Charles Spurgeon Commentary Romans 7:7-8

"What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Howbeit, I had not known sin, except through the law: for I had not known coveting, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet: but sin, finding occasion, wrought in me through the commandment all manner of coveting: for apart from the law sin [is] dead." — Romans 7:7-8 (ASV)

Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence.

Or, "covetousness." The very fact that God said to us, "Do it not," worked upon our nature so that we wanted to do it, and what God commanded, which was a matter of indifference to us while we were in ignorance of his will, became, because of the depravity of our hearts, a thing to be resisted just because he had commanded it to us. Ah! What wicked hearts are ours that draw evil even out of good!