ζῆλον

zelon

from ζέω; properly, heat, i.e. (figuratively) "zeal" (in a favorable sense, ardor; in an unfavorable one, jealousy, as of a husband (figuratively, of God), or an enemy, malice):--emulation, envy(-ing), fervent mind, indignation, jealousy, zeal.

G2205

Romans 10:2 · Word #5

Lexicon G2205

Lemmaζῆλος
Transliterationzēlos
Strong'sG2205

Morphology N ACC M SG All morphology codes

Part of Speech N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea
Case ACC — Accusative — Direct object or extent
Gender M — Masculine — Grammatical masculine
Number SG — Singular — One

Lexical Info

Lemmaζῆλος
Strong'sG2205

SIBI-P1 G2205-03

the ardent zeal-heat

Rootζῆλος (zēlos)
Core Meaningsheat, ardor, zeal, jealousy, fervor, indignation
Semantic Rangefervent zeal, passionate devotion, jealousy, rivalry, indignation, envious resentment; can denote either commendable ardor or destructive envy depending on context.
Conceptual SignificanceIn biblical usage, ζῆλος expresses covenantal passion—whether righteous zeal for God’s honor or jealous protectiveness within relationship. It can describe divine jealousy, apostolic fervor, or human envy, all rooted in the metaphor of burning intensity.
Morphological NotesGr,N,,,,,AMS — noun, accusative case, masculine, singular; functioning as a direct object or object of a preposition in context.
Rendering Rationaleζῆλος derives from ζέω ("to boil, to be hot"), so "zeal-heat" preserves the imagery of burning intensity underlying both positive zeal and negative jealousy. The form is accusative masculine singular, here rendered as a singular concrete object ("the ardent zeal-heat") suitable for direct-object usage while retaining its masculine singular sense.

AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)

Words from Root ζῆλος (heat, ardor, zeal, jealousy, fervor, indignation)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
G2205-01 zelo with zeal-heat (dative masculine singular); I am zeal-burning (present active indicative, 1st person singular)
G2205-02 zeloi he/she is burning-with-zeal (present active indicative, 3rd singular) / zeals (burning-ardors, nominative masculine plural)
G2205-04 zelos the zeal-heat (singular; nominative/accusative)

Word Usage (16 occurrences of G2205)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
John 2:17 ζῆλος zelos zeal
Acts 5:17 ζήλου zelou with jealousy
Acts 13:45 ζήλου zelou with jealousy