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Bible verses about jealousy and envy
What Scripture says about envy, covetousness, God's own jealousy for his people, and the spiritual damage caused by comparing yourself to others.
What does the Bible say about jealousy?
Jealousy in the Bible has two faces. God is called jealous in the sense of a fierce, protective love for what is rightly his. Human jealousy, by contrast, is almost always destructive. Envy poisons relationships, distorts judgment, and eats away at contentment.
These verses address both sides: the jealousy of God that guards his covenant and the jealousy of the human heart that needs to be checked. They are helpful for readers dealing with comparison, resentment, or covetousness.
Key passages
"In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge."
The fear of the Lord brings strong confidence, the opposite of envious grasping. Those who fear the Lord so as to obey and serve him, have a strong ground of confidence, and will be preserved. Let us seek to this Fountain of life, that we may escape the snares of death.
"For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work."
Where envy and strife exist, there is confusion and every evil work. These verses show the difference between men's pretending to be wise, and their being really so. He who thinks well, or he who talks well, is not wise in the sense of the Scripture, if he does not live and act well.
"If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
Walking in the Spirit excludes provoking and envying one another. If it be our care to act under the guidance and power of the blessed Spirit, though we may not be freed from the stirrings and oppositions of the corrupt nature which remains in us, it shall not have dominion over us.
"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,"
Love does not envy and is not puffed up. Some of the effects of charity are stated, that we may know whether we have this grace; and that if we have not, we may not rest till we have it.
"Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."
Iron sharpens iron; healthy relationships replace envious competition. We are cautioned to take heed whom we converse with. And directed to have in view, in conversation, to make one another wiser and better.
"Thou shalt not commit adultery."
The commandment against coveting strikes at the root of envy. The laws of the SECOND table, that is, the last six of the ten commandments, state our duty to ourselves and to one another, and explain the great commandment, you shalt love your neighbour as thyself, Lu 10:27.
Main takeaways
- Envy is called out as destructive throughout Proverbs and the epistles.
- God's jealousy is protective and covenantal, not petty.
- Contentment and gratitude are the biblical antidote to envious comparison.
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