22. Envy. Zeal. Emulation. Jealousy

 
Both ζῆλος and φθόνος are translated 'envy,' but they are not used indiscriminately. Ζῆλος is sometimes used in a good and sometimes in a bad sense, whereas φθόνος is perhaps always used in a bad sense in the New Testament.
Ζῆλος is used of the Lord in "The ‘zeal' of thine house hath eaten me up," John 2:1717And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up. (John 2:17): a quotation from Psalm 69:99For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me. (Psalm 69:9) (68:10), where the LXX has the same word. Paul speaks to the Corinthian saints of the ‘zeal' ('fervent mind' A. V.) they had for him, and the ‘zeal' they manifested in clearing themselves from the evil amongst them. 2 Cor. 7:7, 117And not by his coming only, but by the consolation wherewith he was comforted in you, when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your fervent mind toward me; so that I rejoiced the more. (2 Corinthians 7:7)
11For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. (2 Corinthians 7:11). Afterward he says he was jealous (ζηλόω, the verb) over them with a godly jealousy (ζῆ.), chap. 11:2; but in chap. 12:20, he uses the same word for the ‘envyings' or ‘jealousies' he feared he might find among them.
Above it is said, ‘perhaps' φθόνος always has a bad sense in the N. T. because of Jas. 4:55Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? (James 4:5). This is a difficult passage, and has been variously translated. Apparently the A. V. and R. V. assume the ‘spirit' to be the human spirit, which naturally lusteth to envy; but others believe the spirit to be the Holy Spirit, and if so, may not the sense be, as given by Bengel, "Does the Spirit, which has taken up his dwelling in us, lust enviously?" This latter interpretation is in all probability the right one.