Covetousness
VIEW:49 DATA:01-04-2020
COVETOUSNESS.In the Bible, covetousness is a crime. In the Ten Commandments it is put under the ban along with murder, adultery, theft, and slander (Exo_20:17, Deu_5:21). Achan was guilty of this crime, and was stoned to death (Jos_7:16-26). Every occurrence of the word or the thing in the OT is connected with a prohibition or a curse (Psa_10:3; Psa_119:36, Pro_21:26; Pro_28:16, Isa_57:17, Hab_2:9). In the NT adultery and covetousness are usually classed together (1Co_5:11; 1Co_6:9-10, Col_3:5, 2Pe_2:14). This conjunction of sensual sin and love of money probably rests upon the authority of Jesus (Mar_7:21-22). Jesus and the Apostles declared that the worshipper of Bacchus and the worshipper of Venus and the worshipper of Mammon belong to one and the same class. Grasping avarice is as incompatible with the spirit of self-sacrifice taught in the NT as is the selfish indulgence in drink or the grosser indulgence in vice. The Bible puts the covetous man in the same category with the murderer and the thief. The Christian Church needs to study anew the Bible teaching concerning covetousness, as found in Jer_22:17, Mic_2:2, Luk_12:15, Rom_7:7, Eph_5:3; Eph_5:6, 1Ti_6:10, Heb_13:5, and other passages. No covetous man has any inheritance in the Kingdom of God.
D. A. Hayes.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
Edited by James Hastings, D.D. Published in 1909
kuv?et-us-nes: Has a variety of shades of meaning determined largely by the nature of the particular word used, or the context, or both. Following are some of the uses: (1) To gain dishonestly (בּצע, bāca‛), e.g. the King James Version Exo_18:21; Eze_33:31. (2) The wish to have more than one possesses, inordinately, of course (πλεονεξία, pleonexı́a), e.g. Luk_12:15; 1Th_2:5. (3) An inordinate love of money φιλάργυρος, philárguros, the King James Version Luk_16:14; 2Ti_3:2; philargurı́a, 1Ti_6:10); negative in Heb_13:5, the King James Version.
Covetousness is a very grave sin; indeed, so heinous is it that the Scriptures class it among the very gravest and grossest crimes (Eph_5:3). In Col_3:5 it is ?idolatry,? while in 1Co_6:10 it is set forth as excluding a man from heaven. Its heinousness, doubtless, is accounted for by its being in a very real sense the root of so many other forms of sin, e.g. departure from the faith (1Ti_6:9, 1Ti_6:10); lying (2Ki_5:22-25); theft (Jos_7:21); domestic trouble (Pro_15:27); murder (Eze_22:12); indeed, it leads to ?many foolish and hurtful lusts? (1Ti_6:9). Covetousness has always been a very serious menace to mankind, whether in the Old Testament or New Testament period. It was one of the first sins that broke out after Israel had entered into the promised land (Achan, Josh 7); and also in the early Christian church immediately after its founding (Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 5); hence, so many warnings against it. A careful reading of the Old Testament will reveal the fact that a very great part of the Jewish law - such as its enactments and regulations regarding duties toward the poor, toward servants; concerning gleaning, usury, pledges, gold and silver taken during war - was introduced and intended to counteract the spirit of covetousness.
Eerdmans maintains (Expos, July, 1909) that the commandment, ?Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house? (Exo_20:17), meant to the Israelite that he should not take anything of his neighbor's possessions that were momentarily unprotected by their owner. Compare Exo_34:23. Thus, it refers to a category of acts that is not covered by the commandment, ?Thou shalt not steal.? It is an oriental habit of mind from of old that when anyone sees abandoned goods which he thinks desirable, there is not the least objection to taking them, and Exo_20:17 is probably an explanation of what is to be understood by ?house? in Exo_20:17.
Examples of covetousness: Achan (Josh 7); Saul (1Sa_15:9, 1Sa_15:19); Judas (Mat_26:14, Mat_26:15); Ananias and Sapphira (Act_5:1-11); Balaam (2Pe_2:15 with Jud_1:11).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
PRINTER 1915.
Covetousness
(בֶּצִע, be'tsa, rapine, lucre; πλεονεξία, a grasping temper), in a general sense, means all inordinate desire of worldly possessions, such as undue thirst for honors, gold, etc. In a more restricted sense, it is the desire of increasing one's substance by appropriating that of others. It is a disorder of the heart, and closely allied to selfishness. We here consider it under its more restricted aspect.
