How many times is envy mentioned in the Bible?
The word envy appears 20 times in the King James Version, in 19 verses. Counting every form (envy, envied, envieth, envying, envyings), it appears 34 times in 33 verses across 18 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses envy 17 times (23 with every form).
Envy in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of envy counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| envy | 20 | 17 |
| envied | 6 | 5 |
| envieth | 1 | 0 |
| envying | 5 | 1 |
| envyings | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 34 | 23 |
Which books mention envy most
Envy appears in 18 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Proverbs has the most (4), then Genesis (3) and Isaiah (3).
Also in: Philippians (1), 1 Timothy (1), Titus (1).
First and last mention of envy
For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.
Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?
The verse that uses it most is Isaiah 11:13, 2 times:
The envy also of Ephraim shall depart, and the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off: Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not vex Ephraim.
Where the two translations differ
12 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 1 verse matches only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Job 5:2: counted in the KJV only
For wrath killeth the foolish man, and envy slayeth the silly one.
For resentment kills the foolish man, and jealousy kills the simple.
Proverbs 27:4: counted in the KJV only
Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?
Wrath is cruel, and anger is overwhelming; but who is able to stand before jealousy?
Psalm 68:16: counted in the World English Bible only
Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.
Why do you look in envy, you rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign? Yes, Yahweh will dwell there forever.
Verses with envy on our topic pages
10 verses that use envy in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
envy, murders, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these; of which I forewarn you, even as I also forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit God’s Kingdom.
Love is patient and is kind; love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud,
The life of the body is a heart at peace, but envy rots the bones.
On: Strength, Peace, Contentment, Jealousy
His brothers envied him, but his father kept this saying in mind.
On: Jealousy
Don’t let your heart envy sinners; but rather fear Yahweh all day long.
On: Jealousy
Then I saw all the labor and achievement that is the envy of a man’s neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind.
On: Jealousy
Let’s not become conceited, provoking one another, and envying one another.
On: Jealousy
For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.
On: Jealousy
Also their love, their hatred, and their envy has perished long ago; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.
being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, malice; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil habits, secret slanderers,
On: Gossip
Common questions
How many times is envy in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 16 of the 34 uses are in the Old Testament and 18 in the New Testament. Envy appears in 18 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Proverbs has the most (4), then Genesis (3) and Isaiah (3).
Where is envy first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 26:14: "For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him." The last is James 4:5.
Read the full collection: Bible Verses About Jealousy (32 Verses).
More word counts: lust, hate, compassion, goodness, faithful, righteous, sinner, saint, or all 253 words.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-05.