Exodus 20:15 - The Ten Commandments

Audio Bible

Context

The Ten Commandments
…14You shall not commit adultery. 15You shall not steal. 16You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.…

Cross References

Leviticus 19:11
You must not steal. You must not lie or deceive one another.Deuteronomy 5:19
You shall not steal.Proverbs 6:30-31
Men do not despise the thief if he steals to satisfy his hunger. / Yet if caught, he must pay sevenfold; he must give up all the wealth of his house.Proverbs 11:1
Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but an accurate weight is His delight.Proverbs 21:6
Making a fortune by a lying tongue is a vanishing mist, a deadly pursuit.Jeremiah 7:9-10
Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known, / and then come and stand before Me in this house, which bears My Name, and say, ‘We are delivered, so we can continue with all these abominations’?Hosea 4:1-2
Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a case against the people of the land: “There is no truth, no loving devotion, and no knowledge of God in the land! / Cursing and lying, murder and stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another.Zechariah 5:3-4
Then he told me, “This is the curse that is going out over the face of all the land, for according to one side of the scroll, every thief will be removed; and according to the other side, every perjurer will be removed. / I will send it out, declares the LORD of Hosts, and it will enter the house of the thief and the house of him who swears falsely by My name. It will remain inside his house and destroy it, down to its timbers and stones.”Malachi 3:8-9
Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you ask, ‘How do we rob You?’ In tithes and offerings. / You are cursed with a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing Me.Matthew 19:18
“Which ones?” the man asked. Jesus answered, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness,Mark 10:19
You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not cheat others, honor your father and mother.’”Luke 18:20
You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.’”Romans 13:9
The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who submit to or perform homosexual acts, / nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.Ephesians 4:28
He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

Exodus 21:16
And he that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.

Leviticus 6:1-7
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, …

Leviticus 19:11,13,35-37
Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, neither lie one to another…

Jump to Previous

Jump to Next

Exodus 20

You shall not steal.
This commandment is part of the Decalogue, given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. It is a fundamental principle that underscores the importance of respecting others' property and rights. The prohibition against stealing is not only a legal directive but also a moral one, emphasizing integrity and trustworthiness in personal and communal relationships.

In the ancient Near Eastern context, theft was a serious offense that disrupted social harmony and trust within the community. Property was often tied to one's livelihood and survival, making the act of stealing not just a personal violation but a threat to the community's stability. The commandment reflects God's desire for His people to live in a society marked by justice and respect for one another.

Biblically, the prohibition against stealing is reiterated in various forms throughout Scripture. In Leviticus 19:11, the Israelites are instructed, "You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another." This expands the commandment to include honesty in all dealings. In the New Testament, Ephesians 4:28 advises, "Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need." This highlights the transformation expected in a believer's life, moving from taking to giving.

The commandment also has spiritual implications, as stealing can be seen as a lack of trust in God's provision. By taking what belongs to another, one demonstrates a failure to rely on God to meet their needs. This is contrasted with the life of Jesus Christ, who exemplified complete trust in the Father and taught His followers to seek first the kingdom of God, trusting that their needs would be met (Matthew 6:33).

In a broader sense, the commandment against stealing can be seen as a call to stewardship. Believers are entrusted with resources and are called to use them wisely and generously, reflecting God's character. This principle is evident in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), where faithful stewardship is rewarded.

Overall, "You shall not steal" is a command that calls for respect, integrity, and trust in God's provision, forming a foundation for a just and harmonious society.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Moses
The prophet and leader of the Israelites who received the Ten Commandments from God on Mount Sinai.

2. Mount Sinai
The mountain where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments, including the commandment against stealing.

3. Israelites
The people of God who were delivered from slavery in Egypt and were given the Law to guide their covenant relationship with God.

4. God
The divine lawgiver who established the moral and ethical standards for His people through the Ten Commandments.

5. The Ten Commandments
A set of laws given by God to the Israelites, serving as a foundational ethical code.

Teaching Points

Respect for Others' Property
Recognize that stealing violates the trust and rights of others, and it disrupts community harmony.

Contentment and Trust in God
Cultivate contentment with what God has provided, trusting Him to meet your needs without resorting to theft.

Integrity in All Things
Uphold honesty and integrity in all areas of life, including business, relationships, and personal conduct.

Restitution and Repentance
If you have stolen, seek to make restitution and repent, aligning your actions with God's standards.

Modeling Christ-like Behavior
As followers of Christ, demonstrate a life transformed by the Holy Spirit, which includes respecting others' possessions.

Lists and Questions

Top 10 Lessons from Exodus 20Is stealing ever justified according to the Bible?Is morality subjective and culture-dependent?What does "rob Peter to pay Paul" mean?What is the meaning of "You shall not steal"?

(15) Thou shalt not steal.--Our third duty towards our neighbour is to respect his right to his property. The framers of Utopias, both ancient and modern, have imagined communities in which private property should not exist. But such a condition of things has never yet been realised in practice. In the laws of all known States private property has been recognised, and social order has been, in a great measure, based upon it. Here, again, law has but embodied natural instinct. The savage who hammers out a flint knife by repeated blows with a pebble, labouring long, and undergoing pain in the process, feels that the implement which he has made is his own, and that his right to it is indisputable. If he is deprived of it by force or fraud, he is wronged. The eighth commandment forbids this wrong, and requires us to respect the property of others no less than their person and their domestic peace and honour.

Verse 15. - Thou shalt not steal. By these words the right of property received formal acknowledgment, and a protest was made by anticipation against the maxim of modern socialists - "La propriete, c'est le vol." Instinctively man feels that some things become his, especially by toil expended on them, and that, by parity of reasoning, some things become his neighbour's. Our third duty towards our neighbour is to respect his rights in these. Society, in every community that has hitherto existed, has recognised private pro-petty; and social order may be said to be built upon it. Government exists mainly for the security of men's lives and properties; and anarchy would supervene if either could be with impunity attacked. Theft has always been punished in every state; and even the Spartan youth was not acquitted of blame unless he could plead that the State had stopped his supplies of food, and bid him forage for himself. Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

You shall not
לֹ֣֖א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

steal.
תִּֿגְנֹֽ֔ב׃ (tḡə·nōḇ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 1589: To thieve, to deceive

Links

Exodus 20:15 NIV
Exodus 20:15 NLT
Exodus 20:15 ESV
Exodus 20:15 NASB
Exodus 20:15 KJVExodus 20:15 BibleApps.com
Exodus 20:15 Biblia Paralela
Exodus 20:15 Chinese Bible
Exodus 20:15 French Bible
Exodus 20:15 Catholic BibleOT Law: Exodus 20:15 You shall not steal (Exo. Ex)