3). God's week was of precisely the same duration and pattern as man's regular week. The Hebrew word for "days" (yamim), furthermore, is used over 700 times in the Old Testament, and cannot be shown ever to require any meaning except that of literal days--certainly never to anything comparable to geological ages. There seems to be no legitimate exegesis of Genesis that can ever allow for the theoretical ages of evolutionary geology. Further, no such gap is necessary; all the data of rocks and fossils are much better explained in terms of the great Flood. It is also significant that other human measurements of time (day, month, year) are keyed to astronomical processes. The universal week, however, has no astronomical base whatever. We keep time in weeks simply because God does." (Borrow The Defender's Study Bible) Believer's Study Bible - Without doubt the Law is based firmly in the created order. God's law is never arbitrary. His laws are for man's good. The Sabbath, as the seventh day in the week, was devoted to God (cf. Gen. 1:1-2:3). In the age of N.T. grace, Paul specifically rejected the legal necessity of keeping the Sabbath, but he and other Christians soon began meeting to worship on the first day of the week, as the Lord's Day. Keeping the Sabbath day is clearly identified in Ex 31:13-17 as a covenant sign between God and the sons of Israel. The Hebrew word shabbat basically means "rest," in the sense of cessation of one's work in order to pursue the things of God. In regard to holy days, cf. Col. 2:16, 17. God created the world, and the seventh day, i.e., Saturday, commemorated that. Jesus redeemed the world, and the first day, i.e., Sunday, commemorates that. In Deuteronomy Moses gives another reason for observing the Sabbath which would remind the sons of Israel of Jehovah's supernatural deliverance of His people from bondage in Egypt ‘Observe the sabbath day to keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. 13‘Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 14 but the seventh day is a sabbath of the LORD your God; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter or your male servant or your female servant or your ox or your donkey or any of your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you, so that your male servant and your female servant may rest as well as you. 15 ‘You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out of there by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to observe the sabbath day. Therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy - If one truly keeps this passage in mind, then to celebrate the Sabbath was to be in effect an acknowledgement that Jehovah was the Creator Who rested on this day. We see the blessing of keeping the Sabbath described in (Isa. 58:13–14). “If because of the sabbath, you turn your foot From doing your own pleasure on My holy day, And call the sabbath a delight, the holy day of the LORD honorable, And honor it, desisting from your own ways, From seeking your own pleasure And speaking your own word, 14 Then you will take delight in the LORD, And I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the LORD your God gives you. NET Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, that you may live a long time in the land the LORD your God is giving to you. NLT Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is giving you. ESV Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. LXE Exodus 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live long on the good land, which the Lord thy God gives to thee. KJV Exodus 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. NIV Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. ASV Exodus 20:12 Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long in the land which Jehovah thy God giveth thee. CSB Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother so that you may have a long life in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. NKJ Exodus 20:12 "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you. NRS Exodus 20:12 Honor your father and your mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you. YLT Exodus 20:12 'Honour thy father and thy mother, so that thy days are prolonged on the ground which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee. Honor - Ex 21:15,17 Lev 19:3,32 1Ki 2:19 2Ki 2:12 Pr 1:8,9 15:5 20:20 Pr 23:22-25 28:24 30:11,17 Mal 1:6 Mt 15:4-6 Lu 18:20 Eph 5:21 Eph 6:1-3 Col 3:20 that your days may be prolonged - De 4:26,40 25:15 32:47 Pr 3:16 Exodus 20 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries FIFTH COMMANDMENT: HONOR YOUR PARENTS Exodus 20:12-17 begins the so-called horizontal commands made up of six commandments which deal in essence with how we are to treat each other. Rod Mattoon points out