NO FEAR OF THE EVIL EYE: The Tenth Commandment / Fingernail Clippings and Ugly Babies
The second and third chapters of Part I on Envy are quite short, so I thought it best to offer both this week. Comments and observations are always welcome!
THE TENTH COMMANDMENT
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, nor thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's. Exodus 20:17
This is the King James Version (KJV) translation of the Tenth Commandment of Yahweh not to envy. The Living Bible (TLB) translation is more accurate:
“You must not be envious of your neighbor’s house, or want to sleep with his wife, or want to own his slaves, oxen, donkeys, or anything else he has.”
The original word in Hebrew translated as “covet” is chamad. The word can be used in different contexts, referring to sexual lust for example. But for thousands of years, Jewish tradition has considered the 10th as a proscription not to envy other people.
Not surprising considering that according to the Old Testament, the first crime ever committed, Cain killing his brother Abel in Genesis 4:3-8, was an act of envy.
















