5:14 and if jealous feelings24 come over him and he becomes suspicious25 of his wife, when she is defiled;26 or if jealous feelings come over him and he becomes suspicious of his wife, when she is not defiled—
tn The Hebrew text has the construct case, “spirit of jealousy.” The word “spirit” here has the sense of attitude, mood, feelings. The word קִנְאָה (qin’ah) is the genitive of attribute, modifying what kind of feelings they are. The word means either “zeal” or “jealousy,” depending on the context. It is a passionate feeling to guard or protect an institution or relationship. It can also express strong emotional possessiveness such as envy and coveting. Here there is a feeling of jealousy, but no proof of infidelity.
25
tn The word is now used in the Piel stem; the connotation is certainly “suspicious,” for his jealousy seems now to have some basis, even if it is merely suspicion.
26
tn The noun clause begins with the conjunction and the pronoun; here it is forming a circumstantial clause, either temporal or causal.