that "The first table dealt with our right relationship with God and the second one dealt with our right relationship with men and women. A person cannot be right with others unless he first gets right with God. A person also cannot be right with God if he does not treat other people right. They are interdependent on one another. The Scriptures stress over and over again the importance of having a right relationship with our parents. Usually, if the relationship with parents is not right, the relationship with God isn't either. The exceptions would be if the issue of following Jesus Christ caused the breach between the two. Honor your father and your mother - Like the command to remember the Sabbath, this command is also a positive one. By the nature of this command we see that there is a clear authority structure in the family. It is a command calling for child to obey their parents. Obedience of children to their parents is a foundation stone for a stable society. To honor their parents signified that they loved them, had respect for them and submitted to their authority. To disobey this command is to dishonor God, for He is our Father! Currid - This command goes against human nature. It is impossible to keep because, as
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MacArthur comments regarding disobedience to this command that "Severe consequences, namely capital punishment, could apply (cf. Dt 21:18–21). One of the reasons for the Babylonian exile was a failure to honor parents (Eze 22:7, 15). The Apostle Paul individualized this national promise when he applied the truth to believers in his day (cf. Mt 15:4; Mk 7:10; Eph 6:1–3)." (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) Question: "What does it mean to honor my father and mother?" Answer: Honoring your father and mother is being respectful in word and action and having an inward attitude of esteem for their position. The Greek word for honor means “to revere, prize, and value.” Honor is giving respect not only for merit but also for rank. For example, some Americans may disagree with the President’s decisions, but they should still respect his position as leader of their country. Similarly, children of all ages should honor their parents, regardless of whether or not their parents “deserve” honor. God exhorts us to honor father and mother. He values honoring parents enough to include it in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:12) and again in the New Testament: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise, so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth” (Ephesians 6:1-3). Honoring parents is the only command in Scripture that promises long life as a reward. Those who honor their parents are blessed (Jeremiah 35:18-19). In contrast, those with a “depraved mind” and those who exhibit ungodliness in the last days are characterized by disobedience to parents (Romans 1:30; 2 Timothy 3:2). Solomon, the wisest man, urged children to respect their parents (Proverbs 1:8; 13:1; 30:17). Although we may no longer be directly under their authority, we cannot outgrow God’s command to honor our parents. Even Jesus, God the Son, submitted Himself to both His earthly parents (Luke 2:51) and His heavenly Father (Matthew 26:39). Following Christ’s example, we should treat our parents the way we would reverentially approach our heavenly Father (Hebrews 12:9; Malachi 1:6). Obviously, we are commanded to honor our parents, but how? Honor them with both actions and attitudes (Mark 7:6). Honor their unspoken as well as spoken wishes. “A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke” (Proverbs 13:1). In Matthew 15:3-9, Jesus reminded the Pharisees of the command of God to honor their father and mother. They were obeying the letter of the law, but they had added their own traditions that essentially overruled it. While they honored their parents in word, their actions proved their real motive. Honor is more than lip service. The word “honor” in this passage is a verb and, as such, demands a right action. We should seek to honor our parents in much the same way that we strive to bring glory to God—in our thoughts, words, and actions. For a young child, obeying parents goes hand in hand with honoring them. That includes listening, heeding, and submitting to their authority. After children mature, the obedience that they learned as children will serve them well in honoring other authorities such as government, police, and employers. While we are required to honor parents, that doesn’t include imitating ungodly ones (Ezekiel 20:18-19). If a parent ever instructs a child to do something that clearly contradicts God’s commands, that child must obey God rather than his/her parents (Acts 5:29). Honor begets honor. God will not honor those who will