קָנָא
𐤒𐤍𐤀
qânâʼ
H7065 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To be zealous, ardently passionate, or deeply committed, often manifested as intense emotion or action on behalf of a person, group, or cause; to display strong feelings of advocacy or protection, which, depending on context, may be positive (enthusiastic devotion or commitment) or negative (jealousy, envy, rivalry, or indignation). The verb is used for both human and divine emotions, involving the defense of exclusive relationships or rights, including that of a spouse or deity.
Semantic Range
to be zealous (positive devotion), to be jealous (protective exclusivity), to be envious (resentful desire), to express passionate commitment, to be indignant, to compete (in rivalry), to provoke to zeal or jealousy
Root / Etymology
From the root קנא, which at its core means 'to be zealous' or 'to feel strong emotion.' The verb קָנָא derives directly from this root and describes the action of experiencing or expressing zeal, jealousy, or envy. It is a denominative root—related to the noun קִנְאָה (qin'ah, 'zeal, jealousy').
Historical & Contextual Notes
In Biblical Hebrew, קָנָא is used for a wide spectrum of strong emotional reactions—from laudable zeal (Num 25:11, Phinehas' zeal for YHWH) to problematic jealousy (Num 5:14, a husband suspicious of his wife), and also negative envy (Gen 30:1, Rachel envied Leah). The term applies both to human emotions and to the passionate, exclusive claim that YHWH asserts over Israel—often translated as 'jealous' but meaning zealous in defense of a relationship (Exod 20:5; Deut 4:24). Later religious and translation traditions often rendered קָנָא as 'jealous,' which can obscure the positive dimensions of righteous zeal in certain contexts. Over time, usage shifts somewhat: earlier texts primarily associate it with God's exclusive claim (zeal), while later or wisdom texts may reflect more interpersonal jealousy or rivalry. Related roots: חָמַד (ḥāmad, 'to desire, covet') focuses on desirous longing, not the protective or exclusive emotion of קָנָא. English 'jealous' fails to capture the positive sense of intensely protective zeal present in the Hebrew.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to be (causatively, make) zealous, i.e. (in a bad sense) jealous or envious; (be) envy(-ious), be (move to, provoke to) jealous(-y), [idiom] very, (be) zeal(-ous).
Bantu Hebrew
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+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
קנא (q-n-ʾ) — zeal, jealousy, envy, passionate commitment
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H7067 | קַנָּא | zealously protective |
| H7068 | קִנְאָה | in my ardent zeal |
| H7072 | קַנּוֹא | intensely zealous |
Word Forms
17 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7065-07 |
קִנֵּ֜אתִי | qineti | HVpp1cs |
I am jealous | I have been zealous | 6 |
H7065-09 |
תְּ֝קַנֵּ֗א | teqane | HVpj2ms |
be envious | may you be zealous | 4 |
H7065-12 |
וַ/יְקַנְא֥וּ | vayeqaneu | HC/Vpw3mp |
his brothers envied | and they grew jealous | 4 |
H7065-14 |
וְ/קִנֵּ֥א | veqine | HC/Vpp3ms |
and he is jealous | and he acted zealously | 3 |
H7065-17 |
יְקַנֵּ֣א | yeqane | HVpi3ms |
let envy | he will be zealously aroused | 2 |
H7065-16 |
יַקְנִאֻ֖/הוּ | yaqeniuhu | HVhi3mp/Sp3ms |
they aroused his jealousy | they will provoke him to zeal | 2 |
H7065-05 |
קַנֹּ֨א | qano | HVpa |
very | zealous | 2 |
H7065-13 |
וַ/יְקַנְאֻ֨/הוּ֙ | vayeqaneuhu | HC/Vpw3mp/Sp3ms |
and-they-envied-him | they fiercely envied him | 1 |
H7065-10 |
וַ/תְּקַנֵּ֥א | vateqane | HC/Vpw3fs |
envied | she became intensely zealous | 1 |
H7065-06 |
קִנֵּא֙ | qine | HVpp3ms |
he was zealous | he acted zealously | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
33 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7065-12 |
Genesis 26:14 | וַ/יְקַנְא֥וּ | vayeqaneu | HC/Vpw3mp |
so that ... envied | and they grew jealous |
H7065-10 |
Genesis 30:1 | וַ/תְּקַנֵּ֥א | vateqane | HC/Vpw3fs |
envied | she became intensely zealous |
H7065-12 |
Genesis 37:11 | וַ/יְקַנְאוּ | vayeqaneu | HC/Vpw3mp |
his brothers envied | and they grew jealous |
H7065-14 |
Numbers 5:14 | וְ/קִנֵּ֥א | veqine | HC/Vpp3ms |
and he is jealous | and he acted zealously |
H7065-14 |
Numbers 5:14 | וְ/קִנֵּ֣א | veqine-2 | HC/Vpp3ms |
and he is jealous | and he acted zealously |
H7065-14 |
Numbers 5:30 | וְ/קִנֵּ֣א | veqine | HC/Vpq3ms |
and he is jealous | and he acted zealously |
H7065-04 |
Numbers 11:29 | הַֽ/מְקַנֵּ֥א | hameqane | HTi/Vprmsa |
are you jealous | the fervently zealous one |
H7065-02 |
Numbers 25:11 | בְּ/קַנְא֥/וֹ | beqaneo | HR/Vpc/Sp3ms |
in-his-zeal | in his zealous passion |
H7065-06 |
Numbers 25:13 | קִנֵּא֙ | qine | HVpp3ms |
he was zealous | he acted zealously |
H7065-16 |
Deuteronomy 32:16 | יַקְנִאֻ֖/הוּ | yaqeniuhu | HVhi3mp/Sp3ms |
They provoked Him to jealousy | they will provoke him to zeal |