“You shall not steal.
Thou shall not covet thy neighbour's house,.... This is the tenth and last commandment, and is an explanation of several of the past; showing that the law of God not only forbids external acts of sin, but the inward and first motions of the mind to it, which are not known, and would not be thought to be sinful, were it not for this law...
Thou shalt not steal. (l) But study to save his goods.
The commandments against murder, theft, and false witness prohibit the deed itself; but the final word against coveting moves from action to desire, proving that the heart must be sanctified, not merely the behavior. Life stands first because it is the basis of human existence, in the life, the image of God is attacked and must be protected.
AI summary
Commenting on Exodus 20:13-17