Exodus 20:15

Common misinterpretations reduce it to mere physical theft like burglary while overlooking subtler violations such as intellectual property infringement, deceptive business practices, or even wasting shared resources; others relativize it by excusing 'necessary' stealing in poverty or from the wealthy, or dismiss it as culturally bound and irrelevant in modern welfare systems, ignoring its broader call to holistic honesty and stewardship under God's unchanging law.

This commandment establishes a foundational moral principle against theft, commanding respect for others' property and possessions as belonging ultimately to God, thereby promoting personal integrity, social trust, and economic justice in human relationships where greed and exploitation are restrained by divine authority.