bible verses about jealousy

Bible Verses About Jealousy: 15 Scriptures

Bible verses about jealousy: 15 Scriptures on envy that corrodes, love that does not envy, and zeal that belongs to God—with plain notes.

Illustrated portrait of Christopher McAllister

By Christopher McAllister

Founder of theBibleand.Love

Published September 28, 2026Updated October 3, 20266 min read1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV)

A person pauses on a path as two friends walk ahead, then turns toward an open road.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud."

— 1 Corinthians 13:4 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about jealousy want Scripture for the green ache that compares and resent — not a shrug that envy is "just human," and not confusion with God's righteous zeal. This page is a numbered list of fifteen passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. The wider essay sits under Love and jealousy. Related lists: Bible verses about pride, Bible verses about humility, Bible verses about love, Bible verses about contentment, and Bible verses about anger. Jealousy here is envy and corrosive rivalry — distinct from pride's self-exaltation in Bible verses about pride, though the two often travel together. The Exodus 34:14 Name is Bible verses about Jealous God.

Word study (lead theme). In Greek, "jealousy" and "zeal" often use ζῆλος zēlos (Strong's G2205) — zeal, jealousy, or envy, depending on the object and spirit. See also Bible Hub G2205. In Hebrew, קִנְאָה qin'ah (Strong's H7068; Bible Hub H7068) means zeal or jealousy — holy when it guards covenant love, destructive when it envies a neighbor's portion.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on James 3 warns where envy leads: "Those who live in malice, envy, and contention, live in confusion; and are liable to be provoked and hurried to any evil work" (Bible Hub commentaries on James 3:14; fuller MHC at Bible Hub MHC James 3). On Proverbs 14:30 he contrasts envy with a sound heart: "An upright, contented, and benevolent mind, tends to health" (Bible Hub commentaries on Proverbs 14:30; Bible Hub MHC Proverbs 14).

15 Bible verses about jealousy

  1. 1 Corinthians 13:4. "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud." Love's first refusals include envy. See Love and jealousy and Bible verses about love.

  2. Proverbs 14:30. "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones." Envy is not a private feeling; it corrodes from the inside. See Bible verses about peace.

  3. James 3:14-16. "But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such 'wisdom' does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice." Bitter envy is disordered "wisdom," not harmless competition. See Bible verses about wisdom.

  4. Proverbs 27:4. "Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?" Jealousy is named as harder to stand before than open anger. See Bible verses about anger.

  5. Exodus 20:17. "You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor." Coveting is jealousy aimed at a neighbor's portion — forbidden at the root.

  6. Galatians 5:19-21. "The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy… those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God." Jealousy and envy sit in the flesh list, not the fruit list. See Bible verses about self-control.

  7. James 4:1-3. "What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight…" Unmet craving turns into conflict; jealousy is often the middle step.

  8. Proverbs 6:34. "For jealousy arouses a husband's fury, and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge." Scripture names jealousy as a fire that can refuse mercy — a warning, not a model.

  9. Galatians 5:26. "Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." Conceit, provocation, and envy are a package the church is told to refuse. See Bible verses about humility.

  10. Romans 13:13. "Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy." Jealousy is listed with the night behaviors Christians put off.

  11. Genesis 37:11. "His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind." Joseph's story shows jealousy inside a family long before coats and pits become famous. See Love and jealousy.

  12. Acts 7:9. "Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him." Jealousy sold a brother; God was still with the wronged one.

  13. 1 Peter 2:1. "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind." Envy is something to put off, not nurse as "honesty about your feelings."

  14. Song of Songs 8:6. "Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame." Here jealousy can mean protective zeal for covenant love — not the envy of a neighbor's goods. Hold the distinction; do not use this verse to excuse resentment.

  15. Proverbs 23:17. "Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always be zealous for the fear of the Lord." The cure for envying sinners is zeal for the fear of the Lord, not a bigger scoreboard. See Bible verses about contentment and Love and jealousy.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse for a scroll that leaves you bitter, a workplace promotion you did not get, or a family comparison that will not quit — not fifteen. Read it out loud. If you need love's refusal of envy, start with 1 Corinthians 13:4. If you need envy's cost named, start with Proverbs 14:30. If you need the essay that frames love and jealousy, read Love and jealousy. For pride beside envy, see Bible verses about pride. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

What is a good Bible verse about jealousy?

1 Corinthians 13:4 and Proverbs 14:30 are clear: love does not envy, and envy rots the bones. James 3:14-16 names bitter envy as earthly and disordering.

What does the Bible say about jealousy?

Human envy and rivalry are condemned as fleshly and corrosive. God's own jealousy for his people is covenant zeal, not petty resentment — do not confuse the two. Love refuses envy.

Is jealousy always a sin?

Envy of a neighbor's portion is sin. Protective zeal in covenant love (Song of Songs 8:6; God's jealousy for his name) is a different use of the word. This page targets the envy that compares and resent.

How is jealousy different from pride?

Pride lifts self; jealousy resents another's good. They often feed each other. See Bible verses about pride and Bible verses about humility.

Start with Love and jealousy, then Bible verses about contentment and Bible verses about love.

Sources

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