God's Jealousy

Open Line 30th August 2025 Hour 1@2:20

Question from Listener:

I have always found Exodus 20 verse 5 which says "You shall not bow them to them (idols) or worship them for I the Lord your God is a jealous God, punishing the children for the father's sins to the third and fourth generation for those who hate me." I have always found this to be a difficult verse because the word 'jealous' has so many negative connotations and I suffer from God having negative traits, so can you the proper translation of this verb and is it related to zealous or are they different?

Answer from Dr Michael Rydelnik:

https://www.moodyradio.org/radioplayer.aspx?episode=653333&hour=1

Summary of answer:

The Hebrew word that is used here can be translated as 'jealous' or 'zealous'. The real issue is: "Is it a negative trait to be jealous?" There is human trait of feeling jealousy which is unmerited, undeserved but it is appropriate, for example, for a spouse to feel jealousy if the husband or wife is acting in a way that is inappropriate. The result will be that the spouse is jealous and that's appropriate. The word jealous as it is used here is about exclusivity: There is one God and He is exclusively God and going after false gods will stir up that jealousy. The same idea is used in other places in the New Testament, for example, Romans 11:11, to make Jewish people jealous because salvation rightfully belongs to them and now it's been given to someone else. So, if it is a rightful jealousy, it is perfectly okay.

Scripture:

Exodus 20

⁵ you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, -nkjv

⁵ Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; -kjv

⁵ You shall not worship them nor serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, inflicting the punishment of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, -nasb

⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, -niv

Romans 11

¹¹ I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. -nkjv

¹¹ I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. -kjv

¹¹ I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? Far from it! But by their wrongdoing salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous. -nasb

¹¹ Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. -niv