Envy and Jealous

Envy and jealous are words used interchangeably. Both words describe a character trait, an attitude, and an emotion that often lead to a change in relationship of two parties. Although these words are often used interchangeably, both The New American Heritage dictionary and the Bible make a distinction between the two words. Sometimes the situation described can mean that there is jealousy and envy involved in the situation. We will see this when we discuss the situation between the biblical characters of Joseph and his brothers. The purpose of this article is to show how jealousy and envy can lead to a decline and severance of a relationship, or lead to an improvement of the relationship. Since the words are similar in definition and usage, let us begin by giving clarity to how they will be used in this article. First, “envy’ means “a feeling of discontent and resentment aroused by another’s desirable possession or qualities, accompanied by a strong desire to have for oneself” (Envy in The American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition [Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1982], 458. “Jealous” is defined as being “fearful or wary of being supplanted; vigilant of guarding something; intolerant of disloyalty or infidelity” (Ibid, 686). “Sherman was a seminary trained minister with a Master of Divinity degree. The Sunday school teacher, Sarah, thought of herself as one of the most knowledgeable bible students in the church. When Sherman joined the church the pastor appointed him to be the Director of Christian Education. Sarah became jealous because she felt that in some way she was being replaced as the most knowledgeable teacher of the Bible in the church. She also became filled with envy because Sherman had a seminary degree, and this gave him insights that she desired to have. She saw his qualities and abilities as something competitive instead of something that could enhance the teaching ministry of the church. At this point we will look at a few examples of jealousy and envy in the scriptures. We will begin with the Old Testament and progress to the New Testament. The first example is found in the story of Cain and his brother Abel (Gen.4:3-9). God had regard for Abel and his offering, but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was jealous in that he thought that he had lost his favor with God because of what Abel had done. He was envious of Abel because Abel possessed the favor from God that he desired to have. Instead of correcting his mistake or repenting of his sin Cain murdered his brother. As a result the relationship between brothers was destroyed, and Cain’s fellowship with God was severed. The story of Joseph and his brothers is found beginning in Genesis 37. Jacob their father made Joseph supervisor over his brothers, and gave him a coat of distinction; of many colors that symbolized their father’s favoritism of Joseph. Joseph also had a dream that indicated that God too favored Joseph over his brothers. The brothers conspired to kill him, but they sold him as a slave to the Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt where they sold him to Potiphar an Egyptian official. In Genesis 37:11 the King James Version translates the Hebrew word qana as “envied” while the NASB translates it as “jealous.” The KJV places emphasis on something that Joseph had that the brothers desired. They hated Joseph and considered killing him to get rid of him. The NASB places emphasis on their sense of loss of something that they believed that they had until their father replaced them with his favorite son Joseph. A second example is the jealousy of God. God delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt by the hand of Moses. After crossing the Red Sea (Reed Sea) the Israelites came to Mount Sinai. God gave them the covenant that they were to live by. The first commandment in the covenant carries a warning of God’s jealousy if they worship other gods. This is a case in which the Hebrew “qana” is rightly translated “jealous.” God is a jealous God. (Ex. 20:5). God is not envious. The Israelites possess nothing that God desires. God is described as “a jealous God” because God is faithful to the covenant and He expects Israel to be faithful also. If the Israelites worship other gods they will be guilty of breaking the covenant. God’s holiness means that He will not tolerate competitors or those who sin against Him. Thus, God warns the Israelites against marrying the inhabitants of Canaan because they will risk being persuaded to worship the gods of the Canaanites. How many people who were raised in the church by Christian parents have strayed from the faith because of their associations with persons who are not committed to God? In the same manner the Law allowed for a man to have “a spirit of jealousy” for his wife (Num. 5:14). Scholars Unger and White states: “the jealousy has arisen out of a spirit of rivalry which cannot be tolerated in a marriage” (Merrill F. Unger and William White, Nelson’s Expository Dictionary of the Old Testament in Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words,” [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1996], 124. Unger and White further state: “qana, then, in its most basic sense is the act of advancing one’s rights to the exclusion of the rights of others” (Ibid.). The husband has a “spirit of jealousy” and the Law provides for a testing to determine if his jealousy is based on facts. If not, why does the man have a jealous spirit? One possibility is that the husband feels insecure because of the attention that another man pays to his wife. Has the husband been neglectful of his obligations to his wife? Has he seen his wife respond favorably to another man who has shown that he is sensitive to the needs of the wife that the husband has not shown? Let me say that in that culture a man was held responsible for the welfare of his wife and children. In return the wife and children were to be faithful to him just as the man was to be faithful to God. Today, women have more freedom and are not necessarily in need of her husband’s provisions and protection. Thus, today, women too may have a spirit of jealousy for her husband. In the New Testament “envy” (Greek=phthonos), “is the feeling of displeasure produced by witnessing or hearing of the advantage or prosperity of others; this evil sense attaches to this word” (W. E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words in “Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words,” [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1996], 205. For example the chief priests and the elders of the people handed Jesus over to Pilate to be crucified and they aroused the people to take sides with them. Pilate asked the people who they wanted him to release, Barabbas or Jesus. Matthew records that he asked this question because he knew that the Jews had handed Jesus over to him because of their envy of Jesus see Matt. 27:18; Mark 15:10). Crowds followed Jesus and it had been only five days since the people escorted Jesus into Jerusalem shouting ‘“Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!”’ (Matt. 21:9, NASB). The chief priests and elders desired to have the favor of the people that Jesus had, and they sought to kill him so that they could regain their revered status with the people. “Jealous” (Greek=zelos) means to be moved to jealousy. The verb form “parazeloo” is used to describe how God provoked Israel to jealousy (see Rom. 10:19). “Parazeloo” is used of Paul in his “evangelical ministry to Gentiles with a view to stirring his fellow nationals to a sense of their need and responsibilities regarding the gospel” (Ibid, 333). The goal is that their jealousy of the Gentiles will have a positive effect upon them in the sense that they believe the gospel and begin to participate in its spread throughout the world. They do not want to lose their status as God’s people to Gentiles. They want to retain their supposed superior status with God, and they are willing to accommodate God by joining in the evangelistic efforts. In conclusion, the words “envy” and “jealous” are used interchangeably. We have attempted to give examples of how they differ in hope that the reader will be motivated to consider the context in which the words are used. It is hoped that the reader will consider how envy and jealousy can destroy relationships in the church and more importantly in their own relationship with others.