in the ten commandments commandment six seven eight and nine are the ones that prohibit acts of evil murder adultery stealing and perjury and then there is one commandment that prohibits the thing that leads to murder adultery stealing and perjury which one is it it's the last of the ten do not covet anything that belongs to others not their spouse their house their servants their animals or any of their property in order to understand this commandment and its unique significance the first thing to understand is that this is the only one of the ten commandments that legislates thought all the other commandments legislate behavior in fact of the 613 laws and the five books of Moses virtually none prohibit thought why then does the Ten Commandments include a law that prohibits a thought because it is coveting that so often leads to evil or to put it another way coveting is what leads to violating the preceding four Commandments the ones against murder adultery stealing and perjury think about it why do people do those things in most instances it's because they covet something that belongs to another person obviously that is the reason people steal thieves covet their victims property but it is also the reason for many murders and coveting is obviously the reason for adultery wanting the spouse of another person as for perjury or bearing false witness in the language of the Ten Commandments that is done in order to cover up all these other crimes that are caused by coveting but in order to understand why coveting is the one thought that is prohibited in the Ten Commandments and one of the only thoughts prohibited in the entire Hebrew Bible we need to understand what coveting means and equally important what it doesn't mean to covet is much more than to want the heat la mode means to want to the point of seeking to take away and own something that belongs to another person note that there are two operative elements here seeking to own and belongs to another person seeking to own does not mean just envying or in the case of your neighbor spouse just lusting after neither envy nor lost is prohibited in the Ten Commandments uncontrolled envy and lust can surely lead to bad things and they can both be psychologically and emotionally destructive but neither one is prohibited in the Ten Commandments why because neither is the same as coveting it is coveting that almost inevitably leads to stealing to adultery and sometimes even to murder let me explain this in another way the tenth commandment does not prohibit you from saying wow what a great house or car or spouse my neighbor has I wish I had such a house or a car or spouse that may end up being destructive but it may also end up being constructive how it may spur you to work harder and improve your life so that you can obtain a house or car or spouse like your neighbors it is when you want and seek to gain possession of the specific house car or spouse that belongs to another that evil ensues and that is what the tenth commandment prohibits therefore one of these Ten Commandments these ten basic rules of life must be that we simply cannot allow ourselves to covet what belongs to our neighbor whatever belongs to another person must be regarded as sacrosanct we cannot seek to own anything that belongs to another because only evil can come of it I'm Dennis Prager