Is God Jealous?

On divine jealousy as the burning zeal of covenant love.

Exodus names God "jealous," and the word unsettles: jealousy sounds like a wound in us, a grasping insecurity, not something fitting for the All-Sufficient One. This paper opens Exodus 34:14 and Exodus 20:5 slowly, asking what the word means when it is God who speaks it, not man.

The answer is not possessiveness but covenant love in its full seriousness: a love that will not share the beloved with rivals because it wills nothing less than the beloved's whole good. Divine jealousy is traced through to the Trinity and to Christ, who reveals that this burning zeal is not a threat but the very shape of love that refuses to be casual.

Primary Scripture: Exodus 34:14, Exodus 20:5, Douay-Rheims. Published by The Cathedral of The Fourth. The way is narrow, but just.

Format: Digital PDF

Language: English

Author: Martin Andrew

Series: Scripture Opened

Published by cathedralofthefourth.com

A Cathedral of The Fourth production.