--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even in the Bible, the admonition in the…" description: "\"“Even in the Bible, the admonition in the Ten Commandments not to 'covet thy neighbor's wife' clearly referred not to lust in one's heart (adultery had..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f47/david-graeber-4667_adultery_even-in-the-bible-the-admonition-in-the_2143256.png" --- # Even in the Bible, the admonition in the Ten Commandments… ![“Even in the Bible, the admonition in the Ten Commandments not to 'covet thy neighbor's wife' clearly referred not to lust in one's heart (adultery had already been covered in commandment number seven), but to the prospect of taking her as a debt-peon—in other words, as a servant to sweep one's…” quote by David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f47/david-graeber-4667_adultery_even-in-the-bible-the-admonition-in-the_2143256.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f47/david-graeber-4667_adultery_even-in-the-bible-the-admonition-in-the_2143256.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f47/david-graeber-4667_adultery_even-in-the-bible-the-admonition-in-the_2143256.png) > ““Even in the Bible, the admonition in the Ten Commandments not to 'covet thy neighbor's wife' clearly referred not to lust in one's heart (adultery had already been covered in commandment number seven), but to the prospect of taking her as a debt-peon—in other words, as a servant to sweep one's yard and hang out the laundry.”” [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The Ten Commandments’ warning against coveting a neighbor’s wife is interpreted as a warning against treating a person as property or labor, not merely sexual desire. **In simple terms:** Coveting a spouse is about ownership, not lust. Key Takeaway Recognize and reject treating people as property. Themes ethics property relationships religion Mood critical thought‑provoking Type philosophical historical When to use this quote - marriage - labor rights - human dignity - social norms Key Concepts biblical interpretation social critique Questions to Reflect On - How do ancient texts influence modern ethics? - Can property metaphors shape gender roles? A Different Perspective Historical context may differ from modern views. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Admonition Commandments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/admonition-commandments-4473081/) [Adultery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adultery/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Bible Admonition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible-admonition-4473082/) [Commandment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commandment/) [Commandments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commandments/) [Commandments Covet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commandments-covet-4473080/) [Debt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/debt/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Servants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/servants/) [Ten commandments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten-commandments/) [Wives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wives/) ## Related quotes > [All of the Ten Commandments that are good were old; all that were new art foolish. 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A congressman from Colorado said he wants to draft a rule that would make it unethical to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/here-is-your-government-at-work-a-congressman-from-colorado-said-he/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“The leader’s commandment is made up of pledges to solve local and global problems, and not to create more problems to add to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-leader-s-commandment-is-made-up-of-pledges-to-solve-local-and/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“Eve is a figure for the soul that each human should love. The commandment to be fruitful and multiply did not originally refer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-greenblatt/eve-is-a-figure-for-the-soul-that-each-human-should-love-the/) [Stephen Greenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-greenblatt/) ## More by David Graeber > [People don't have an ongoing relation unless it's a form of debt because everything is an exchange, so ongoing relationships are incomplete exchanges, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/people-don-t-have-an-ongoing-relation-unless-it-s-a-form-of-debt/) [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) > [I would like, then, to end by putting in a good word for the non-industrious poor. At least they aren’t hurting anyone. 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And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-graeber/as-the-events-of-2011-reveal-the-age-of-revolutions-is-by-no-means/) [David Graeber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) [Explore all 106 David Graeber quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-graeber/) ## More Adultery quotes > [A hundred years ago Hester Prynne of The Scarlet Letter was given an A for adultery; today she would rate no better than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-de-vries/a-hundred-years-ago-hester-prynne-of-the-scarlet-letter-was-given-an/) [Peter De Vries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-de-vries/) > [“Reality has a way of bursting the bubble of illusion, and an affair is one of the biggest illusions that anyone can experience in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/reality-has-a-way-of-bursting-the-bubble-of-illusion-and-an-affair-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Once a cheater always remain's a cheater, if you love your partner, why cheat? 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