Like, what does he even have to be jealous of?
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https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-jealousy-of-god/
This article is pretty good for the verses and references from the Bible to God's jealousy, including a look at definitions and meanings to jealousy.
I think it is another clear example of what religion does to God: anthropomorphize. It is a bias hard to be rid of. In some degree, it's a bias that really doesn't need to be rid of, for what is religion attempting to do but understand God in terms of what matters to humanity? It is just that such an approach is almost doomed to contaminate this understanding, and often seems it comes from certain other problems in its process than its intentions.
One key separation often noted is that God is jealous FOR people, not OF people.
In any case, the TLDR is that God seems jealous of humanity's attention and worship. Idolatry was one of the topmost sins according to the Commandments, coinciding with the idea of a jealous God first being introduced in the Bible. With a purely human lens, using what we'd imagine from a human experience, that kind of jealousy seems needy, covetous and practically in contradiction to God's other teachings about good behavior and practice. The Old Testament seems to paint the picture of such a wrathful Deity, possessive and prideful, ready to smite enemies, etc.
But what is jealousy to an ostensibly all-loving, self-contained and perfect Being? The most humanly-charitable view might equate it to a friend or family member that misses your love and attention, but with all the well-wishing and desire for your well-being in spite of whatever situation prevents it. They crave it, enjoy having it, but they aren't insane and driven to extreme to get it, nor do they love you less when they can't have it returned. You could crank it up several notches, such that one could imagine how some long-suffering people put up with continuing to support and love those that actively spurn or ignore this from them.
As a side note, there are positive kinds of jealousy, sort of. Like one says "I envy your courage" or something, I guess.
What is jealousy when even divested of that need? What is a purely altruistic sort of jealousy? One could not attribute a selfishness to God, right? Or is it all selfish, because in a sort of roundabout way, it's all His anyway, so it's sort of His right to want it all? It feels like some cusp of a paradox, which would be hard for a human-biased (or any kind of bias) mind to put into proper perspective.
But you're right, TC: What would God even get out of it? He is supposed to be complete, infinite, all-loving. He could have had enough with just Himself. Did He need Creation at all? (There might be a side-discussion about the inevitability of existence/creation or not, which might only tangentially relate.)
Whether or not Creation was inevitable, considering it's here, God probably might have it in His character to want that love. There might be more metaphysics and philosophy to it than might be worth diving into, but it could be a matter of Identity, something to do with a becoming for experiential reality, the unfolding of Infinity.
...Now consider such a Being having infinite patience and foresight. It's almost like a weird wishful thinking. Can God even hope?
Thrall to the Wire of Self-Excited Circuit.
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