ζῆλος

ζῆλος — zēlos

ζῆλος, ζήλου, ὁ, and (in Php 3:6 L T Tr WH; (2Co 9:2 T Tr WH)) τό ζῆλος (Ignatius ad Trall. 4 [ET]; διά ζῆλος, Clement of Rome, 1Co 4:1-21; 1Co 8:1-13 [ET] ("in Clement of Rome, §§ 3, 4, 5, 6 the masculine and neuter seem to be interchanged without any law" (Lightfoot). For facts see especially Clement of Rome, edition 2 Hilgenfeld (1876), p. 7; cf. Wit. Appendix, p. 158; Winers Grammar, § 9, N. 2; Buttmann, 23 (20)); (from ζέω (Curtius, § 567; Vanicek, p. 757)); the Sept. for קִנְאָה; excitement of mind, ardor, fervor of spirit;

1. zeal, ardor in embracing, pursuing, defending anything: 2Co 12:11; 2Co 9:2; κατά ζῆλος, as respects zeal (in maintaining religion), Php 3:6; with the genitive of the object, zeal in behalf of, for a person or thing, Joh 2:17 from Psa 68:10; Rom 10:2 (1Ma 2:58; Sophocles O. C. 943); ὑπέρ τίνος, genitive of person, 2Co 7:7; Col 4:13 Rec. with subject. genitive ζήλῳ Θεοῦ, with a jealousy such as God has, hence, most pure and solicitous for their salvation, 2Co 11:2; the fierceness of indignation, punitive zeal, πυρός (of penal fire, which is personified (see πῦρ, at the end)), Heb 10:27 (Isa 26:11; Wis 5:18).

2. an envious and contentious rivalry, jealousy: Rom 13:13; 1Co 3:3; Jas 3:14; Jas 3:16; ἐπλήσθησαν ζήλου, Act 5:17; Act 13:45; plural ζῆλοι, now the stirrings or motions of ζῆλος, now its outbursts and manifestations: 2Co 12:20; Gal 5:20; but in both passages L T Tr (WH, yet in Galatians, the passage cited WH only in text) have adopted ζῆλος (ζῆλοι τέ καί φθόνοι, Plato, legg. 3, p. 679 c.). (On the distinction between ζῆλος (which may be used in a good sense) and φθόνος (used only in a bad sense) cf. Trench, Synonyms, § xxvi.; Cope on Aristotle, rhet. 2, 11,