Forms & Origin:  Contracted ze-LO-, future ze-LO-so-, from ZE-los (2205), zeal.

Definitions:

1. To be zealous, filled with zeal, zealously affected, whether in a good or bad sense;
2. to make a show of zeal, to profess affection in order to gain someone as a follower;
3. to desire zealously;
4. to be jealous over someone in a good sense, to love;
5. to envy, be moved with envy.

References:

1. Acts 17:5; Gal. 4:17,8; Rev. 3:19;
2. Gal. 4:17;
3. 1 Cor. 12:31; 14:1,39; Sept.: Prov. 3:31;
4. 2 Cor. 11:2; Sept.: 2 Sam. 21:2; Prov 24:1;
5. Acts 7:9; James 4:2

2 Sam. 21:10-- (Now the Gibeonites were not a part of Israel but were survivors of the Amorites; the Israelites had sworn to spare them, but Saul in his zeal for Israel and Judah had tried to annihilate them.) (NIV)

Proverbs 3:31-2-- Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways, 32 for the LORD detests a perverse man but takes the upright into his confidence.

Prov. 24:1-2-- Do not envy wicked men, do not desire their company; 3 for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about making trouble. (NIV)

Acts 7:9-- Because the patriarchs were jealous (ze-LO-santes) of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt.

Gal. 4:17-- Those people are zealous (ze-LOUsin) to win you over, but for no good. What they want is to alienate you from us, so that you may be zealous (ze-LOUte) for them. (NIV)

1 Cor. 12:31-- But eagerly desire (ze-LOUte) the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way. (NIV)

1 Cor. 14:1ff-- Follow the way of love (te-n aGApe-n) and eagerly desire (ze-LOUte) spiritual gifts, especially prophecy ... [E]veryone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening (oikodoME-N), encouragement (paRAkle-sin), and comfort (paramyTHIan).

2 Cor. 11:2-- I am jealous (ze-LO-) for you with a godly jealousy (theOU ZE-lo-). I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure (hagNE-N) virgin to him.
Alt.:--I am jealous for you, just as God is; you are like a pure virgin whom I have promised in marriage to one man only, Christ himself. 3 I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted ... (TEV)

Gal. 4:18-- It is fine (kaLON) to be zealous (ze-LOUSthai), provided the purpose is good, and to be so always and not just when I am with you. (NIV)
Alt.:-- 18 Now it is honorable to be ardently devoted to a good cause ... (Emphatic Diaglott)

Forms & Origin:  Genitive ZE-lou, masculine noun from ZEo-, to be hot, fervent.

Definitions:

1. Zeal, used in a good sense.
2. More often in an evil sense, meaning envy, jealousy, anger.
3. Joined together with Eris (2054), contention.

Unlike PHTHOnos (5355), envy, when used in a good sense, ZE-los signifies the honorable emulation with the consequent imitation of that which presents itself to the mind's eye as excellent. According to Aristotle, ZE-los grieves, not because another has the good, but that he himself does not have it and seeks to supply the deficiency in himself. However, ZE-los may degenerate into a jealousy which makes war upon the good it sees in another, thus troubling that good and diminishing it. This is why we find ZE-los together with Eris (2054), contention.

References:

1. John 2:17; Rom. 10:2; 2 Cor. 7:7,11; 11:2; Col. 4:13; Septuagint: Ps. 69:9; 119:139.
2. Acts 5:17; 13:45; Rom. 13:13; 1 Cor. 3:3; Gal. 5:20; Phil. 3:6; Heb. 10:27, "fiery wrath"; James 3:14, 16; Septuagint: Zeph. 1:18; 3:8.
3. Rom. 13:13; 2 Cor. 12:20; Gal. 5:20.

Rom. 10:2-- For I can testify about them [the Israelites] that they are zealous (ZE-lon) for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. (NIV)
Alt.:--zealous for God, though their zeal is unenlightened. (NAB)

Forms & Origin:  Genitive ze-lo-TOU, masculine noun from ze-LOo- (2206), to be zealous.

Definitions:

1. A zealot, one zealous for or eagerly desirous of something.
2. The earnest supporters of ancient Jewish law and institutions were described as zealots.
3. At the time of Christ, the name "Zealots" was applied to a party among the Jews, half religious, half political, founded by Judas the Galilean. These undertook to punish without trial those guilty of violating Jewish practices, under which pretext they themselves committed the greatest excesses of crime.

References:

1. 1 Cor. 14:12; Titus 2:14.
2. Acts 21:20; 22:3; Gal. 1:14 [cf. Num. 25:13].
3. Acts 5:37.

Num. 25:10-13-- The LORD said to Moses, 11 "Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them. 12 Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. 13 He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites." (NIV)

Gal. 1:14-- I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age and was extremely zealous (ze-lo-TE-s) for the traditions of my fathers. (NIV)

Forms and Origin: gen. philargyRIas, fem. noun from philARgyros (5366), a lover of money.

Definition: The love of money.

Jer. 8:10-- Therefore, I will give their [Israel's] wives to strangers, their fields to spoilers. Small and great alike, all are greedy for gain, prophet and priest, all practice fraud. (NAB)
Alt.:-- ... each one is making unjust gain; ... (NWT)
Alt.:-- ... every one is greedy for unjust gain; ... (RSV)
Alt.:-- ... Everyone, great and small, tries to make money dishonestly. Even prophets and priests cheat the people. (TEV)

Forms and Origin:  genitive aphilarGYrou, masculine-feminine, neuter aphilARgyron, adjective from the privative a, without, and philARgyros (5366), lover of money.

Definition: Not fond of money or covetous.

