H7067 H7067
Jealous — used exclusively of God, expressing His demand for undivided devotion and loyalty.
An adjective reserved entirely for describing God's character, appearing six times in the Torah. Unlike human jealousy driven by insecurity, divine jealousy (qanna) expresses the righteous insistence of a covenant Lord that His people give Him exclusive worship. The word first thunders from Sinai in the second commandment (Exod 20:5; Deut 5:9), warning that God visits iniquity on those who hate Him. Strikingly, Exodus 34:14 declares that 'Jealous' is actually God's name — qanna shemo — making this attribute not merely a description but an identity.
Senses
1. jealous — Jealous, zealous — describing God's passionate insistence on exclusive covenant loyalty, brooking no rival in worship. Spanish 'celoso' and French 'jaloux' both carry the relational intensity of the term. Appears only as a divine attribute: in the Decalogue's prohibition of idolatry (Exod 20:5; Deut 5:9), in the covenant renewal where God's very name is declared 'Jealous' (Exod 34:14), and in Moses' warnings that God is a consuming fire demanding exclusive devotion (Deut 4:24; 6:15). The theological weight of the word lies in its covenantal framework — God's jealousy is not petty but protective of a relationship He initiated. 6×
AR["غَيورٌ", "غَيُورًا", "غَيُورٌ"]·ben["ঈর্ষান্বিত", "ঘৃণাকারী"]·DE["Jealous", "eifersuechtig"]·EN["Jealous", "jealous"]·FR["Jaloux", "jaloux", "jealous"]·heb["קנא"]·HI["जलन", "जलन-वाला"]·ID["Cemburu", "cemburu", "yang-cemburu"]·IT["Jealous", "geloso", "jealous"]·jav["Ingkang-Butarepan", "cemburuan", "ingkang-cemburu"]·KO["질투하는", "질투하시는"]·PT["Zeloso", "zeloso"]·RU["Ревнитель", "ревнивый"]·ES["celoso"]·SW["Mwenye-wivu", "mwenye-wivu"]·TR["Kıskanç", "kıskanç"]·urd["غیور"]
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
† קַנָּא adj. jealous;—only of God: אֵל קַנָּא Ex 20:5 (E) = Dt 5:9 (as punishing those who hate him), Ex 34:14 (J); Dt 4:24; 6:15 (demanding exclusive service); קַנָּא שְׁמוֹ Ex 34:14 (J).