Envy

Passages on this topic

From Nave’s Topical Bible (1896), a historical reference index. The groupings are Nave’s; the verses are shown in the text used across this site.

General scriptures concerning

• Job 5:2–3 For resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple. I have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed.
• Psalm 37:1 Of David. Do not fret over those who do evil; do not envy those who do wrong.
• Psalm 37:7 Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men prosper in their ways, when they carry out wicked schemes.
• Psalm 49:16 Do not be afraid when a man grows rich, when the splendor of his house increases.
• Psalm 73:3 For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
• Psalm 73:17–20 until I entered God’s sanctuary; then I discerned their end. Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin. How suddenly they are laid waste, completely swept away by terrors! Like one waking from a dream, so You, O Lord, awaken and despise their form.
• Psalm 112:10 The wicked man will see and be grieved; he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the desires of the wicked will perish.
• Proverbs 3:31 Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways;
• Proverbs 14:30 A tranquil heart is life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
• Proverbs 23:17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, but always continue in the fear of the LORD.

Instances of

Cain, of Abel

• Genesis 4:4–8 while Abel brought the best portions of the firstborn of his flock. And the LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but He had no regard for Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell. “Why are you angry,” said the LORD to Cain, “and why has your countenance…

Sarah, of Hagar

• Genesis 16:5–6 Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.” “Here,” said Abram, “your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want wi…
• Genesis 21:9–10 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking her son, and she said to Abraham, “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac!”

Philistines, of Isaac

• Genesis 26:14 He owned so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him.

Rachel, of Leah

• Genesis 30:1 When Rachel saw that she was not bearing any children for Jacob, she envied her sister. “Give me children, or I will die!” she said to Jacob.

Leah, of Rachel

• Genesis 30:15 But Leah replied, “Is it not enough that you have taken away my husband? Now you want to take my son’s mandrakes as well?” “Very well,” said Rachel, “he may sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

Laban's sons, of Jacob

• Genesis 31:1 Now Jacob heard that Laban’s sons were saying, “Jacob has taken away all that belonged to our father and built all this wealth at our father’s expense.”

Joseph's brethren, of Joseph

• Genesis 37:4–11 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. He said to them, “Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain…
• Genesis 37:19–20 “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another. “Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”
• Acts 7:9 Because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph, they sold him as a slave into Egypt. But God was with him

Joshua, of Eldad and Medad

• Numbers 11:28–30 Joshua son of Nun, the attendant to Moses since youth, spoke up and said, “Moses, my lord, stop them!” But Moses replied, “Are you jealous on my account? I wish that all the LORD’s people were prophets and that the LORD would place His Spirit on them!” Then Moses returned to the camp, along with th…

Miriam and Aaron, of Moses

• Numbers 12:1–10 Then Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses because of the Cushite woman he had married, for he had taken a Cushite wife. “Does the LORD speak only through Moses?” they said. “Does He not also speak through us?” And the LORD heard this. Now Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face o…

Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, of Moses

• Numbers 16:3 They came together against Moses and Aaron and told them, “You have taken too much upon yourselves! For everyone in the entire congregation is holy, and the LORD is in their midst. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”
• Psalm 106:16–18 In the camp they envied Moses, as well as Aaron, the holy one of the LORD. The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it covered the assembly of Abiram. Then fire blazed through their company; flames consumed the wicked.

Saul, of David

• 1 Samuel 18:8–9 And Saul was furious and resented this song. “They have ascribed tens of thousands to David,” he said, “but only thousands to me. What more can he have but the kingdom?” And from that day forward Saul kept a jealous eye on David.
• 1 Samuel 18:29 he grew even more afraid of David. So from then on Saul was David’s enemy.
• 1 Samuel 20:31 For as long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom shall be established. Now send for him and bring him to me, for he must surely die!”

Haman, of Mordecai

• Esther 5:13 Yet none of this satisfies me as long as I see Mordecai the Jew sitting at the king’s gate.”

The princes of Babylon, of Daniel

• Daniel 6:4 Thus the administrators and satraps sought a charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no charge or corruption, because he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him.

Priests, of Jesus

• Matthew 27:18 For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.
• Mark 15:10 For he knew it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over.
• John 11:47 Then the chief priests and Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we to do? This man is performing many signs.

Jews, of Paul and Barnabas

• Acts 13:45 But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously contradicted what Paul was saying.
• Acts 17:5 The Jews, however, became jealous. So they brought in some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the people.