Bible Study The Nuances Between "Envy", "Jealousy" and "Covetousness"

[Carry_Your_Name]

All three are biblical concepts describing a feeling of discontentment, they are often used interchangeably, but there're critical nuances that set them apart, especially in the biblical context.

Envy is the most general term for desiring what other people have which you don't have and you've never had. It is one of the seven deadly sins, it often results in a feeling of interiority of self, resentment toward others and/or sour grapes mentality, which is a form of self deception by denigrating what's not attainable to you. When Leah had popped out several kids while Rachel was barren, Rachel resented Leah and pitied herself, that's envy.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself; (1 Cor. 13:4)
Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Gal. 5:26)
if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. (James. 3:13)

Jealousy, on the other hand, is desiring what other people have which you've lost or you could've had, which means unlike envy, it IS attainable to you. It's usually used exclusively in the context of relationship to describe the fear, grief, anger or just suspicion of losing your partner's loyalty, it's a sense of insecurity. In the examples below, what's being desired is an exclusive relationship with God, God is being jealous when his people worship another deity, Jews are being jealous when God's grace is extended to the Gentiles.

You shall not make for yourself a carved image ... you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God ... (Ex. 20:5)
I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! (Rom. 11:11-12)

Covetousness is the most dangerous of the three, the desire for what other people have is also coupled with the malicious intention of depriving what other people have. Envy and jealousy can sometimes turn into movitation or inspiration - your buddy buys a new iPhone, you buy one as well; your buddy gets a bonus, you work hard for a bonus; your buddy has a nice girlfriend, you begin to seek a girlfriend even if she may not be as nice as his, that's actually the kind of motivation Paul wished for the Jews in Rom. 11:11-12. However, when you covet what your buddy has, you'd hate him, delegitimize how he acquired it and plot to steal HIS iPhone, bonus or girlfriend from him. This deprivation is the context of commandments 6 to 10 - stealing is depriving your neighbor's possession; murder, life; adultery, spouse; false witness, reputation; as the last commandment, "you shall not covet" concludes all. Covetousness is the essence of socialism - desiring what belongs to other people and intending to take from them, "exploitation of workers" is a false charge, "equality" is false justification.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s. (Ex. 20:17)
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet. (Rom. 7:7)

 

[JLB]

All three are biblical concepts describing a feeling of discontentment, they are often used interchangeably, but there're critical nuances that set them apart, especially in the biblical context.

Envy is the most general term for desiring what other people have which you don't have and you've never had. It is one of the seven deadly sins, it often results in a feeling of interiority of self, resentment toward others and/or sour grapes mentality, which is a form of self deception by denigrating what's not attainable to you. When Leah had popped out several kids while Rachel was barren, Rachel resented Leah and pitied herself, that's envy.

Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself; (1 Cor. 13:4)
Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Gal. 5:26)
if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. (James. 3:13)

Jealousy, on the other hand, is desiring what other people have which you've lost or you could've had, which means unlike envy, it IS attainable to you. It's usually used exclusively in the context of relationship to describe the fear, grief, anger or just suspicion of losing your partner's loyalty, it's a sense of insecurity. In the examples below, what's being desired is an exclusive relationship with God, God is being jealous when his people worship another deity, Jews are being jealous when God's grace is extended to the Gentiles.

You shall not make for yourself a carved image ... you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God ... (Ex. 20:5)
I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! (Rom. 11:11-12)

Covetousness is the most dangerous of the three, the desire for what other people have is also coupled with the malicious intention of depriving what other people have. Envy and jealousy can sometimes turn into movitation or inspiration - your buddy buys a new iPhone, you buy one as well; your buddy gets a bonus, you work hard for a bonus; your buddy has a nice girlfriend, you begin to seek a girlfriend even if she may not be as nice as his, that's actually the kind of motivation Paul wished for the Jews in Rom. 11:11-12. However, when you covet what your buddy has, you'd hate him, delegitimize how he acquired it and plot to steal HIS iPhone, bonus or girlfriend from him. This deprivation is the context of commandments 6 to 10 - stealing is depriving your neighbor's possession; murder, life; adultery, spouse; false witness, reputation; as the last commandment, "you shall not covet" concludes all. Covetousness is the essence of socialism - desiring what belongs to other people and intending to take from them, "exploitation of workers" is a false charge, "equality" is false justification.

You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s. (Ex. 20:17)
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet. (Rom. 7:7)

Most don’t understand that Coveteousness is as idolatry.

Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. Because of these things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, Colossians

It is subtle and dangerous with the result of being cast into the lake of fire if not repented of and overcome.

He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Revelation 21:7-8