Jealousy in Context

Attested as both a human and a divine expression, the biblical Hebrew term qinʾâ is most often translated as “jealousy” or “envy.” In this study, Erin Villareal makes the case for reading qinʾâ 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 qinʾâ. 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 qinʾâ 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 qinʾâ, 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 qinʾâ 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 qinʾâ 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.

“Villareal smartly balances rigorous philological and historical-critical analysis as she offers fresh and compelling readings of familiar and oft-debated passages related to biblical “jealousy.” Jealousy in Context represents a much-needed advance in the study of biblical קנאה and a welcome contribution to the study of emotions in the Hebrew Bible.”—Anthony I. Lipscomb, Review of Biblical Literature

Erin Villareal received her PhD in Hebrew Bible and Northwest Semitics from Johns Hopkins University.

List of Tables

Acknowledgements

List of Abbreviations

Introduction

Purpose

History of Interpretation

A New Approach to Biblical קנאה

Chapter 1. Methodology and Approach

The Social Implications of קנאה

Emotion as Part of Social Culture

Emotion as Scenario and Script

Biblical Hebrew קנאה as a Script

Scope of Study

Chapter 2. קנאה in the Patriarchal Narratives

Social Organization in Genesis

קנאה in Genesis 26

קנאה in Genesis 30:1

קנאה in Genesis 31:11

The Scripts of the קנאה Scenarios in Genesis

Conclusion

Chapter 3. קנאה in Numbers 5:11-31

Interpretive Issues

The Cultic-Legal Framework of קנאה in the Hebrew Bible

Numbers 5:11-31

The Script of the קנאה Scenario in Numbers 5:11-31

Conclusion

Chapter 4. The Song of Moses and the Ideology of Land, People, and God

The Legacy of Deuteronomy 32:1-43

The Framework of the Divine-Human Relationship

The קנאה Scenario in the Song of Moses

Reevaluating the Issue of Allotment and Order

The Script of the קנאה Scenario in the Song of Moses

Conclusion

Chapter 5. The Divine קנאה in Ezekiel, Psalm 79, and Zechariah

The Case of Ezekiel: Divine קנאה Toward the Israelites and Adversaries

Divine קנאה in Other Relevant Works: Psalm 79 and Zechariah

The Scripts of the קנאה Scenarios in Ezekiel, Psalm 79, and Zechariah

Conclusion

Chapter 6: Yahweh as אל קנא

Attestations and Interpretations

The Narrative Context of אל קנא in Exodus 34

אל קנא in Deuteronomy 4:24 and 6:15

אל קנא in Joshua 24:19

אל קנא in Nahum 1:2

The Script of an אל קנא Scenario

Conclusion

Conclusion

קנאה and Jealousy: The Prototypical Scenario

A Summary of Biblical קנאה as a Socioliterary Phenomenon

Final Remarks

Bibliography

Index of Authors

Index of Ancient Sources

Download a PDF sample chapter here: Introduction