ζηλωτής, 
ζηλωτου, 
ὁ (
ζηλόω), 
one burning with zeal; a zealot; 
1. absolutely, for the Hebrew 
קַנָּא, used of God as jealous of any rival and sternly vindicating his control: 
Exodus 20:5; 
Deuteronomy 4:24, etc. From the time of the Maccabees () there existed among the Jews a class of men, called 
Zealots, who rigorously adhered to the Mosaic law and endeavored even by a resort to violence, after the example of Phinehas (
Numbers 25:11, 
ζηλωτής Φινης 4 Macc. 18:12), to prevent religion from being violated by others; but in the latter days of the Jewish commonwealth they used their holy zeal as a pretext for the basest crimes, 
Josephus, 
b. j. 4, 3, 9; 4, 5, 1; 4, 6, 3; 7, 8, 1. To this class perhaps Simon the apostle had belonged, and hence, got the surname 
ὁ ζηλωτής: 
Luke 6:15; 
Acts 1:13; (cf. 
Schürer, Neutest. Zeitgesch., Index under the word Zeloten; Edersheim, Jesus the Messiah, i. 237ff). 
2. with the genitive of the object: with the genitive of the thing, 
most eagerly desirous of, zealous for, a thing; 
a. to acquire a thing (zealous of) (see 
ζηλόω, 2): 
1 Corinthians 14:12; 
Titus 2:14; 
1 Peter 3:13 L T Tr WH (
ἀρετῆς, 
Philo, praem. et poen. § 2; 
τῆς εὐσεβείας, de monarch. 50:1, § 3; 
εὐσεβείας καί δικαιοσύνης, de poenit. § 1; 
τῶν πολεμικων ἔργων, 
Diodorus 1, 73; 
περί τῶν ἀνηκόντων εἰς σωτηρίαν, 
Clement of Rome, 1 Cor. 45, 1 [ET]). 
b. to defend and uphold a thing, vehemently contending for a thing (zealous for): 
νόμου, 
Acts 21:20 (2 Macc. 4:2); 
τῶν πατρικῶν παραδόσεων, 
Galatians 1:14 (
τῶν αἰγυπτιακων πλασματων, 
Philo, vit. Moys. iii. § 19; 
τῆς ἀρχαίας καί σώφρονος ἀγωγης, 
Diodorus excerpt., p. 611 (from 50:37, vol. 2:564 Didot)); with the genitive of person: 
Θεοῦ, intent on protecting the majesty and authority of God by contending for the Mosaic law, 
Acts 22:3. (In secular authors also 
an emulator, admirer, imitator, follower of anyone.) 
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