Covetousness

Passages on this topic

From Nave’s Topical Bible (1896), a historical reference index. The groupings are Nave’s; the verses are shown in the text used across this site.

General scriptures concerning

• Exodus 18:21 Furthermore, select capable men from among the people — God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens.
• Exodus 20:17 You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
• Deuteronomy 5:21 You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house or field, or his manservant or maidservant, or his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
• Nehemiah 5:7 and after serious thought I rebuked the nobles and officials, saying, “You are exacting usury from your own brothers!” So I called a large assembly against them
• Job 20:15 He swallows wealth but vomits it out; God will force it from his stomach.
• Job 31:24–25 If I have put my trust in gold or called pure gold my security, if I have rejoiced in my great wealth because my hand had gained so much,
• Job 31:28 this would also be an iniquity to be judged, for I would have denied God on high.
• Psalm 10:3 For the wicked man boasts in the cravings of his heart; he blesses the greedy and reviles the LORD.
• Psalm 119:36 Turn my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetous gain.
• Proverbs 1:19 Such is the fate of all who are greedy, whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors.

See Avarice

See Rich

See Riches

See Worldliness

Instances of

Eve, in desiring the forbidden fruit

• Genesis 3:6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.

Lot, in choosing the plain of the Jordan

• Genesis 13:10–13 And Lot looked out and saw that the whole plain of the Jordan, all the way to Zoar, was well watered like the garden of the LORD, like the land of Egypt. (This was before the LORD destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose the whole plain of the Jordan for himself and set out toward the east. And…

Laban

In giving Rebekah to be Isaac's wife

• Genesis 24:29–51 Now Rebekah had a brother named Laban, and he rushed out to the man at the spring. As soon as he saw the ring, and the bracelets on his sister’s wrists, and heard Rebekah’s words, “The man said this to me,” he went and found the man standing by the camels near the spring. “Come, you who are blessed…

In deceiving Jacob when he served him seven years for Rachel

• Genesis 29:15–30 Laban said to him, “Just because you are my relative, should you work for nothing? Tell me what your wages should be.” Now Laban had two daughters; the older was named Leah, and the younger was named Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel was shapely and beautiful. Since Jacob loved Rachel, he answ…

In deceiving Jacob in wages

• Genesis 31:7 And although he has cheated me and changed my wages ten times, God has not allowed him to harm me.
• Genesis 31:15 Are we not regarded by him as outsiders? Not only has he sold us, but he has certainly squandered what was paid for us.
• Genesis 31:41–42 Thus for twenty years I have served in your household— fourteen years for your two daughters and six years for your flocks— and you have changed my wages ten times! If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, had not been with me, surely by now you would have sent me away emp…

Jacob

In defrauding Esau of his, father's blessing

• Genesis 27:6–29 Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Behold, I overheard your father saying to your brother Esau, ‘Bring me some game and prepare me a tasty dish to eat, so that I may bless you in the presence of the LORD before I die.’ Now, my son, listen to my voice and do exactly as I tell you. Go out to the flock a…

In defrauding Laban of his flocks and herds

• Genesis 30:35–43 That very day Laban removed all the streaked or spotted male goats and every speckled or spotted female goat— every one that had any white on it— and every dark-colored lamb, and he placed them under the care of his sons. Then he put a three-day journey between himself and Jacob, while Jacob was sh…

In buying Esau's birthright

• Genesis 25:31 “First sell me your birthright,” Jacob replied.

Balaam, in loving the wages of unrighteousness

• 2 Peter 2:15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
• Numbers 22 Then the Israelites traveled on and camped in the plains of Moab near the Jordan, across from Jericho. Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, and Moab was terrified of the people because they were numerous. Indeed, Moab dreaded the Israelites. So the Moabites said to… (whole chapter)

Achan, in hiding the treasure

• Joshua 7:21 When I saw among the spoils a beautiful cloak from Shinar, two hundred shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. They are hidden in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath.”

Eli's sons, in taking the flesh of the sacrifice

• 1 Samuel 2:13–17 or for the custom of the priests with the people. When any man offered a sacrifice, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged meat fork while the meat was boiling and plunge it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or cooking pot. And the priest would claim for himself whatever the mea…

Samuel's sons, in taking bribes

• 1 Samuel 8:3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.

