Envy was the sin involving the usurpation of the knowledge of good and evil that belonged to God just as it is envy of the rich man’s wealth (2:1–4) that is the root of partiality. Envy, like jealousy, focuses inordinately on another person’s possessions and relationships. This desire to imitate and surpass another, even if it might mean stealing from that person, destroys relationships within the church, just as it did the original relationship with God and others.
