Lexical Summary
qinah: Jealousy, zeal, ardor
Original Word:קִנְאָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:qin'ah
Pronunciation:kee-naw'
Phonetic Spelling:(kin-aw')
KJV: envy(-ied), jealousy, X sake, zeal
NASB:jealousy, zeal, anger, envy, passion, rivalry
Word Origin:[fromH7065 (קָנָא - jealous)]
1. jealousy or envy
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
envyied, jealousy, zeal
Fromqana'; jealousy or envy -- envy(-ied), jealousy, X sake, zeal.
see HEBREWqana'
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitionardor, zeal, jealousy
NASB Translationanger (1), envy (1), jealousy (24), passion (1), rivalry (1), zeal (14).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(from colour produced in face by deep emotion); — absolute
Numbers 5:14 +; construct
Isaiah 9:6; suffix
Numbers 25:11 +, etc.; plural
Numbers 5:15,18,25,29; —
ardour of jealousy of husbandProverbs 6:34;Proverbs 27:4;jealous dispositionNumbers 5:14 (twice in verse);Numbers 5:30 (P); offering for jealousy,Numbers 5:15.18.25 (P);Numbers 5:29 (P); ofrivalryEcclesiastes 4:4;Ecclesiastes 9:6; Ephraim against JudahIsaiah 11:13;ardent love, ""Songs 8:6.
zeal:
Numbers 25:11 (twice in verse)(P)2 Kings 10:26; for the house ofPsalm 69:10.
, especially in battleIsaiah 42:13;Isaiah 63:15;Zechariah 1:14;Zechariah 8:2;Isaiah 59:17;Isaiah 9:6;Isaiah 37:32 =2 Kings 19:31.
anger:
Psalm 119:139;Job 5:2 ("" ),Proverbs 14:30 (opposed to ).
, ""Ezekiel 5:13;Ezekiel 16:38,42;Ezekiel 23:25;Ezekiel 36:6; ""Ezekiel 38:19; ""Deuteronomy 29:19;Ezekiel 35:11; +Isaiah 26:11;Ezekiel 36:5;Zephaniah 1:18;Zephaniah 3:8;Psalm 79:5;Ezekiel 8:3the anger-image provoking to anger; aloneEzekiel 8:5.
Topical Lexicon
Definition and Range of Meaningקִנְאָה (qinʾah) embraces ardor, zeal, passionate intensity, jealousy, or envy. Context determines whether the emotion is righteous or sinful, divine or human. The word appears about forty-four times, spanning Torah, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, and Prophets.
Divine Jealousy and Covenant Fidelity
God’s קִנְאָה is never capricious; it protects His covenant love and glory. When Israel bows to idols, the LORD responds with a consuming zeal that defends His holy name and restores His people to exclusive loyalty.
• “Phinehas … has turned My wrath away from the Israelites, because he was zealous with My zeal among them” (Numbers 25:11).
• “I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal” (Zechariah 1:14).
• “Thus says the LORD of Hosts: ‘I am exceedingly jealous for Zion; yes, with great wrath I am jealous for her’” (Zechariah 8:2).
This jealousy brings both judgment and restoration. InZephaniah 1:18 the day of the LORD’s wrath is “in the fire of His jealousy,” yetEzekiel 39:25 promises, “I will be jealous for My holy name” and regather Israel. Divine qinʾah guarantees covenant certainty.
Holy Zeal Displayed by God’s Servants
When humans mirror God’s righteous jealousy, קִנְאָה becomes a virtue.
• Phinehas (Numbers 25:11–13) channels divine jealousy, averting a plague and receiving a perpetual priesthood.
• Jehu declares, “Come with me and see my zeal for the LORD” (2 Kings 10:16), eradicating Baal worship.
• Elijah laments, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts” (1 Kings 19:10, 14), contrasting his fidelity with Israel’s apostasy.
Such zeal guards true worship and confronts compromise, yet it is always accountable to God’s revealed will, lest it devolve into fanaticism.
Sinful Human Jealousy and Envy
Unchecked קִנְאָה can be destructive envy or suspicion. Proverbs personifies it as rot to the bones (Proverbs 14:30) and as a ruthless adversary to love (Song of Songs 8:6). Isaiah warns that Ephraim’s jealousy toward Judah and Judah’s hostility toward Ephraim must cease for national healing (Isaiah 11:13). Carnal jealousy fractures relationships, foments violence (Ezekiel 35:11), and invites divine discipline.
