The Hebrew verb qana means to be jealous, envious, or zealous. It occurs about 34 times in the Old Testament. Crucially, this same word describes both God's holy jealousy for His people and sinful human envy of others — the context determines whether the passion is righteous or destructive.
God's jealousy (qina) is one of His defining attributes. He calls Himself 'a jealous God' in the second commandment (Exodus 20:5) — not out of insecurity, but because covenant love demands exclusive devotion. When Israel chases other gods, God's jealousy is the holy fire of a husband who will not share his bride with rivals. This jealousy is redemptive: it drives God to reclaim His people. Human envy (qana), by contrast, is corrosive — it drove Joseph's brothers to sell him into slavery (Genesis 37:11) and fills Proverbs with warnings. Phinehas's 'zeal' (Numbers 25:11) is the same word — righteous jealousy for God's honor expressed in decisive action.