Envy (noun)

Origin:  Middle English envy, envie; Old French envie; Spanish envidia; Latin invidia, hatred or ill will, from invidere, to look askance at; in, in, upon, and videre, to look, see.

Definitions:

1. Uneasiness, mortification, or discontent at the sight of another's superiority or success, accompanied with some degree of hatred or malignity, and often or usually with a desire to depreciate the person envied; often followed by of.
2. An object of envy; as, he is the envy of all who know him.

Envy (verb)

Definitions:

1. To feel envy toward; to look upon with envy; to hate (another) for excellence or superiority in any way, and to be desirous of acquiring it; as, to envy a wealthy man.
2. To feel envy on account of; to look grudgingly upon, as the advantages possessed by another; to regard with a covetous spirit; as, he envies your superior knowledge; they envy his advancement.

Jealous

Origin:  Middle English jelous, gelous; Old French jalous, from Late Latin zelosus, full of zeal, from Latin zelus; Greek zelos, zeal, emulation.

Definitions:

1. Suspicious; apprehensive of rivalry; uneasy through fear that another has withdrawn or may withdraw from one the affections of a person he loves, or enjoys some good which he desires to obtain; followed by of, and applied both to the object of love and to the rival.
2. Careful in protecting; watchful; solicitous; as, jealous of one's reputation.
3. Zealous; commonly with for.

Syn: Envious, covetous, invidious, suspicious.

Zeal

Origin:  French zele; Latin zelus, zeal, from Greek zelos, zeal, ardor, fervor, lit., heat, from zeein, to boil.

Definitions:

1. Passionate ardor for any person or cause; intense and eager pursuit or endeavor; an eagerness of desire to attain or accomplish some object, which may be manifested either in favor of or in opposition to any person or thing, and in a good or bad cause; earnestness; enthusiasm; ardor; fervency.

Matthew Henry:  Charity suppresses envy: It envieth not; it is not grieved at the good of others; neither at their gifts nor at their good qualities, their honours nor their estates. If we love our neighbour we shall be so far from envying his welfare, or being displeased with it, that we shall share in it and rejoice at it. His bliss and sanctification will be an addition to ours, instead of impairing or lessening it. This is the proper effect of kindness and benevolence: envy is the effect of ill-will. The prosperity of those to whom we wish well can never grieve us; and the mind which is bent on doing good to all can never wish ill to any.

Robertson's Word Studies:  {Envieth not} (ou zeloi). Present active indicative of zelow (contraction oei=oi, same as subjunctive and optative forms). Bad sense of zelos from zew, to boil, good sense in #12:31. Love is neither jealous nor envious (both ideas).

Mark Heber Miller:  Love is not (being) jealous.

The Greek for "jealous" is ZELOI and the phrase is variously rendered: KJV: envieth not; WMS: never boils with jealousy; TCNT: love is never envious. One can see the English word "zeal" in the Greek. There is a good jealousy (John 2:17; 2 Corinthians 11:2) and there is bad jealousy. (Romans 13:13; 1 Corinthians 3:3) Often when the subject is the bad form of ZELOS then translators use the word "envy." When it is good, it is "zeal." But, zeal can be misdirected or wrongly motivated.

This may be illustrated two ways: there are three friends but one becomes overly zealous (jealous) in this friendship and begins to speak unkindly against one of the others. The jealous one seeks a singular and unique friendship which closes out all others. Also, jealousy may manifest itself in greed or envy. Here the jealous person covets what another has: beauty, riches, intelligence, social standing, or spiritual status. This jealousy always manifests itself in gossip, slander, or hard-hearted coldness.

Proper jealousy may be illustrated by a wife or husband’s insistence on exclusivity in matters of romance or intimacy. (Proverbs 6:32-34) This is a proper jealousy which is an insistence on exclusive devotion. It is not petty and over-bearing so that the mate may have no friends because of the other mate’s jealousy.

Jealousy and envy are exceedingly dangerous and corrosive. (Proverbs 14:30) Proverbs 27:4 warns, "There is the cruelty of rage, also the flood of anger, but who can stand before jealousy?" This may be illustrated: a flood may not move a giant boulder but water dripping incessantly will wear it away. Just so, a godly man may be able to withstand great attacks but the subtle and veiled Chinese water torture of jealous slander may take its toll. This is what happened to Moses who spoke without faith because he was provoked by the jealousy of others . (Psalm 106:32, 33)

If we remember that if we are ever moved to speak unkindly, even evilly in slander of another, it is probably jealousy or envy which motivates us.

Bill Turner:  Love is not envious. "Ou zeloi."

"Zeloi" is the present active indicative of "zeloo," from "zeo," to boil. Paul here warns us that love does not boil with envy or jealousy. The present tense shows the permanent lack of envy and jealousy in the soul of the Christian who is motivated by "agape" love. The noun "zelos" is used in a good sense of the noble aspiration, and godly zeal and ardour of our Lord in Jn.2v17.. The verb "zeloo" is also used in a good sense in 1Cor.12v31., where Paul exhorts us to covet spiritual gifts, but he does not want us to manifest the envious begrudging spirit that is part and parcel of worldly covetousness. Love recognises the various ministries of Christ's Church, it is not jealous of what God gives to others. 1Cor.12v4-6. Rom.12v4. Gal.5v19-21. Acts.13v44,45. Love never boils with jealousy.

The Theologian: The Internet Journal for Integrated Theology:  Ou zeloi. This may refer to some sort of proselytism/competition between factions along the lines of Galatians 4:17-18, or it may refer to the covetousness stirred up by excessive talk about charismata.

BT Internet:  zhlow, be jealous of

'Burn with envy.'