Read Exodus 20:15 at Bible Gateway.
Hebrew paragraph division
Exo 20:15 {s} You shall not steal
Hebrew roots
Steal is Strong’s H1589 גנב ganab, a primitive root meaning, “to steal.” The ancient pictographs are gimel + nun + bet.
gimel ג = the foot, thus foot, walk, gather
nun נ, ן = the seed, thus continue, heir, son
bet ב = the house, thus house, household, family, in, within
The verb is “to steal;” the concrete noun is “thief;” and the abstract concept is “theft.” The story being told by the ancient pictographs is of Gathering (gimel) the seed (nun) from the house (bet); i.e., to take away that which provides for the family’s material needs. The root of material wealth consists in food for people and livestock, for only when this need is met can a family go on to produce material gain in other areas (as craftsmen or tradesmen, for example).
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