King James Bible Dictionary

An earnest temper; may be enlightened (Numbers 25:11-13; 2 Corinthians 7:11; 9:2), or ignorant and misdirected (Romans 10:2; Philippians 3:6). As a Christian grace, it must be grounded on right principles and directed to right ends (Galatians 4:18). It is sometimes ascribed to God (2 Kings 19:31; Isaiah 9:7; 37:32; Ezekiel 5:13).

ZEAL, noun [Gr., Latin ] Passionate ardor in the pursuit of any thing. In general, zeal is an eagerness of desire to accomplish or obtain some object, and it may be manifested either in favor of any person or thing, or in opposition to it, and in a good or bad cause.

ZEAL, the blind conductor of the will.

They have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. Romans 10:2.

A zeal for liberty is sometimes an eagerness to subvert, with little care what shall be established.

General references
Joshua 24:15-16; 2 Samuel 24:24-25; 1 Kings 9:4; 1 Kings 15:14; 1 Chronicles 29:17; 2 Chronicles 15:15; 2 Chronicles 19:3; Ezra 7:23; Job 16:19; Psalms 42:1-2; Psalms 60:4; Psalms 96:2-3; Psalms 96:10; Psalms 119:139; Proverbs 11:30; Ecclesiastes 9:10; Isaiah 58:12; Isaiah 60:1; Isaiah 62:6-7; Daniel 12:3; Micah 5:7; Habakkuk 2:2; Haggai 2:4-5; Zech 14:20-21; Matthew 5:13-16; Mark 4:21-22; Luke 8:16-17; Luke 22:32-33; John 6:27; John 9:4; Acts 10:42; Acts 26:29; Romans 1:8-9; Romans 7:22; Romans 12:11; 1 Corinthians 5:8; 1 Corinthians 7:29-34; 1 Corinthians 13:3; 1 Corinthians 14:12; 1 Corinthians 15:58; 2 Corinthians 4:8-10; 2 Corinthians 4:13; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; 2 Corinthians 7:11; 2 Corinthians 9:2; Galatians 4:18; Galatians 6:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:13; Ephesians 5:15-16; Ephesians 6:14-20; Philippians 1:27-28; Philippians 2:15; Philippians 3:4-14; Philippians 3:20; Colossians 4:5; Titus 2:14; Titus 3:1; Hebrews 10:34; Hebrews 11:15-16; Hebrews 11:24-27; Hebrews 13:13-15; James 5:19-20; 1 Peter 2:2; 2 Peter 3:14; 2 Peter 1:10-11; Jude 1:3; Jude 1:22-23; Revelation 3:19; Revelation 5:4-5; Revelation 22:17

Exemplified
Exodus 32:31-32; Numbers 10:29; Numbers 11:29; Deuteronomy 9:18-19; Joshua 24:14-16; 1 Samuel 17:26; 1 Kings 8:42-43; 2 Chronicles 6:33; 1 Kings 22:14; Job 6:10; Psalms 40:7-10; Psalms 51:13; Psalms 69:7-9; Psalms 71:17-18; Psalms 94:16; Psalms 101:8; Psalms 119:53; Psalms 119:126; Psalms 119:136; Psalms 119:139; Psalms 119:158; Psalms 9:19-20; Psalms 74:10; Psalms 74:18-23; Psalms 115:1-2; Proverbs 28:4; Ecclesiastes 12:9-10; Isaiah 2:3; Isaiah 2:5; Isaiah 6:8; Isaiah 59:17; Isaiah 62:1; Jeremiah 9:1-3; Jeremiah 13:17; Jeremiah 17:16; Jeremiah 18:20; Jeremiah 20:9; Jeremiah 26:12-15; Ezekiel 9:4; Ezekiel 44:15; Daniel 3:17-18; Micah 3:8; Micah 7:1-2; Habakkuk 1:2-4; Mark 5:19-20; Mark 6:6; Mark 14:29-31; Mark 16:20; Luke 1:15-17; Luke 19:41-42; Matthew 23:37; John 1:40-42; John 1:45-46; John 4:34-35; Acts 4:8-13; Acts 4:18-20; Acts 4:31; Acts 4:33; Acts 4:2; Acts 5:42; Acts 5:21; Acts 5:25; Acts 5:29-32; Acts 6:4; Acts 6:10; Acts 8:4; Acts 8:35; Acts 8:12; Acts 8:25; Acts 8:30; Acts 8:40; Acts 11:19-20; Acts 11:24; Acts 11:26; Acts 18:24-28; Romans 1:11; Romans 9:1-3; Romans 10:1; Romans 15:18-21; 2 Corinthians 5:9; 2 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5; 2 Corinthians 8:16-18; 2 Corinthians 12:20-21; Ephesians 4:25-26; Ephesians 4:32; Philippians 1:12-18; Philippians 2:22; Philippians 2:26; Philippians 2:30; 1 Corinthians 16:10; Philippians 4:3; Colossians 4:7-11; Colossians 1:7; Ephesians 6:21; 1 Thessalonians 1:2-8; 1 Thessalonians 3:1-2; 2 Peter 1:12-13; 2 Peter 1:15; 2 Peter 2:4-5; 3 John 1:4-7; Jude 1:3; Revelation 3:19

