“Green with envy” is an English saying that refers to jealousy of another’s good fortune. It can lead to a desire for possessions, friendships, jobs or love interests. The phrase may have originated from the Hebrew word for envy or from the story of Cain and Abel. Extreme envy can damage relationships and cause misery.
“Green with envy” is one of many English sayings that have to do with the state of being jealous of another individual’s good fortune. Generally, this jealousy manifests itself as a desire to obtain possessions, friendships, jobs or even love interests that are the same or similar to the person being envied. Being green with extreme envy has the ability to seriously undermine trust and can even damage relationships to the point that they cannot be healed.
There are several proposed origins for the idiomatic expression green with envy, with one having to do with the Judeo-Christian tradition. One school of thought holds that the closest Hebrew word for envy is quinah, and it has to do with the changes that occur in the color of the complexion when one person covets another’s wealth or fortune. Supposedly, this envy causes the body to produce more green bile, which in turn affects the complexion.
A different origin for green with envy within the same tradition holds that the phrase is symbolic of the jealousy Cain felt for his brother Abel, motivating Cain to kill his brother. The green connection is associated with the fact that Cain is identified in Jewish and Christian writings as a farmer, who in all likelihood would have grown at least some green plants. Still other purported origins of this phrase point towards a slight adaptation of references to green-eyed monsters found in Shakespeare’s plays.
Whatever the origin of the idiom, there is no doubt that green with envy is well recognized as jealous and eager to possess something of value that another person possesses. It’s possible to be green with envy when a co-worker gets promoted to the job you wanted for yourself, or a friend establishes a healthy, loving relationship while you’re currently alone. It is also possible to be jealous of someone who appears to be happy with their life, especially the envious individual who is not particularly happy with their life right now. When taken to an extreme, this type of envy can cause long-standing relationships to break up, lead to job loss, and generally make the person suffering from envy more miserable than before.
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