1. The Hebrew verb for envy: qânâʾ (קָנָא) [pronounced kaw-NAW], which means to be jealous, to
be envious. It is found only in the Piel and Hiphil. The verb for jealous is in the Hiphil; therefore
it is rendered caused to become jealous, stirred up to jealousy, provoked to jealousy.
Strong’s #7065 BDB #888.
2. There is also the feminine noun cognate: qineʾâh (קִנְאָה) [pronounced kin-AWH], which means,
passion; zeal, jealousy, ardour, envy. Strong’s #7068 BDB #888.
3. The Greek word is phthonos (φθόνος) [pronounced FTHOHN-oss], which means, envy; for envy,
i.e. prompted by envy. Thayer definitions only. Strong’s #5355.
4. Envy is a mental attitude sin. Ex. 20:7 Gal. 5:21 1Peter 2:1
5. Isaac’s problem with the Philistines is, many of them envied him because he was so successful.
Therefore, they often made life difficult for him. Gen. 26:11–17
6. Related to Jacob’s trouble in his marriages is Rachel’s jealousy of her sister Leah, even though
Jacob loved Rachel much more (Gen. 30:1–3). Even though you may think, well Jacob had
many sons because of this jealousy between sisters; this is God simply taking a bad situation
and turning it to good.
7. There are many narratives in the Bible about people who are envious.
1) Cain is envious of Abel and his relationship with God, believing God to favor Abel too much.
Gen. 4:4–8
2) Sarai was jealous of Hagar when Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son, and these motivated her
to commit other sins. Gen. 16:5–6
3) The Philistines were jealous of Isaac and his blessing (even though they were certainly
blessed themselves by being associated with him). Gen. 26:12–35
4) The sisters Rachel and Leah. Gen. 30:1, 15
5) Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him. Jealousy motivated Joseph’s brothers, who
eventually trapped him with the intent of selling him into slavery. This was another bad
situation which God turned to good. Gen. 37:11, 18–28
6) Miriam and Aaron were both jealous of Moses, which was their undoing; and why they were
not doing what Moses did. Num. 12:1–10
8. Jealousy motivated those who rebelled against Moses, which envy led to their deaths.
Psalm 106:16–18
9. Envy is anti-God and anti-doctrine. Ex. 20:17 James 4:5
10. Envy means that you are out of fellowship. 1Cor. 3:3
11. When you name your sins, you get back into fellowship, and you put sins like envy away.
1Peter 2:1
12. Pastor-teachers can be envious. Philip. 1:15
13. Envy is often associated with a number of other mental attitude sins, including hatred, malice,
subservience to various lusts, and disobedience. Titus 3:3
14. Although hard work and being industrious is good, if you are motivated by envy—to keep up with
the Jones’s, as it were, that is a bad motivation. Eccles. 4:4
15. Good health is related to having a good mental attitude and not entertaining mental attitude sins
like envy. Prov. 14:30
16. David warns against being envious of those who do wrong. Psalm 37:1
17. David warns against being envious of those who are violent. Psalm 3:31
18. Asaph warns against being envious of the arrogant when they might appear to be prosperous.
This caused Asaph to stumble in his spiritual life. Psalm 73:3–13
19. We are warned in Proverbs not to be jealous of those who do evil—they are cursed before God
and have no eternal future. Prov. 24:1 –9, 19–20
20. We are warned not to be jealous of sinners (possibly criminals); and again, this is because they
will be cut off from God. Prov. 23:17–18
21. Being envious of your neighbor is empty and striving after the wind. Eccles. 4:4
22. Jealousy is used of God as an anthropopathism. Deut. 32:20–22 Psalm 78:58
23. Jesus was delivered up because of envy. Matt. 27:18 Mark 15:10
24. Those who have rejected God are filled with envy and other mental attitude sins. Rom. 1:22–31
25. There will always be rich and there will always be poor. There is no political or economic system
which will ever change this. Furthermore, there will always be those who are unjustly poor and
those who are unjustly rich. We live in the devil’s world.
26. We do pass reasonable laws to deal with people who steal from others, whether it be a low-level
thief or a dishonest stock broker. Such laws should be just, reasonably applied, and they will
help the problem, but they will not eliminate inequity in this world. We should never pass laws
which are a result of our own envy.
27. As an aside, envy helps to explain the socialist movement in the United States.
1) Socialists have a two-pronged approach to sell their ideology:
(1) Envy towards those who have wealth; and therefore, they are seen as those who are
legitimate to plunder.
(2) False sympathy toward the poor. Whereas few would argue against taking care of
the helpless; there is the problem with making it seem as if the rich have somehow
plundered the poor, and therefore the poor have a right to the wealth of the rich.
Again, this is related to envy. It has nothing to do with social justice (or any other kind
of justice); it is related to the seizure of power.
(3) In reality, those who see socialism as some sort of a cause and are envious of the so-called 1% will not see their own personal wealth increased if socialism becomes more
widespread. It is those who are in power who seize the wealth and seize more power.
In socialism, the movement is always toward two classes of people: the political class
who rule and control most of the businesses; and the workers, who get to split up
whatever is leftover.
(4) Socialism is all about wanting power; and the ideology of socialism is sold in order to
raise up some true believers. Socialists who want power cannot simply seize it; they
need those who will help them seize it. So the concept of economic justice is sold;
the concept of a fair distribution of wealth is sold—because a revolutionary
movement, whether violent or within an existing system of government, must have
adherents to help the leaders seize power. They must have true believers, whether
they themselves believe in the movement or not.
2) Our own president, on many occasions, has encouraged people to be envious (I write this
in 2015, speaking of President Obama). In every one of his state of the union speeches,
and often on his college campus speeches, he calls for more taxation of the wealthy. “They
can afford to give just a little bit more.” A political leader can always call for the wealthy to
give just a little bit more, if those in his periphery are envious of the wealthy.
3) For the socialist and the liberal, there is often never a tax bracket that is too high. This
does not put more money into the hands of the poor; this puts more money and power into
the hands of the political class.
4) If at any time you find yourself thinking, “You know what; those Wall Street types really
make too much money and they don’t work as hard as my gardener Pedro does. They
need to be taxed a little more;” you are either filled with envy or you have simply been
brainwashed to think that government is some sort of benevolent institution which collects
money from the bad and gives it to the good. However, more taxes is all about money and
power; it has nothing to do with Pedro your gardener. If Pedro is not making enough, then
you need to pay him more.
28. In any case, no matter what you do, what political system you impose, no matter what laws you
pass, there will always be rich and there will always be poor.
29. There is a fascinating passage in Philip. 1:15, which I need to study a bit more, that says some
proclaim Christ out of envy and rivalry.
30. 1Tim. 6:3–5 If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of
our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit
and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about
words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among
people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means
of gain. (ESV)
31. Paul was concerned that some slaves who have believed in Jesus Christ might take advantage
of their masters who are brothers in Christ.
32. Envy is often a part of the unbeliever’s life. Titus 3:1–5
33. The believer needs to set aside sins like envy when moving forward in the Christian life. This
moving forward involves taking in more doctrine and rebound (naming one’s sins to God).
1Peter 2:1–5
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From Quotes Valley, accessed July 16, 2015. 