Saul, in sparing, Agag and the booty

• 1 Samuel 15:8–9 He captured Agag king of Amalek alive, but devoted all the others to destruction with the sword. Saul and his troops spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to devote them to destruction, but they devot…

David, of Bath-sheba

• 2 Samuel 11:2–5 One evening David got up from his bed and strolled around on the roof of the palace. And from the roof he saw a woman bathing— a very beautiful woman. So David sent and inquired about the woman, and he was told, “This is Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam and the wife of Uriah the Hittite.” Then Davi…

Ahab, in desiring Naboth's vineyard

• 1 Kings 21:2–16 So Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to use as a vegetable garden, since it is next to my palace. I will give you a better vineyard in its place — or if you prefer, I will give you its value in silver.” But Naboth replied, “The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fath…

Gehazi, in taking a gift from Naaman

• 2 Kings 5:20–27 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared this Aramean, Naaman, by not accepting what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” So Gehazi pursued Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down fr…

Some Jews

In exacting usury from their brethren

• Nehemiah 5:1–11 About that time there was a great outcry from the people and their wives against their fellow Jews. Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and stay alive.” Others were saying, “We are mortgaging our fields, our vineyards, and our homes to ge…

In keeping back the portion of the Levites

• Nehemiah 13:10 I also learned that because the portions for the Levites had not been given to them, all the Levites and singers responsible for performing the service had gone back to their own fields.

In building fine houses while the house of the Lord lay waste

• Haggai 1:4–9 “Is it a time for you yourselves to live in your paneled houses, while this house lies in ruins?” Now this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Consider carefully your ways. You have planted much but harvested little. You eat but never have enough. You drink but never have your fill. You put on clothes…

In following Jesus merely for the loaves and fish

• John 6:26 Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, it is not because you saw these signs that you are looking for Me, but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.

Money-changers in the temple

• Matthew 21:12–13 Then Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those selling doves. And He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer.’ But you are making it ‘a den of robber…
• Luke 19:45–46 Then Jesus entered the temple courts and began to drive out those who were selling there. He declared to them, “It is written: ‘My house will be a house of prayer.’ But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’”
• John 2:14–16 In the temple courts He found men selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and money changers seated at their tables. So He made a whip out of cords and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle. He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those selling dove…

The rich young ruler

• Matthew 19:16–22 Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?” “Why do you ask Me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” the man asked. Jesus answered, “‘Do not…

The rich fool

• Luke 12:15–21 And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” Then He told them a parable: “The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance. So he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, since I have nowhere…

Judas, in betraying Jesus for twenty pieces of silver

• Matthew 26:15–16 and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?” And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver. So from then on Judas looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
• Mark 14:10–11 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted to hear this, and they promised to give him money. So Judas began to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
• Luke 22:3–6 Then Satan entered Judas Iscariot, who was one of the Twelve. And Judas went to discuss with the chief priests and temple officers how he might betray Jesus to them. They were delighted and agreed to give him money. Judas consented, and began to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus to them in th…
• John 12:6 Judas did not say this because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. As keeper of the money bag, he used to take from what was put into it.

The unjust steward

• Luke 16:1–8 Jesus also said to His disciples, “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. So he called him in to ask, ‘What is this I hear about you? Turn in an account of your management, for you cannot be manager any longer.’ The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now…

The Pharisees

• Luke 16:14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all of this and were scoffing at Jesus.

Simon Magus, in trying to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit

• Acts 8:18–23 When Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money. “Give me this power as well,” he said, “so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” But Peter replied, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you co…

The sorcerers, in filing complaint against Paul and Silas

• Acts 16:19 When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace.

Demetrius, in raising a riot against Paul and Silas

• Acts 19:24 It began with a silversmith named Demetrius who made silver shrines of Artemis, bringing much business to the craftsmen.
• Acts 19:27 There is danger not only that our business will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited and her majesty deposed — she who is worshiped by all the province of Asia and the whole world.”

Festus, in hoping for a bribe from Paul

• Acts 24:26 At the same time, he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe. So he sent for Paul frequently and talked with him.

Demas in forsaking Paul for love of the world

• 2 Timothy 4:10 because Demas, in his love of this world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.

See Avarice

See Bribery

See Rich

See Riches