Instances of religious zeal:

Moses
Exodus 2:12; Exodus 11:8; Exodus 32:19-20

Phinehas
Numbers 25:7-13; Psalms 106:30

Joshua
Numbers 11:27-29; Joshua 7:6; Joshua 8:28-29

Gideon
Jude 6:11-32

Jephthah
Judges 11:30-31; Judges 11:34-39

Samuel
1 Samuel 12:23; 1 Samuel 15:11; 1 Samuel 15:35; 1 Samuel 16:1

Saul
1 Samuel 14:38-44

David
1 Samuel 10:6; 2 Samuel 7:2; 2 Samuel 8:11-12

Elijah
1 Kings 19:10

Obadiah
1 Kings 18:3-4

Jehoash
2 Kings 12:2-16

Jehu
2 Kings 12:9

Jehoiada
2 Kings 11:4-17; 2 Chronicles 23:1-17

Asa
1 Kings 15:11-15; 2 Chronicles 14:1-5; 2 Chronicles 14:15

Jehoshaphat
2 Chronicles 17:3-10; 2 Chronicles 19:1-11

Hezekiah
2 Chronicles 14:30; Isaiah 37:1

Josiah
Isaiah 12:22; 2 Chronicles 34:3-7; 2 Chronicles 34:29-33

Priests
1 Chronicles 9:13; Ezra 8:17-18

Ezra
Ezra 7:10; Ezra 15:9

Nehemiah
Nehemiah 4:5; Nehemiah 16:8; Nehemiah 13:7-9; Nehemiah 13:15-28

Jeremiah
Jeremiah 25:3-4

Shepherds
Luke 2:17-18

Anna
Luke 2:38

Andrew and Philip
John 1:41-46

Two blind men proclaiming the miracle of healing, contrary to the injunction of Jesus
Matthew 9:30-31

