Jealousy and Envy

2CorChap11:1 Would to God you could bear with some little of my folly! But do bear with me.

2 For I am jealous of you with the jealousy of God. For I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

zeloo - from zhloV - zelos to have warmth of feeling for or against:--affect, covet (earnestly), (have) desire, (move with) envy, be jealous over, (be) zealous(-ly affect).
zelos - from zew - zeo properly, heat, i.e. (figuratively) "zeal" (in a favorable sense, ardor; in an unfavorable one, jealousy, as of a husband (figuratively, of God), or an enemy, malice):--emulation, envy(-ing), fervent mind, indignation, jealousy, zeal.

Compare with Rom 1:29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,
phthonos - probably akin to the base of fqeirw - phtheiro; ill-will (as detraction), i.e. jealousy (spite):--envy
Modern English makes it difficult to distinguish between Envy and Jealousy. So in order to make a point about the ancient difference between Envy and Jealousy we have to define our terms. My example would be, you buy a Corvette Sports car, I am jealous, so I buy a convertible Corvette. I want what you want. If I am envious, I don’t want what you want, I don’t want you to have what you want. So I key your Corvette, or put sugar in your gas tank. Envy is Spite, it is a consuming maliciousness. Envy is one of the seven deadly sins, jealousy is not. God also raises jealousy above all human weaknesses and faults, so that it becomes perfected in the Jealousy of God for His people.

St. Paul uses two different Greek words in this manner, one for the zealous and fervent ardor of a husband for his wife, Jealousy (zelos) and another for the spiteful ill-will of Envy (phthonos).

Envy and Jealousy used not to be synonymous, so when God is called a Jealous God, it is because He wants us for Himself in a good and right way. The Devil does not want us, but neither does the devil want God to have us. The Devil is envious.


St. John Chrysostom, Homily 23 on 2nd Corinthians: 'Therefore I am jealous, not for myself, but for him to whom I have espoused you.' For the present time is the time of espousal, but the time of the nuptials is another; when they sing, 'the Bridegroom has risen up.' Oh what things unheard of! In the world they are virgins before the marriage, but after the marriage no longer. But here it is not so: but even though they be not virgins before this marriage, after the marriage they become virgins. So the whole Church is a virgin. For addressing himself even to all, both husbands and wives, he speaks thus. But let us see what he brought and espoused us with, what kind of nuptial gifts. Not gold, not silver, but the kingdom of heaven. Wherefore also he said, "We are ambassadors on behalf of Christ," and beseeches them, when he was about to receive the Bride. What happened in Abraham's case was a type of this. (Gen. xxiv. 4, &c.) For he sent his faithful servant to seek a Gentile maiden in marriage; and in this case God sent His own servants to seek the Church in marriage for His son, and prophets from of old saying, "Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and forget your own people and your father's house, and the King shall desire your beauty." Do you see the prophet also espousing? do you see the Apostle too expressing the same thing himself with much boldness, and saying, "I espoused you to one husband that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ?" Do you see wisdom again? For having said, 'You ought to bear with me,' he did not say, 'for I am your teacher and I speak not for my own sake:' but he uses this expression which invested them with special dignity, placing himself in the room of her who promotes a match, and them in the rank of the bride; and he adds these words;