1. Covetousness (πλεονεξία, φιλαργυρία) is a strong, sometimes irresistible desire of possessing or of increasing one's possessions. It is evident that under its influence the heart, instead of aspiring to noble, high, and divine goods, will be brought to; the almost exclusive contemplation of earthly, immaterial things; and thus, instead of becoming gradually more closely united with God, will become more and more estranged from him. Since where the treasure is there the heart is also, the heart of the covetous cannot be with God, but with Mammon; he is not a servant of God, but of idols. The love of God and the love of Mammon cannot find place in the same heart; the one excludes the other (Mat_6:24; Luk_16:13; Col_3:5, Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry). But since to love God is our highest duty, and God alone is to be prayed to, loved, and trusted, the covetous man, as a servant of Mammon, is forever excluded from the kingdom of Christ and of God (1Co_6:10, Nor thieves, nor covetous, shall inherit the kingdom of God; Eph_5:5, For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nors unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God). We are further told that the citizen of the kingdom of God is to lay up riches in heaven (Mat_6:20); he must be content with food and raiment (1Ti_6:7-8); but the covetous act in opposition to all these commandments (Heb_13:5; Let your conversation be without covetousness [ἀφιλάργυρος ὁ τρόπος]; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee). This state of the heart is very dangerous, for covetousness is the source of all evil, and brings forth all manner of sin (1Ti_6:9; 1Ti_6:19, For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows). Here the folly of covetousness is also shown, inasmuch as it is said to bring many sorrows. It is further proved by the fact that earthly goods are perishable, and that their possession renders none happy. But it is corrupting as well as unsatisfactory. By attempting to gain the world the soul is wounded, and loses the everlasting life (Mat_6:20, Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal; 16:25, 26, For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it; for what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul, or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?); Luk_12:15-21, And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness; for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth).
2. Avarice is also a part of covetousness. It consists in amassing either for the sake of possessing or from fear of future want. This phase of covetousness is the surest mark of a cold-heartedness and worldliness, making pure, high, and holy aspirations impossible. It is also a sort of idolatry, for it is the love of mammon (Mat_6:19-24). It is essentially uncharitable, and incapable of affection (Jam_2:15-16, If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those thing which are needful to the body, what doth it profit?). Covetousness is as painful as it is deceitful in the end; it cripples the natural powers, renders life miserable and death terrible. The pursuits to which it leads are painfully laborious, and the care of the possessions, once secured, is equally so. The labor it entails is sinful, as it does not spring from love, but from selfishness and worldliness. As the wealth amassed by the covetous is applied to the benefit neither of themselves nor of others, they undergo the severest privations in the midst of plenty (Horace, congestis undique saccis indormis inhians. Nescis quo valeat nummus, quem prcebeat usum). However great the natural power of a man, it is paralyzed by this sin. To the covetous death is horrible, as it deprives them of all to which the worldly heart most clings.
Considering the nature of covetousness, it cannot appear strange that the apostle particularly recommends a bishop to avoid that sin. The bishop, or spiritual head of the community, is to be spiritual (πνευματικός), the center of the Christian life of the community (1Ti_3:2-3); and covetousness is a mark whereby false teachers may be known (2Ti_3:2).Krehl, N.T. Handuworterbuch.
CYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL
press 1895.
D. A. Hayes.
Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible
Edited by James Hastings, D.D. Published in 1909
kuv?et-us-nes: Has a variety of shades of meaning determined largely by the nature of the particular word used, or the context, or both. Following are some of the uses: (1) To gain dishonestly (בּצע, bāca‛), e.g. the King James Version Exo_18:21; Eze_33:31. (2) The wish to have more than one possesses, inordinately, of course (πλεονεξία, pleonexı́a), e.g. Luk_12:15; 1Th_2:5. (3) An inordinate love of money φιλάργυρος, philárguros, the King James Version Luk_16:14; 2Ti_3:2; philargurı́a, 1Ti_6:10); negative in Heb_13:5, the King James Version.
Covetousness is a very grave sin; indeed, so heinous is it that the Scriptures class it among the very gravest and grossest crimes (Eph_5:3). In Col_3:5 it is ?idolatry,? while in 1Co_6:10 it is set forth as excluding a man from heaven. Its heinousness, doubtless, is accounted for by its being in a very real sense the root of so many other forms of sin, e.g. departure from the faith (1Ti_6:9, 1Ti_6:10); lying (2Ki_5:22-25); theft (Jos_7:21); domestic trouble (Pro_15:27); murder (Eze_22:12); indeed, it leads to ?many foolish and hurtful lusts? (1Ti_6:9). Covetousness has always been a very serious menace to mankind, whether in the Old Testament or New Testament period. It was one of the first sins that broke out after Israel had entered into the promised land (Achan, Josh 7); and also in the early Christian church immediately after its founding (Ananias and Sapphira, Acts 5); hence, so many warnings against it. A careful reading of the Old Testament will reveal the fact that a very great part of the Jewish law - such as its enactments and regulations regarding duties toward the poor, toward servants; concerning gleaning, usury, pledges, gold and silver taken during war - was introduced and intended to counteract the spirit of covetousness.
