cov⋅et
–verb (used with object)
| 1. | to desire wrongfully, inordinately, or without due regard for the rights of others: to covet another's property. |
| 2. | to wish for, esp. eagerly: He won the prize they all coveted. |
| 3. | to have an inordinate or wrongful desire. |
Origin:
1175–1225; ME coveiten < AF coveiter, OF coveit(i)er < VL *cupidiētāre, v. deriv. of *cupidiētās, for L cupititās cupidity
From: Dictionary.com
"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you
shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female
servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your
neighbor."
Exodus 20:17 (NASB)
I was thinking about speaking with people or getting prayer requests in which the person asking for intercession states that they covet our prayers. That language always troubled me a bit in the context of the Decalogue. Looking at the dictionary definition #2 above doesn't sound terrible, but still it has you eagerly wanting what others covet.
So my question is whether I am being overly sensitive to the nuances of language, am I misinterpreting Scripture to apply it to a covetous desire for prayer or does this trouble anyone else in the least?
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