not obey His command to honor their parents. If we desire to please God and be blessed, we should honor our parents. Honoring is not easy, is not always fun, and certainly is not possible in our own strength. But honor is a certain path to our purpose in life—glorifying God. “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord” (Colossians 3:20). (Source: Gotquestions.org) Honoring Your Parents Honor your father and mother. —Ephesians 6:2 Today's Scripture:Exodus 20:1-17 My dad recently turned 90 years old and his physical capabilities are fading. He can still move around with his walker, but he needs someone to cook his meals and help him with other tasks. My older brother Steve and his wife Judy lived close to him, so they decided to move in with Dad to care for him. Wanting to help in some way, my wife and I flew across the country to help out a bit by watching Dad while my brother and his wife had some time away together. We enjoyed our time with my father and were glad to ease Steve and Judy’s load—even if it was only for a few days. The Bible says to “honor your father and mother” (Eph. 6:2). One New Testament commentary says that to honor someone is to “treat him with the deference, respect, reverence, kindness, courtesy, and obedience which his station in life . . . demands.” For young children, this means obeying parents. For teenagers, it indicates showing respect for Mom and Dad even if you think you know more than they do. For young adults, this means including your parents in your life. And for those in middle-age and beyond, it means making sure that parents are cared for as they move into old age or their health declines. Sign in to track your progress! Don’t miss the opportunity To honor and obey The parents God has given you— For they’ll be gone someday. —Sper Honoring our parents has no age limit. The Gift Of Family Through her books and lectures, Edith Schaeffer has become much appreciated for her insights into the value of life's ordinary days. When she and her husband Francis were first married, both sets of parents lived nearby. The newlyweds divided each Sunday afternoon and evening between the Schaeffers and the Sevilles. After a few years, Edith and Francis moved to Switzerland, where they could talk with their parents only once a year in a brief phone conversation. Looking back half a century later, Edith wrote of being glad for the way they had used those Sunday afternoons. She noted that "proximity of loved ones is not an endless situation." She concluded that a package labeled "time to care for parents and exhibit love" doesn't just arrive someday. We must show love while we can. The fifth of the Ten Commandments says: "Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12). The command to love and respect our parents applies equally to children living at home, newly independent young couples, and empty-nesters. Putting It Into Action Plan a regular time to call a family member. Help an aged relative with a project or housework. Write a letter to someone you love but cannot visit. Time is one of the greatest gifts we can give each other. Long Life AN old man who lived to be one hundred attributed his longevity to booze, black cigars, beautiful women—and never going to church. "That kind of impious longevity may be the exception, not the rule," says Dr. George W. Comstock of Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. In a study of the relation of the social and economic factors to disease, Comstock and his colleagues made an incidental but fascinating discovery. Regular churchgoing and the clean living that often goes with it seem to help people avoid "a whole bagful of dire ailments and disasters." Comstock concludes, "Nice guys do seem to finish last." The Bible also has something to say about how to have a long life. It admonishes children to honor their parents so that they may live long on the earth" (Ephesians 6:2, 3). Harold W. Hoehner, in The Bible Knowledge Commentary, says, "This states a general principle that obedience fosters self-discipline, which in turn brings stability and longevity in one's life." Honoring Your Parents Honor your father and mother. —Ephesians 6:2 My dad recently turned 90 years old and his physical capabilities are fading. He can still move around with his walker, but he needs someone to cook his meals and help him with other tasks. My older brother Steve and his wife Judy lived close to him, so they decided to move in with Dad to care for him. Wanting to help in some way, my wife and I flew across the country to help out a bit by watching Dad while my brother and his wife had some time away together. We enjoyed our time with my father and were glad to ease Steve and Judy’s load—even if it was only for a few days. The Bible says to “honor your father