H7072 H7072
jealous (of God); zealous, demanding exclusive loyalty
This adjective describes God's jealous nature—his intense demand for exclusive worship and loyalty from his people. In Joshua 24:19, the people are warned that Yahweh is a jealous God who will not tolerate their serving other gods. Nahum 1:2 pairs this quality with vengeance, depicting God's passionate defense of his honor. Divine jealousy isn't petty envy but righteous zeal for covenant faithfulness, an unwillingness to share the affections due to him alone.
Senses
1. sense 1 — All major translations consistently render this as 'jealous' when describing God. The German 'eifersüchtig' and Spanish 'celoso' capture the intensity of God's demand for exclusive devotion. Both passages (Joshua 24:19 and Nahum 1:2) present this as a warning—God's jealousy is linked to his holiness and his determination to punish covenant betrayal. The parallel with 'avenging' in Nahum underscores the protective rather than envious nature of this jealousy. 2×
AR["غَيُورٌ", "قَنَّا"]·ben["ঘৃণাশীল", "লো"]·DE["[קנוא]", "eifersuechtig"]·EN["jealous"]·FR["jealous", "zélé"]·heb["קנא"]·HI["जलन-वाला"]·ID["cemburu"]·IT["geloso", "jealous"]·jav["cemèri", "kang-cemburuan"]·KO["질투하시고", "질투하시는"]·PT["zeloso"]·RU["ревнивый"]·ES["celoso"]·SW["mwenye-wivu", "wa-wivu"]·TR["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
† קַנּוֹא adj. id.;—אֵל קַנּוֹא Jos 24:19 (E) (cf. Dt 6:15 supr.), Nah 1:2 (‖ נֹקֵם).