Overview

The tenth commandment completes the second table by reaching into the heart, where all the others begin. This section (Q79–81) gives the command against coveting, what it requires (contentment and right disposition toward our neighbor), and what it forbids (discontent, envy, and all inordinate desire for what is our neighbor’s).

The Questions & Answers

Q79. Which is the tenth commandment? A. The tenth commandment is, Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.

Q80. What is required in the tenth commandment? A. The tenth commandment requireth full contentment with our own condition, with a right and charitable frame of spirit toward our neighbour, and all that is his.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“…for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” (Phil. 4:11, ESV)

“Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” (Rom. 12:15, ESV)

Further proofs: 1 Tim. 6:6; Heb. 13:5; Ps. 34:1; 1 Cor. 13:4–7.

Q81. What is forbidden in the tenth commandment? A. The tenth commandment forbiddeth all discontentment with our own estate, envying or grieving at the good of our neighbour, and all inordinate motions and affections to any thing that is his.

Scripture Proofs (ESV):

“…for where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” (James 3:16, ESV)

Further proofs: 1 Kings 21:4; Esth. 5:13; 1 Cor. 10:10; Gal. 5:26; Col. 3:5; Rom. 7:7–8.

Exposition: The tenth commandment is unique: where the others can be broken by outward act, this one forbids the inward desire itself — “all inordinate motions and affections.” It thus exposes the heart-root from which every other sin grows. Paul testifies that this was the commandment that slew his self-righteousness: “I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet’” (Rom. 7:7). The positive requirement (Q80) is profound: “full contentment with our own condition,” joined to a “charitable frame of spirit” that genuinely rejoices in a neighbor’s good rather than envying it (Rom. 12:15). Covetousness, Scripture says, is idolatry (Col. 3:5) — a heart that craves what God has not given as though it were the key to life, refusing to trust the God who portions out each one’s lot.

Connections

• WLC Q146–148 — the tenth commandment; the duties required (contentment, charitable joy in our neighbor’s good); the sins forbidden (discontent, envy, all inordinate desire).
• WCF 6 (original sin and the corruption of nature, which covetousness reveals); WSC Q82 (no one can keep the commandments perfectly — the tenth especially proves it).
• Loci: The tenth commandment; contentment; covetousness as idolatry; the heart as the root of sin.

Pastoral & Practical Significance

The tenth commandment is where the law finally corners every one of us. We may keep the others outwardly and congratulate ourselves — but who can claim a heart free of all coveting, all envy, all discontent? This commandment shows that God’s law is spiritual, reaching to the desires no human eye can see, and so it strips away self-righteousness and drives us to Christ (Rom. 7:7–11). Its positive cure is contentment — not passive resignation, but the settled trust that the God who is infinitely wise and good (Q4) has appointed our lot, so that “godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Tim. 6:6). The antidote to covetousness is not getting more but treasuring God more: when He is our portion (Ps. 73:25–26), the relentless craving loosens its grip. And the charitable frame Q80 requires — rejoicing in others’ good instead of resenting it — is the fruit of a heart secure in God’s love, no longer needing to measure itself against its neighbor. In a culture engineered to manufacture envy, the contented Christian is a quiet miracle of grace, a living witness that Christ is enough.

For Memory & Reflection

• Memorize Q80 and Q81; anchor verse: Philippians 4:11 (or Hebrews 13:5). The tenth commandment reaches the heart’s desires.
• Coveting is idolatry — craving as life what God has not given. What do I covet, and what does it reveal about where I look for life?
• Q80 requires me to rejoice in my neighbor’s good. Do I “rejoice with those who rejoice,” or secretly grieve at others’ blessings?