What it means
Envy is sadness at someone else’s good. They get the job, the praise, the house or the engagement, and something in you sinks. Older Bibles say “charity envieth not”. Some newer ones say love is not jealous. Both mean the same thing here: love does not resent another person’s blessing.
Paul’s Greek word cuts both ways. It is the same verb he used just before this chapter for a good desire: “eagerly desire the greater gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:31). It means a burning want. Aimed at becoming better yourself, it is zeal. Aimed at what someone else has, it turns into envy.
Paul had reason to say it. The church he was writing to was full of “jealousy and dissension” (1 Corinthians 3:3). They took sides over their teachers and compared their spiritual gifts. Envy is a quiet sin that does loud damage. Proverbs says it plainly: “envy rots the bones” (Proverbs 14:30).
How John Chrysostom read it
John Chrysostom noticed that envy can hide in people who are otherwise good, and that love’s answer is to treat someone else’s blessing as your own.
“For it is possible for one to be both long-suffering and envious, and thereby that excellency is spoiled. But love avoids this also.”
John Chrysostom, Homily 33 on First Corinthians
“Hence, she envies not, hence she is not puffed up: since in fact she accounts the good things of others her own.”
John Chrysostom, Homily 33 on First Corinthians
“If you see your brother in good esteem, say not, the esteem is his, why should I rejoice. These words are not those of a brother, but of an enemy.”
John Chrysostom, Homily 11 on Colossians
Chrysostom saw envy as the fault that spoils good people. Someone can be patient and generous and still sink a little at a friend’s success. He also saw what makes envy strange. Greed at least wants something for itself, but “the envious is then pleased, when another has failed to receive.”
His cure is not to want less. It is to widen what counts as yours. Love treats a friend’s good as its own, so their promotion is your good news too. He read the line as Paul’s medicine for people in Corinth who “look grudgingly on their superiors”. He noticed that Paul did not write “She envies, indeed, but overcomes envy”. Love at its fullest does not envy at all. Most of us are not there yet, and he knew it: “we have ever need of great earnestness in order to overtake her.”
What it looks like
- A coworker gets the promotion you wanted, and you tell them they’ll be great at it.
- Your sister posts photos from a trip you couldn’t afford, and you text to ask about the best day.
- A friend gets engaged soon after your breakup, and you still help plan the party.
- Someone else’s idea gets the praise in the meeting, and you add to it out loud.
What missing it looks like
- “I’m happy for them. It’s just funny how some people get every break.”
- “I’m not jealous. I just don’t need to hear about it every day.”
- “They got lucky. I’ve worked twice as hard.”
- “I muted them for a while. It’s easier that way.”
Learn from Jonathan
The king’s son, who wanted his friend to be king.
The king’s son and next in line, he gave David his own robe. Chrysostom asks, “Did he envy David? Not at all, though he had great reason.” 1 Samuel 18:4
Be glad out loud, and first, before the sting has a chance.
Read about JonathanOne step to try
Ask two questions about their good news before you say anything about yours.
“Rejoice with those who rejoice.” Romans 12:15
Questions and answers
What does it mean that love does not envy?
It means love is not sad when good things happen to someone else. Envy resents another person’s blessing and quietly wishes it away. Jealousy, in everyday English, is closer to the fear of losing what you have. Love’s answer to a friend’s good news is simpler. It counts their blessing as its own, so their news becomes your news.
If love does not envy, why does the Bible call God jealous?
Because God’s jealousy is the opposite of envy. Envy wants someone else to have less. God’s jealousy wants His people to have Him, the greatest good there is, and not lose themselves to idols. It is the jealousy of a faithful husband for his bride. Paul felt it for the Corinthians: “I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy” (2 Corinthians 11:2).
Is it wrong to want what someone else has?
Not always. John Chrysostom made room for healthy rivalry: “emulate, but with a view to be like him who is approved: not in order to depress him”. Wanting to grow into someone’s patience or skill is admiration. It turns into envy when you would rather they lost it than you gained it. The first makes you better. The second only makes you smaller.