and mother” (Eph. 6:2). One New Testament commentary says that to honor someone is to “treat him with the deference, respect, reverence, kindness, courtesy, and obedience which his station in life . . . demands.” How can you honor your parents this week? Don’t miss the opportunity To honor and obey The parents God has given you— For they’ll be gone someday. —Sper Honoring our parents has no age limit. Commandment 5—Honor Your Parents Read: Ephesians 6:1-4 Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land. —Exodus 20:12 It was a sad, unsigned letter from an elderly mother. “I have an only son,” she wrote, “who does all sorts of things for other people but hates to do anything for me. He rarely visits me although I live only 8 minutes away. He seldom even phones.” God puts a high priority on family relationships throughout life—so says the fifth commandment. On the surface it seems directed exclusively to children, but parents must set the example. Children learn to honor, respect, and obey their parents when they see Mom and Dad honoring one another, when they feel respected, affirmed, and loved by their parents, and when they observe their obedience to God. This commandment to children actually touches us all. We honor our Father when we honor our parents. Children who honor their parents Are doing what’s good in God’s sight; Parents who love and admonish Are teaching to do what is right. —Sper Honoring our parents is learned by example. Exodus 20:13 "You shall not murder. Ex 21:14,20,29 Ge 4:8-23 9:5,6 Lev 24:21 Nu 35:16-34 De 5:17 De 19:11-13 2Sa 12:9,10 2Ki 21:16 2Ch 24:22 Ps 10:8-11 Pr 1:11,18 Isa 26:21 Jer 26:15 Mt 5:21,22 Ac 28:4 Ro 13:9 Ga 5:21 1Ti 1:9 Jas 2:11,13 1Jn 3:12-15 Exodus 20 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE SIXTH COMMANDMENT: DO NOT MURDER You shall not murder - Two terse words in Hebrew "No murder!" KJV says "Thou shalt not kill. This is straightforward. Just as straightforward was the penalty imposed for murder - “He who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death." (Ex 21:12, cf Nu 34:17-21). Murder (07523)(ratsach) means to murder or slay, all 47 uses (in 40v) speaking of one human being killing another and never of a person killing an animal. Ratsach is never employed in contexts of war, capital punishment, or self-defense. The taking of a human life is the primary concept behind this word. It refers to the premeditated (Dt. 5:17; 1 Kgs. 21:19; Jer. 7:9), or accidental taking of the life of another human being (Nu. 35:11; Josh. 20:3) and includes any unauthorized killing. The word is used for the punishment of a murderer, but that would not be included in the prohibition. This commandment teaches the sanctity of all human life.The first use is in the commandment "Thou shalt not kill." (Ex 20:13) Unpremeditated killing, known as manslaughter in English common law, is also prohibited (Nu 35:11). Ratsach also includes an act of revenge (Nu 35:27) and death from animal attack (Pr. 22:13). MacArthur adds that "Careful appraisal of the word (ratsach) Moses used (one of 7 different Hebrew words for killing) suggests a broad translation of “to kill, slay” but denoting the taking of life under a legal system where he would have to answer to the stipulations of a legal code, no matter whether he killed unintentionally or intentionally. By this command, men would be reminded and exhorted to strive after carefulness in the affairs of life so that on the person-to-person level no one would die by their hand." (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) John Currid comments "It should be noted that the verb does not specify any particular person(s) as its direct object. The form is thus not qualified in that way. Consequently, it is likely that suicide is included in the prohibition." (Ibid) (See also What does the Bible say about suicide? ). Steven
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MacArthur - Any dishonest acquiring of another’s goods or assets greatly disturbs the right to ownership of private property, which is an important principle for societal stability. (Borrow The MacArthur Study Bible) Ryken - The God who gave this commandment is our Creator and Provider. To keep it is to recognize that ultimately everything belongs to Him, and that therefore we do not have the right to take what He has given to someone else. (See Exodus: Saved for God's Glory) Currid comments that "The Torah requires the thief to return double the amount stolen (Exod. 22:7). Thus, in an ironical turn of events, the criminal loses the exact sum he had hoped to gain. It is the concept of restitution, in which not only is the original condition restored, but a payment is made for time and trouble." (John Currid) Steven
