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covetousness, (dishonest) gain, lucre, profit

Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:

(desire). Rightful desire (1 Cor. 12:31³¹But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way. (1 Corinthians 12:31), good). Wrongful desire, sinful (Ex. 20:17; 18:21¹⁷Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbor's. (Exodus 20:17)
²¹Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: (Exodus 18:21); Prov. 28:16¹⁶The prince that wanteth understanding is also a great oppressor: but he that hateth covetousness shall prolong his days. (Proverbs 28:16); Luke 12:15-34¹⁵And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. ¹⁶And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: ¹⁷And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? ¹⁸And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods. ¹⁹And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. ²⁰But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? ²¹So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God. ²²And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. ²³The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. ²⁴Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? ²⁵And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? ²⁶If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? ²⁷Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ²⁸If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? ²⁹And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. ³⁰For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. ³¹But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. ³²Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ³³Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. ³⁴For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. (Luke 12:15‑34); 1 Tim. 6:9-10⁹But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. ¹⁰For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:9‑10)).

“Covet, To” From Concise Bible Dictionary:

In 1 Corinthians 12:31³¹But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more excellent way. (1 Corinthians 12:31) and 1 Corinthians 14:39³⁹Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues. (1 Corinthians 14:39), the word is ζηλόω, and is quite different from the coveting that is condemned in scripture; it is translated in Revelation 3:19¹⁹As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. (Revelation 3:19) “be zealous,” and the above passages in Corinthians can be so translated, or “desire earnestly” the best gifts, and “desire earnestly” to prophesy.

“Lucre” From Concise Bible Dictionary:

“Gain,” such as a judge should not have wished for or accepted (1 Sam. 8:3³And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. (1 Samuel 8:3)). In the New Testament it is called “filthy” or “base gain”; the desire for it rendered a man ineligible for the position of elder in the church (1 Tim. 3:3,8³Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; (1 Timothy 3:3)
⁸Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; (1 Timothy 3:8); Titus 1:7,11⁷For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; (Titus 1:7)
¹¹Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake. (Titus 1:11); 1 Pet. 5:2²Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; (1 Peter 5:2)).

Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew Words:

Number:

1215 (find all occurrences in KJV Bible)

Transliteration:

betsa`

Phonic:

beh’-tsah

Meaning:

from 1214; plunder; by extension, gain (usually unjust)

KJV Usage:

covetousness, (dishonest) gain, lucre, profit