The restored leper
Mark 1:44-45

The healed deaf mute
Mark 7:36

Peter rebuking Jesus
Matthew 16:22

Samaritan woman
John 4:28-30; John 4:39

Peter
Acts 2:14-40; Acts 3:12-26

John
John, 1. The Baptist

Paul and Barnabas
Acts 11:22-26; Acts 14:14-15

Phebe
Romans 16:1-2

Ephesians
Revelation 2:2-3; Revelation 2:6
Jesus, The Christ, Zeal of

Exemplified by Paul
Acts 9:20-29; Acts 14:1-28; Acts 15:26; Acts 15:30-36; Acts 15:41; Acts 16:31-32; Acts 16:10; Acts 16:13; Acts 16:17; Acts 17:2-3; Acts 17:16-17; Acts 17:22-31; Acts 18:4-6; Acts 18:19; Acts 18:23; Acts 13:16-52; Acts 20:18-27; Acts 20:31; Acts 20:33-34; Acts 20:7; Acts 19:8-10; Acts 19:21; Acts 21:13; Acts 24:14-25; Acts 26:1-29; Acts 28:23-28; Acts 28:30-31; Romans 1:1; Romans 1:9-15; Romans 9:1-3; Romans 10:1; Romans 11:13-14; Romans 15:15-32; 2 Corinthians 10:14-16; 1 Corinthians 1:17; 1 Corinthians 1:23; 1 Corinthians 2:1-4; 1 Corinthians 2:6-7; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 1 Corinthians 3:1-2; 1 Corinthians 3:5-7; 1 Corinthians 4:1-21; 1 Corinthians 9:12; 1 Corinthians 9:15-23; 1 Corinthians 9:27; 1 Corinthians 10:33; 1 Corinthians 11:1; 1 Corinthians 13:1; 1 Corinthians 15:1-32; 2 Corinthians 1:12; 2 Corinthians 1:17-19; 2 Corinthians 1:24; 2 Corinthians 2:12-17; 2 Corinthians 3:6; 2 Corinthians 3:12; 2 Corinthians 4:1-2; 2 Corinthians 4:5; 2 Corinthians 4:8-15; 2 Corinthians 5:11; 2 Corinthians 5:13-14; 2 Corinthians 5:18; 2 Corinthians 5:20; 2 Corinthians 6:3-10; 2 Corinthians 7:2; 2 Corinthians 10:3; 2 Corinthians 11:9; 2 Corinthians 11:7; 2 Corinthians 11:12; 2 Corinthians 11:22-33; 2 Corinthians 12:10; 2 Corinthians 12:14-15; 2 Corinthians 12:17-19; 2 Corinthians 12:21; 2 Corinthians 13:6-9; Galatians 1:10; Galatians 1:15-16; Galatians 2:2; Galatians 3:1; Galatians 4:19; Galatians 4:11; Galatians 5:11; Ephesians 6:20; Ephesians 6:17; Philippians 1:17; Philippians 4:11-12; Philippians 4:17; Philippians 1:18; Philippians 1:20; Philippians 1:22-25; Philippians 1:27; Philippians 2:16-17; Philippians 3:4-16; Colossians 1:28-29; Colossians 1:24; Colossians 2:1; 1 Thessalonians 1:5-6; 1 Thessalonians 2:2-6; 1 Thessalonians 2:8-11; 2 Timothy 1:3; 2 Timothy 1:7; 2 Timothy 1:11-13; 2 Thessalonians 3:7-9; Philippians 3:17; 1 Timothy 4:10; 2 Timothy 2:9-10; 2 Timothy 3:10-11; Hebrews 13:18

Without knowledge
Ecclesiastes 7:16; Matthew 8:19-20; Luke 9:57-58; John 16:2; Acts 21:20; Romans 10:2-3; Galatians 1:13-14; Galatians 4:17; Philippians 1:15-18

In punishing the wicked:

Moses and the Levites
Exodus 32:20; Exodus 32:26-29

Phinehas
Numbers 25:11-13; Psalms 106:30-31

Israelites
Joshua 22:11-20; Jude 1:20

Samuel
1 Samuel 15:33

David
2 Samuel 1:14; 2 Samuel 4:9-12

Elijah
1 Kings 18:40

Jehu
2 Kings 10:15-28

Jehoiada
2 Kings 11:18

Josiah
2 Kings 23:20

In reproving iniquity
Reproof, Faithfulness in

ZEALOT, noun Zelot. One who engages warmly in any cause, and pursues his object with earnestness and ardor. It is generally used in dispraise, or applied to one whose ardor in intemperate and censurable. The fury of zealots was one cause of the destruction of Jerusalem.

ZEALOTICAL, adjective Ardently zealous. [Little used.]

A sect of Jews which originated with Judas the Gaulonite (Acts 5:37). They refused to pay tribute to the Romans, on the ground that this was a violation of the principle that God was the only king of Israel. They rebelled against the Romans, but were soon scattered, and became a lawless band of mere brigands. They were afterwards called Sicarii, from their use of the sica, i.e., the Roman dagger.

ZEALOUS, adjective Zelus. Warmly engaged or ardent in the pursuit of an object.

Being thus saved himself, he may be zealous in the salvation of souls.

ZEALOUSLY, adverb Zelusly. With passionate ardor; with eagerness.

It is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing. Galatians 4:17.

ZEALOUSNESS, noun Zelusness. The quality of being zealous; zeal.