en'-vi (qin'ah; zelos, phthonos):
"Envy," from Latin in, "against," and video, "to look," "to look with ill-will," etc., toward another, is an evil strongly condemned in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. It is to be distinguished from jealousy. "We are jealous of our own; we are envious of another man's possessions. Jealousy fears to lose what it has; envy is pained at seeing another have" (Crabb's English Synonyms). In the Old Testament it is the translation of qin'ah from kana', "to redden," "to glow" (Job 5:2, the Revised Version (British and American) "jealousy," margin "indignation"; inIsa 26:11the Revised Version (British and American) renders "see thy zeal for the people";Pr 27:4, etc.); the verb occurs inGe 26:14, etc.;Nu 11:29the King James Version;Ps 106:16;Pr 3:31, etc.; in the New Testament it is the translation of phthonos, "envy" (Mt 27:18;Ro 1:29;Ga 5:21, "envyings," etc.); of zelos, "zeal", "jealousy," "envy" (Ac 13:45), translated "envying," the Revised Version (British and American) "jealousy" (Ro 13:13;1Co 3:3;2Co 12:20;Jas 3:14,16); the verb phthoneo occurs inGa 5:26; zeloo inAc 7:9;17:5, the Revised Version (British and American) "moved with jealousy";1Co 13:4, "charity (the Revised Version (British and American) "love") envieth not."
The power of envy is stated inPr 27:4: "Who is able to stand before envy?" (the Revised Version (British and American) "jealousy"); its evil effects are depicted inJob 5:2(the Revised Version (British and American) "jealousy"), inPr 14:30(the Revised Version, margin "jealousy"); it led to the crucifixion of Christ (Mt 27:18;Mr 15:10); it is one of "the works of the flesh" (Ga 5:21; compareRo 1:29;1Ti 6:4); Christian believers are earnestly warned against it (Ro 13:13the King James Version;1Co 3:3the King James Version;Ga 5:26;1Pe 2:1). InJas 4:5"envy" is used in a good sense, akin to the jealousy ascribed to God. Where the King James Version has "The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy," the Revised Version (British and American) reads "Doth the spirit which he made to dwell in us long unto envying?"; the American Revised Version, margin "The spirit which he made to dwell in us he yearneth for even unto jealous envy"; compareJer 3:14;Ho 2:19f; or the English Revised Version, margin "That spirit which he made to dwell in us yearneth (for us) even unto jealous envy." This last seems to give the sense; compare "Ye adulteresses" (Ho 2:4), the American Revised Version, margin "That is, who break your marriage vow to God."
W. L. Walker