Jealousy in Context: The Social Implications of Emotions in the Hebrew Bible

Attested as both a human and a divine expression, the biblical Hebrew term qin ʾ â is most often translated as “jealousy” or “envy.” In this study, Erin Villareal makes the case for reading qin ʾ â as more than a simple reference to an emotion, instead locating the term’s origins in ancient Israel’s social and legal spheres.

Jealousy in Context evaluates the socioliterary context of qin ʾ â. Through a series of case studies examining this term as it is applied to residents, sister-wives, brothers, and husbands in biblical narrative passages, Villareal explains that qin ʾ â is felt by people who experience a threat or disruption to their rights and status within a social arrangement or community and is therefore grounded in practical concerns that have social and juridical ramifications. Investigating examples of divine qin ʾ â, Villareal shows that its social meaning was adapted into theological language about the Israelite deity and his relationship with the people of Israel, and that Yahweh expresses qin ʾ â whenever there is a threat to the integrity of his land or his sanctuary. Villareal examines the term through this socioliterary lens to reveal ancient Israelite perceptions concerning social organization and divine-human relationships. Additionally, she explores how the socioliterary character of qin ʾ â in the Hebrew Bible communicates representations of ancient Israelite beliefs, values, and social expectations.

This convincing new understanding of a key biblical term will be appreciated by students and scholars of the Hebrew Bible, Hebrew linguistics, and ancient Near Eastern societies more generally.