The Ten Commandments · piece 9 of 26
The Ninth Commandment
From Luther’s Small Catechism, 1529
Practice mode shows the first letter of each word. Say the line, then tap it to check.
You must not desire your neighbor's house. (Exodus 20:17)
What does this mean?
We must fear and love God, so that we will not attempt to trick our neighbor out of his inheritance or house, take it by pretending to have a right to it, etc. but help him to keep & improve it.
In plain words
Do not try to trick someone out of their home or what their family left them. Do not pretend you have a right to it when you do not. Instead, help your neighbour keep what is theirs and make it better. God gives each person what they have.
Our summary of Luther’s explanation, for reading after his words, not instead of them.
Where Jesus says it
-
Luke 12:13–15 When a man asks about an inheritance, Jesus warns against greed and says life is not about owning more things.
Read Luke 12:13–15
13 One of the multitude said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” 15 He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.”
World English Bible, public domain. The whole chapter on Free Scripture → · Read in the NRSVue, the ELCA’s standard translation →
Translated by Robert E. Smith for Project Wittenberg (revised 2004) and placed in the public domain by the translator. How we checked it, and the whole Catechism on one page