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The Bible teaches that envy destroys the soul, contradicts love, fuels evil, and is explicitly forbidden by God's law.
Envy is a destructive force that corrodes the body and soul, causing confusion and opening the door to evil. The Bible teaches that love does not envy, and believers are called to put away envy and coveting, instead choosing fear of the Lord and contentment with what they have rather than desiring what belongs to others.
Proverbs 14:30
The life of the body is a heart at peace, but envy rots the bones.
1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud,
Galatians 5:26
Let’s not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another
James 3:16
For where jealousy and selfish ambition are, there is confusion and every evil deed.
Proverbs 27:4
Wrath is cruel, and anger is overwhelming; but who is able to stand before jealousy?
Romans 13:13
Let us walk properly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and lustful acts, and not in strife and jealousy.
1 Peter 2:1
Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking,
Proverbs 23:17
Don’t let your heart envy sinners; but rather fear Yahweh all day long.
Exodus 20:17
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Deuteronomy 5:21
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. Neither shall you desire your neighbor’s house, his field, or his male servant, or his female servant, his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
When you feel envious of another's success or possessions, recognize it as a poison that robs you of peace and invites corruption into your life. Instead, redirect that energy toward reverence for God and gratitude for what you have, knowing that comparing yourself to others leads only to confusion and evil.
The Bible teaches that envy destroys the soul, contradicts love, fuels evil, and is explicitly forbidden by God's law.
Envy is a destructive force that corrodes the body and soul, causing confusion and opening the door to evil. The Bible teaches that love does not envy, and believers are called to put away envy and coveting, instead choosing fear of the Lord and contentment with what they have rather than desiring what belongs to others.
When you feel envious of another's success or possessions, recognize it as a poison that robs you of peace and invites corruption into your life. Instead, redirect that energy toward reverence for God and gratitude for what you have, knowing that comparing yourself to others leads only to confusion and evil.
Envy causes physical and spiritual deterioration, rotting the bones and creating inner turmoil rather than peace.
True love is incompatible with envy; love does not begrudge others or desire what belongs to them.
Jealousy and envious ambition open the door to confusion, strife, and all manner of evil deeds.
From the Ten Commandments, God explicitly forbids coveting a neighbor's possessions, family, or servants as a foundational moral principle.
Rather than envying sinners, believers are called to fear and revere the Lord throughout the day as the antidote to covetous desires.
Summaries on this site are generated based on Bible verses shown alongside them. They're meant to help you explore a topic, not as a substitute for reading scripture yourself or seeking guidance from a pastor, priest, or trusted spiritual mentor. We use the World English Bible (WEB), a public-domain translation.
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