📖 Biblical Definition
Theft is the taking of what is not one’s own — and the eighth commandment of the Decalogue forbids it absolutely: "Thou shalt not steal" (Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 5:19). In Scripture, theft includes stealing money, time, reputation, glory due to God, and goods. Paul names the cure: "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth" (Ephesians 4:28). The repentance is not just stopping; it is reversing — the former thief becomes the giver, the laborer for others’ needs. Reformed and biblical economic ethics protect private property under the eighth commandment.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
THEFT, n.
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1. The act of stealing; the wrongful taking and carrying away of the personal goods of another. 2. The thing stolen; embezzlement. 3. In scripture, the eighth commandment.
📖 Key Scripture
Exodus 20:15 — "Thou shalt not steal."
Ephesians 4:28 — "Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth."
Proverbs 6:30 — "Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry."
1 Corinthians 6:10 — "Nor thieves... shall inherit the kingdom of God."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern theft includes wage-theft, copyright-theft, and time-theft; the commandment never narrowed.
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Ephesians 4:28 contains the most beautiful redemption arc for a thief in the Bible: let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour... that he may have to give to him that needeth. The thief becomes a worker; the worker becomes a giver; the man whose hands once took now hands out. The Spirit reverses the polarity completely.
Modern theft is broader than wallet-stealing. Wage-theft (paying less than agreed); time-theft (taking employer hours for personal pursuits); copyright-theft (pirating content, plagiarizing words); reputation-theft (slander); glory-theft (taking credit for others' work) — all are theft. The eighth commandment never narrowed. Apply Ephesians 4:28 to all of them. Whatever you stole, restore. Whatever hands took, train them to give. The gospel turns thieves into philanthropists.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Greek klope (G2829); Hebrew genevah (H1591).
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Usage
"Wage-theft, time-theft, copyright-theft, reputation-theft — the commandment never narrowed."
"The Spirit reverses the polarity: the thief becomes a worker becomes a giver."
"Whatever you stole, restore. Whatever hands took, train them to give."