Jealousy in Marital Law
Numbers 5:11–31 legislates the “ordeal of jealousy.” A husband overcome by qinʾah without evidence submits his wife to a priestly trial. This protects the woman from vigilante vengeance, placing the matter under divine adjudication: “If a spirit of jealousy comes over him and he becomes jealous of his wife” (Numbers 5:14, 30). The ritual underscores marriage as covenant and safeguards both partners through God-centered justice.
National and Eschatological Zeal
Qinʾah often accompanies prophetic visions of the end. Zephaniah, Ezekiel, Joel, and Nahum link the LORD’s jealousy to cosmic upheaval and final triumph.Isaiah 9:7 anchors messianic hope: “The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.” LikewiseIsaiah 37:32 affirms that Jerusalem’s preservation against Assyria springs from divine zeal. Eschatologically, God’s jealousy culminates in a renewed creation where His honor is uncontested.
Messianic Fulfillment
The Messiah’s ministry is propelled by קִנְאָה.Isaiah 59:17 pictures the Servant wearing “zeal as a cloak.” This anticipates Jesus Christ, whose cleansing of the temple recalls, “Zeal for Your house will consume Me” (John 2:17 quotingPsalm 69:9). The incarnate Son perfectly embodies divine jealousy, purifying worship and purchasing a people “eager to do good works” (compareTitus 2:14).
Practical and Ministry Implications
1. Worship Purity: Churches must guard corporate worship from idolatry, reflecting God’s jealous love for His glory.
2. Pastoral Zeal: Leaders imitate righteous qinʾah by contending for sound doctrine and holy living (see2 Corinthians 11:2, Greek zelos cognate).
3. Relational Integrity: Believers renounce envy, choosing contentment and love (James 3:14–18).
4. Covenant Faithfulness: Marriage and all covenants demand exclusivity, mirroring God’s jealous devotion.
5. Eschatological Hope: God’s zeal guarantees the consummation of His redemptive plan; therefore, believers labor with confidence, “knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Summary
קִנְאָה is a double-edged passion. In God it secures holiness and redemption; in the obedient it fuels courageous fidelity; in the flesh it corrodes community. Scripture’s forty-plus occurrences trace a consistent theme: the LORD’s jealous love both judges sin and saves sinners, urging His people to echo His holy zeal while rejecting selfish envy.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּקִנְאָתִ֔י בְּקִנְאָתִ֣י בְּקִנְאָתִֽי׃ בְּקַנְא֥וֹ בְקִנְאָתִ֤י בקנאו בקנאתי בקנאתי׃ הַקְּנָאֹ֑ת הַקִּנְאָ֥ה הקנאה הקנאת וְקִנְאָֽה׃ וְקִנְאָתוֹ֙ וּבְקִנְאָתִ֥י וּכְקִנְאָ֣תְךָ֔ ובקנאתי וכקנאתך וקנאה׃ וקנאתו קְנָאֹ֖ת קְנָאֹת֙ קִנְאַ֛ת קִנְאַ֣ת קִנְאַת־ קִנְאָ֑ה קִנְאָ֖ה קִנְאָ֛ה קִנְאָ֣ה קִנְאָ֥ה קִנְאָֽה׃ קִנְאָֽתְךָ֙ קִנְאָה֙ קִנְאָת֔וֹ קִנְאָתִ֑י קִנְאָתִ֔י קִנְאָתִ֖י קִנְאָתִ֜י קִנְאָתִ֥י קִנְאָתֶֽךָ׃ קִנְאָתָ֖ם קנאה קנאה׃ קנאת קנאת־ קנאתו קנאתי קנאתך קנאתך׃ קנאתם bə·qan·’ōw bə·qin·’ā·ṯî ḇə·qin·’ā·ṯî bekanO bekinaTi bəqan’ōw bəqin’āṯî ḇəqin’āṯî hakkenaOt hakkinAh haq·qə·nā·’ōṯ haq·qin·’āh haqqənā’ōṯ haqqin’āh kenaOt kinAh kinAt kinaTam kinaTecha kinaTi kinaTo qə·nā·’ōṯ qənā’ōṯ qin’āh qin’aṯ qin’aṯ- qin’āṯām qin’āṯeḵā qin’āṯəḵā qin’āṯî qin’āṯōw qin·’ā·ṯām qin·’ā·ṯe·ḵā qin·’ā·ṯə·ḵā qin·’ā·ṯî qin·’ā·ṯōw qin·’āh qin·’aṯ qin·’aṯ- ū·ḇə·qin·’ā·ṯî ū·ḵə·qin·’ā·ṯə·ḵā ūḇəqin’āṯî uchekinAtecha ūḵəqin’āṯəḵā uvekinaTi vekinAh vekinaTi vekinaTo wə·qin·’ā·ṯōw wə·qin·’āh wəqin’āh wəqin’āṯōw
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