Eerdmans maintains (Expos, July, 1909) that the commandment, ?Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house? (Exo_20:17), meant to the Israelite that he should not take anything of his neighbor's possessions that were momentarily unprotected by their owner. Compare Exo_34:23. Thus, it refers to a category of acts that is not covered by the commandment, ?Thou shalt not steal.? It is an oriental habit of mind from of old that when anyone sees abandoned goods which he thinks desirable, there is not the least objection to taking them, and Exo_20:17 is probably an explanation of what is to be understood by ?house? in Exo_20:17.
Examples of covetousness: Achan (Josh 7); Saul (1Sa_15:9, 1Sa_15:19); Judas (Mat_26:14, Mat_26:15); Ananias and Sapphira (Act_5:1-11); Balaam (2Pe_2:15 with Jud_1:11).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
PRINTER 1915.
Covetousness
(בֶּצִע, be'tsa, rapine, lucre; πλεονεξία, a grasping temper), in a general sense, means all inordinate desire of worldly possessions, such as undue thirst for honors, gold, etc. In a more restricted sense, it is the desire of increasing one's substance by appropriating that of others. It is a disorder of the heart, and closely allied to selfishness. We here consider it under its more restricted aspect.
1. Covetousness (πλεονεξία, φιλαργυρία) is a strong, sometimes irresistible desire of possessing or of increasing one's possessions. It is evident that under its influence the heart, instead of aspiring to noble, high, and divine goods, will be brought to; the almost exclusive contemplation of earthly, immaterial things; and thus, instead of becoming gradually more closely united with God, will become more and more estranged from him. Since where the treasure is there the heart is also, the heart of the covetous cannot be with God, but with Mammon; he is not a servant of God, but of idols. The love of God and the love of Mammon cannot find place in the same heart; the one excludes the other (Mat_6:24; Luk_16:13; Col_3:5, Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry). But since to love God is our highest duty, and God alone is to be prayed to, loved, and trusted, the covetous man, as a servant of Mammon, is forever excluded from the kingdom of Christ and of God (1Co_6:10, Nor thieves, nor covetous, shall inherit the kingdom of God; Eph_5:5, For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nors unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God). We are further told that the citizen of the kingdom of God is to lay up riches in heaven (Mat_6:20); he must be content with food and raiment (1Ti_6:7-8); but the covetous act in opposition to all these commandments (Heb_13:5; Let your conversation be without covetousness [ἀφιλάργυρος ὁ τρόπος]; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee). This state of the heart is very dangerous, for covetousness is the source of all evil, and brings forth all manner of sin (1Ti_6:9; 1Ti_6:19, For the love of money is the root of all evil; which while some coveted after they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows). Here the folly of covetousness is also shown, inasmuch as it is said to bring many sorrows. It is further proved by the fact that earthly goods are perishable, and that their possession renders none happy. But it is corrupting as well as unsatisfactory. By attempting to gain the world the soul is wounded, and loses the everlasting life (Mat_6:20, Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal; 16:25, 26, For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it; for what is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul, or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?); Luk_12:15-21, And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness; for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth).
2. Avarice is also a part of covetousness. It consists in amassing either for the sake of possessing or from fear of future want. This phase of covetousness is the surest mark of a cold-heartedness and worldliness, making pure, high, and holy aspirations impossible. It is also a sort of idolatry, for it is the love of mammon (Mat_6:19-24). It is essentially uncharitable, and incapable of affection (Jam_2:15-16, If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those thing which are needful to the body, what doth it profit?). Covetousness is as painful as it is deceitful in the end; it cripples the natural powers, renders life miserable and death terrible. The pursuits to which it leads are painfully laborious, and the care of the possessions, once secured, is equally so. The labor it entails is sinful, as it does not spring from love, but from selfishness and worldliness. As the wealth amassed by the covetous is applied to the benefit neither of themselves nor of others, they undergo the severest privations in the midst of plenty (Horace, congestis undique saccis indormis inhians. Nescis quo valeat nummus, quem prcebeat usum). However great the natural power of a man, it is paralyzed by this sin. To the covetous death is horrible, as it deprives them of all to which the worldly heart most clings.
Considering the nature of covetousness, it cannot appear strange that the apostle particularly recommends a bishop to avoid that sin. The bishop, or spiritual head of the community, is to be spiritual (πνευματικός), the center of the Christian life of the community (1Ti_3:2-3); and covetousness is a mark whereby false teachers may be known (2Ti_3:2).Krehl, N.T. Handuworterbuch.
CYCLOPEDIA OF BIBLICAL, THEOLOGICAL AND ECCLESIASTICAL
press 1895.
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