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MacArthur - Truth for Today) Exodus 20:17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor." You shall not covet your neighbor's house - Ge 3:6 14:23 34:23 Jos 7:21 1Sa 15:19 Ps 10:3 119:36 Ec 4:8 5:10,11 Isa 33:15 57:17 Jer 22:17 Eze 33:31 Am 2:6,7 Mic 2:2 Hab 2:9 Lu 12:15 16:14 Ac 20:33 Ro 7:7 1Co 6:10 Php 3:19 Col 3:5 1Ti 6:6-10 Heb 13:5 you shall not covet your neighbor's wife- 2Sa 11:2-4 Job 31:1,9 Pr 4:23 6:24,25 Jer 5:8 Mt 5:28 anything that belongs to your neighbor - Mt 20:15 Ac 5:4 Exodus 20 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries THE TENTH COMMANDMENT DO NOT COVET You shall not covet your neighbor's house - Nine commandments deal with the external but this one with the internal. In other words the previous nine commandments deal with actions, but this commandment deals with our heart, where greedy desires originate and which may or may not result in external actions. This command addresses the greedy desire for something belonging to a neighbor, an evil desire that may lead one take or attempt to take it. Of course, the truth be told although the previous commandments focus on actions, the root of those actions is always man's heart. THOUGHT - Coveting is related to a lack of contentment with what God has given us. See article on Christian Contentment. Note both negatives ("not...not") are the so-called apodictic negatives expressing or of the nature of necessary truth or absolute certainty and thus supplies a heightened negativity to this entire section. Paul was cut to the quick by this commandment in Romans 7 writing What shall we say then? Is the LAW sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know SIN except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the LAW had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.” 8 But SIN, taking opportunity (aphorme) through the commandment (Exodus 20:17), produced in me coveting of every kind; (COVET, COVET, COVET!) for apart from the Law SIN is dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the LAW; but when the commandment came, SIN became alive and I died; 10 and this commandment (Exodus 20:17), which was to result in life, proved to result in death for me; (Ro 7:7-10+) COMMENT - The law is like a x-ray machine; it reveals plainly what might have always been there, but hidden before; and you can’t blame a x-ray for what it exposes. The law sets the "speed limit" so we know if we are going too fast; we might never know that we are sinning in many areas (such as covetousness) if the law did not spell this out to us specifically. Notice the effect of the LAW - it stirs up SIN! Earlier Paul stated in Ro 7:5+ that "while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions, which were aroused by the Law (WHAT AROUSED THE SINFUL PASSIONS?), were at work in the members of our body to bear fruit for death." (See additional note below) Covet (02530)(chamad/hamad) means to take pleasure in something, and as such is a neutral word. In the negative sense it speaks of an inordinate, ungoverned, selfish desire for something = to covet (or lust after). Chamad focuses not on an external act but on an internal mental activity behind the act, the motivation for the act (e.g., stealing or adultery). In one Ugaritic text this same word is used of Baal coveting a fertile parcel of land. Chamad can be used in a good sense, e.g., describing the judgments of the Lord "are more desirable than gold." (Ps 19:10+) This verb had a major role in the fall of man in Eden for Eve - "When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable (chamad - unquenchable desire and unbridled passion) to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate." (Ge 3:6+) Notice that Eve's primary sin was craving for the fruit which led her to take the action to pick it and eat it. The Septuagint translates chamad in Ex 20:17 with the verb epithumeo (epí = used intensively + thumós = passion) means literally to fix the desire upon (object could be good [Mt 13:17, Lk 22:15 used of Jesus] or bad [1Co 10:6]). Jesus used epithumeo with its evil connotation in Mt 5:28, where epithumeo describes a husband's lustful passion directly toward a woman who is not his wife. It means to have a strong desire to do or secure something. Note that the preposition epi can express motion toward or upon and thus one lexicon defines it as to set one's heart upon. In sum, epithumeo describes a strong impulse toward something so that one's passions or affections directed toward some object, thing or person. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor - Not only are we not to covet our neighbor's house, but what is in his house! (wife, servants, etc). The summary phrase "anything that belongs to your neighbor" takes care of everything else one might see and then desire to possess.