ζῆλος G2205
Jealousy or envious rivalry; zeal, passionate devotion; fury, fiery indignation.
The Greek noun zelos holds a remarkable tension at its heart: the same burning intensity that fuels righteous devotion can curdle into destructive envy. When Jesus cleanses the temple, his disciples remember 'Zeal for your house will consume me' (John 2:17) — a holy fire. But when the Sadducees move against the apostles, they are 'filled with jealousy' (Acts 5:17) — the same Greek word now naming a possessive rage. Spanish celo and French zele mirror this ambiguity perfectly, while German Eifer similarly hovers between admirable eagerness and suspicious jealousy. Paul navigates both edges: he commends the Corinthians' zelos as godly earnestness (2 Cor 7:11) and warns against zelos as the party-spirit tearing them apart (1 Cor 3:3). In Hebrews 10:27, the word reaches its terrifying extreme — the 'fury of fire' reserved for judgment.
Senses
1. jealousy — Jealousy, envy, or rivalrous resentment — the negative pole of passionate intensity directed against another's advantage or perceived threat. This sense (9 occurrences) appears when the Sadducees are 'filled with jealousy' against the apostles (Acts 5:17), when Jews in Antioch are 'filled with jealousy' at Paul's success (Acts 13:45), and when Paul lists jealousy alongside quarreling and strife as marks of worldly Corinth (Rom 13:13; 1 Cor 3:3). Spanish celos, Arabic غيرة, and Korean 시기 all deploy specifically negative jealousy terms here. Paul's 'godly jealousy' for the Corinthians (2 Cor 11:2) uses the same word but reclaims it for covenantal protectiveness. 9×
AR["الغَيرَةُ", "بِغَيْرَةِ", "حَسَدٍ", "غَيرَةً", "غَيْرَةٌ", "غَيْرَةٍ"]·ben["ঈর্ষা", "ঈর্ষা,", "ঈর্ষায়", "ঈর্ষায়।"]·DE["Eifer", "ζήλου"]·EN["jealousy", "with-jealousy"]·FR["zèle"]·heb["קִנְאָה"]·HI["ईर्ष्या", "ईर्ष्या-में", "जलन", "जलन,", "जलन-से"]·ID["iri-hati", "iri-hati.", "kecemburuan", "kecemburuan,"]·IT["zelo"]·jav["cemburu.", "drengki", "drengki,", "iri", "keri", "meri,"]·KO["시기", "시기,", "시기-로", "시기-와", "시기를", "질투", "질투로", "질투와"]·PT["ciúme", "ciúme.", "com-zelo", "de-inveja,"]·RU["зависть", "ревности", "ревность", "ревностью"]·ES["celo", "celos", "con-celo", "de-celo", "de-celos"]·SW["wivu", "wivu,", "wivu-mkali", "wivu.", "wivu;"]·TR["gayretiyle", "kıskançlık", "kıskançlıkla", "kıskançlıkta", "ve-"]·urd["جلن", "جلن-سے", "حسد", "حسد-میں", "غیرت-سے"]
2. zeal — Zeal, ardent devotion, or passionate commitment — the positive pole of the same emotional intensity, now directed toward God, a cause, or a community. Six occurrences carry this warmer sense: the disciples' memory of Psalm 69:9 ('Zeal for your house,' John 2:17), Israel's misdirected but genuine 'zeal for God' (Rom 10:2), and the Corinthians' zealous eagerness to support Paul's collection (2 Cor 7:7, 7:11, 9:2). Spanish celo, French zele, and German Eifer remain identical to sense 1, but Arabic حمية and Korean 열심 shift toward positive ardor, confirming the semantic distinction. 6×
AR["الغَيْرَةِ", "غَيرَةً", "غَيرَتَكُمْ", "غَيرَتُكُمْ", "غَيْرَةً", "غَيْرَةُ"]·ben["উদ্যম", "উদ্যম,", "উদ্যমের"]·DE["Eifer"]·EN["zeal"]·FR["zèle"]·heb["קִנְאָה", "קִנְאָה,"]·HI["उत्साह", "जलन", "जोश", "जोश,", "जोश-ने"]·ID["Cemburu", "semangat"]·IT["zelo", "zelos"]·jav["gregetan", "semangat", "semu"]·KO["열심,", "열심을", "열심이"]·PT["o-zelo", "zelo"]·RU["Ревность", "ревности", "ревность"]·ES["celo"]·SW["bidii", "bidii,"]·TR["ama-", "gayret", "gayrete", "gayretim", "gayretiniz", "sizin"]·urd["جوش", "جوش-نے", "غیرت"]
3. fury — Fury, fiery indignation, or wrathful intensity — the extreme end of the emotional spectrum, used of divine judgment. A single but powerful occurrence in Hebrews 10:27 describes 'a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries,' where zelos intensifies the already terrifying image of eschatological judgment. Spanish ardor, Arabic غضب (wrath), and Korean 맹렬한 (fierce) all abandon the jealousy/zeal vocabulary for language of raw destructive force, marking this as a distinct semantic peak beyond ordinary rivalry or devotion. 1×
AR["غَيْرَة"]·ben["আগ্রহ"]·DE["Eifer"]·EN["fury"]·FR["zèle"]·heb["אֵשׁ"]·HI["जलन"]·ID["kecemburuan"]·IT["zelo"]·jav["murub"]·KO["질투가"]·PT["ardor"]·RU["ревность"]·ES["ardor"]·SW["kisasi"]·TR["gayreti"]·urd["جوش"]
Related Senses
G2309 1. want, desire (166×)G0025 1. to love actively (133×)H0157 1. love (verb, active Qal) (129×)H8055 1. Qal: rejoice, be glad (123×)H7453 1. neighbor, fellow man (120×)G0026 1. of love (115×)H1058 1. Qal: to weep, cry (112×)H0954 1. to be ashamed, feel shame (Qal) (95×)H8057 1. joy, gladness, delight (90×)H2781 1. disgrace, shame, dishonor (68×)G2307 1. will, desire, purpose (63×)G5463 1. rejoice, be glad (63×)G0027 1. beloved (61×)H8130 1. Qal: to hate, detest (60×)G5479 1. (59×)G1680 1. (53×)H8130 2. Qal ptcp: hater, enemy (53×)H0014 1. be willing, want (51×)H0157 2. lover, friend (Qal participle substantive) (51×)H1945 1. woe (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
ζῆλος, ου, ὁ, later εος, τό, NT codices optative; Doric dialect ζᾶλος Refs:— jealousy (= φθόνος), Refs 8th c.BC+: more usually in good sense, eager rivalry, emulation, Refs 4th c.BC+ __2 with genitive person, zeal for one, ξυναίμων Refs 5th c.BC+; κατὰ ζῆλον Ἡρακλέους in emulation of him, Refs 1st c.AD+: absolutely, passion, Refs 2nd c.BC+ __3 with genitive of things, ζῆλον.. γάμων ἔχουσα causing…