5.3.10.3 Coveting the spouse of one's neighbour

In the Old Testament, David and Bathsheba provide a stark example of where the desire for the wife of one's neighbour can lead, namely to adultery, lies, and murder (2 Samuel 11). The Son of God also addressed the correlation between coveting the wife of one's neighbour and adultery (Matthew 5: 27-28). In Christian understanding, the commandment not to covet the wife of one's neighbour also prohibits a woman from desiring her neighbour's husband. If this covetousness is directed at the spouse of another person, this constitutes a violation of God's commandment. In this sense, 1 John 2: 16-17 can also be understood as a warning against such covetousness: "For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it."