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[Morbid]

Why is God a jealous God?

[jimwalton]

Jealousy has more than one definition. Jealousy can be a possessive kind of neurosis (or even psychosis), but it can also be the proper expression of a proprietary right (that item rightly belongs to me). Jealousy can be bad when it's just an expression of stalking, protecting the petty, or an expression of self-centeredness. That's obviously the wrong kind of jealousy. A jealousy that comes from a concern for another's wellbeing or to protect a relationship of value, however, is appropriate. Jealousy can be a vice (Gal. 5.20), but it can also be a virtue (2 Cor. 11.2).

When the Bible says God is jealous, it means that God has a right to His people, whom He loves, and He has every right to protect them and to do whatever it takes to keep that person in relationship with Him. In the same sense that a husband or wife can be jealous over their spouse whom they suspect might be fooling around with another, this is the good and right kind of jealousy. A husband who doesn't get jealous when others flirt with his wife—when an illegitimate intruder threatens to ruin the relationship—isn’t all that committed to the marriage. Outrage, pain, anguish, and action are the appropriate responses. Our relationship has value to God, and He has every right to preserve it as well as to fight for us when it seems that we might be straying from the relationship.

When the Bible says "love is not jealous" in 1 Cor. 13.4, it is talking about an unhealthy fixation. It's a self-oriented fear that someone will get more, or that he/she will be repacked or diminished. 1 Cor. 13.4 actually uses the word "envy," which carries with it the desire to destroy or deprive another of the good things they have. More than desiring to possess, it becomes an insatiable desire to rob the envied person of the qualities or possessions that person has. This is not like God at all.

"Zealous" would probably be a better translation most of the time when "jealous" is used of God. It's an expression of God's care, not of any emotional inappropriateness.

[Nut Planters]

> "Zealous" would probably be a better translation most of the time when "jealous" is used of God. It's an expression of God's care, not of any emotional inappropriateness.

No. It is translated correctly. Please stop confusing people by questioning the language of the Bible.

Webster 1828: "Suspicious; apprehensive of rivalship; uneasy through fear that another has withdrawn or may withdraw from one the affections of a person he loves, or enjoy some good which he desires to obtain; followed by of, and applied both to the object of love and to the rival."

[jimwalton]

I'm not confusing people, but going for honesty and accuracy. The Hebrew term is אֵל קַנָּא, and it means "jealous" in terms of demanding exclusive service. The translators of the LXX used the Greek term Ζηλωτής, which you'll recognize as "zealous." The Greek term means a zealous follower, or someone eager to do what he is doing.

In the OT, "jealous" is an expression of proprietary right with exclusivistic implications. It pertains to the protection and preservation of something that derives from a relationship and has value. It comes with a sense of entitlement based on a claim of either ownership or loyalty. YHWH is not jealous of other gods, but instead of the worship given to them (Ps. 78.58). His entitlement, by virtue of the covenant, is to the loyalty of His people.

It was Alan Cole, in his commentary on Exodus, who said, " 'Zealous' might be a better translation in modern English, since 'jealousy' has acquired an exclusively bad meaning. Jealousy does not refer to an emotion so much as to an activity that springs from the rupture of a personal bond as exclusive as the marriage bond. It is not as much intolerance as it is exclusiveness."

Brevard Childs, in his commentary on Exodus, also uses the term "zealous" to explain the concept being expressed: "The parallel passages show this formula to be connected with the worship of false gods. In the OT Yahweh’s zeal is very closely related to his holiness (Josh. 24.19). He will not tolerate reverence due to him being ascribed to another, but his zeal as his holiness burns like a 'devouring fire.' "

Keil & Delitzsch also use the term "zealous" in their explanation: "Not only a zealous avenger of sinners but also a jealous God who will not transfer to another the honor that is due to Himself, nor tolerate the worship of any other god."

Paul Copan says the term is protective, not petty.

John Calvin likens God's jealousy to the noble character of a husband in his quest to keep the relationship unimpaired.

I don't really care what Webster says. The Bible uses "jealousy" for God in a way that it explains to us. Webster's definition includes the negative definitions of jealousy as well as the good ones. The Bible uses "jealousy" of God only in a noble sense, not a petty, fearful, or inappropriate sense (like the vice of jealousy in Gal. 5.20).

[Morbid]

So this would actually mean that Deuteronomy 13 is actually saying that when He bans us from idolatry to other gods, He's protecting what's His lest it strays away from Him?

Really good explanation though. I was pondering about the level of activeness that one must partake – 13:9, why the severity.
I'm sorry, I'm not trying to question if God is good. I know He is. I don't understand that in the process of believing Him, one must pro actively deny people who are trying to entice them in another belief system?

Is killing therefore justified when done in defence of your faith? How does that separate me from the terrorist, who does it as a ritual?
I'm trying to understand who my God is. What characteristics does He have, I have known Him as a father. Not what is portrayed in OT.

[jimwalton]

> So this would actually mean that Deuteronomy 13 is actually saying that when He bans us from idolatry to other gods, He's protecting what's His lest it strays away from Him?

Yes. YHWH is not jealous of other gods, but instead of the worship given to them (Ps. 78.58). It's an expression of proprietary rights based on His relationship. He's trying to protect the relationship to which He has the exclusive rights. It is not as much intolerance as it is exclusiveness.

> I was pondering about the level of activeness that one must partake – 13:9, why the severity.

If there really is a God, then that has immense implications for life and eternity. Honestly, if there really is a God, there is nothing more important than discovering that truth and living in it. (If there really is no God, that has tremendous implications for life also!) But if there really is a God, and our lives and eternal destiny depend on finding that truth and living in it, then deceit about God is the worst possible offense, worse than murder, rape, cancer, torture, or anything else (as horrific as those things are). Idolatry, then, has *eternal* implications, and the truth about God must be protected seriously at all costs.

> Is killing therefore justified when done in defence of your faith?

No, we don't do this any more, though the eternal stakes are just as critical. That teaching was for Israel under their theocracy; it went belly-up when the Temple was destroyed. Killing is no longer justified in defense of our faith; we live under a different covenant (the covenant of Jesus's sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection).

> I have known Him as a father. Not what is portrayed in OT.

The OT consistently portrays YHWH as Father. Mother bears kill those who threaten their young. The OT portrays YHWH as having overwhelming compassion, unending love, and deep care for His children. Anyone who threatens that has to face "mother bear." When you were young, you expected your parents to protect you, and if someone messed with you, they had to face your mama. That's what's happening here. God's care is so strong and so deep and if anyone threatens his "babies"—His people who are the sheep of his pasture—He has no qualms about using severity against the perpetrators. It's His love that motivates Him.

[70s Jill]

I like your explanation. In simpler terms, imagine a vassal state owing allegiance to Assyria cosying up to Egypt. The Assyrian king would have reason to be "jealous" and more often than not, the vassal state would be really foolish.

[jimwalton]

That's a good perspective. There is much about Israel's relationship with God that is similar to a vassal state and its suzerain.

[Morbid]

Totally makes sense. No wonder it is the top commandment. The eternal implications..

Great perspective in explaining. thanks so much.

[Mother of all]

Answers like these are the ones that tear down biblical misunderstandings for good. If every “falsehood” of the Bible was explained in the same way as this answer above, I believe the majority or the world would come to faith.

I will always hold that the Bible is in no way false; it is simply misunderstood.