Over the centuries, Gentiles have been viewed negatively by some, positively by others. Too often this has resulted in judgmentalism, strife, and division between opposing camps. Who were the gentiles?
The term “Gentiles” appears 130 times in the KJV English…30 times in the Old Testament (OT) and 100 times in the New Testament (NT). It’s almost always plural in our Bibles. We may speak of ‘a gentile’, but the singular rarely appears.
The term gentiles came into the English language around 1300 AD from the Latin terms gens/géntis and géntilis (and the French gens). The Latin nouns gens & gentis (genitive singular) meant a nation, people, tribe, or clan in a non-theological ethnic sense. The Latin adjective gentilis meant of or belonging to/pertaining to a nation, people, etc.
Jerome’s Latin Vulgate version of the Bible was composed around 400 AD. It used the Latin term gens and sometimes gentilis. The English term gentiles in the Bible is derived from the Latin Vulgate.
In Biblical Hebrew and Greek, there is no exact equivalent for the Latin term gentilis. The term “gentiles” doesn’t appear in the Hebrew or Greek language OT, nor in the Greek NT.
In the Hebrew OT, goy or góyim (plural) Strongs h1471 is the term translated “gentiles” in English (via the Latin). The KJV OT translates goy/goyim as nation 374 times, heathen 143 times, people 11 times, Gentiles 30 times (usually as non-Jews). The term translated “gentiles” in the Greek OT Septúagint/LXX and Greek NT is éthnos g1484.
Also the Greek term Héllen g1672, meaning Greeks, occurs in the NT 27 times. But it is translated “Gentiles” 7 times in the KJV English (in Jn.7:35; Ro.2:9 & 10 singular, Ro.3:9; 1Co.10:32, 12:13).
The Greek term ethnos, generally meaning nation, is used in both the Greek OT (translated by Jews) and Greek NT. To compare ‘apples to apples’ so to speak, I’ll use ethnos (rather than the Hebrew goy/goyim) as the primary term to identify gentiles in the OT (LXX) and the NT both.
Ethnos g1484 occurs 550 times in the LXX and 164 times in the NT. Ethnos means nation or a people group with the same nature/genus. Ethnos singular is a collective noun referring to a collective people group. But ethnos isn’t used in scripture for a single ‘gentile’ (‘gentile’ for ethnos doesn’t appear). Of the 164 NT uses, 100 are the plural éthne, translated “gentiles” (not “nations”) 93 times in the KJV.
Not in the OT LXX, nor in the NT, do we see one consistent sole application for the term ethnos. The term ethnos (and goy in the Hebrew OT) can represent parts (sometimes opposing), or, the whole of humanity. A sýnecdoche figure of speech is when the whole/majority is used for a part, or a part of the whole for the whole macrocosm. For example, the United States is often called ‘America’, but actually there are many countries/nations in the Americas. The term ethnos is used somewhat similarly.
The term ethnos g1484 (and the Hebrew goy h1471) represents or is applied three ways in the Bible. Here’s the three representations with scriptural examples.
1. Ethnos can refer to either Israel or Jews as a nation. (But usually “people” LXX & NT laós g2992, Hebrew OT am h5971, is used for Israel/Jews.) Following are verses where ethnos refers to Israel/Jews:
Ge.35:11 a nation and company of nations would come from Jacob/Israel. Ex.19:6 Israel was to be a holy nation (ethnos)…Israel was to be a holy goy (Hebrew)! Is.1:1, 4 the southern kingdom of Judah became a sinful nation (ethnos)…a sinful goy. Is.10:5-7 Assyria would come against the hypocritical nation of Israel (and others). Je.31:36 the posterity of New Covenant Israel would remain. Lk.7:2-5 the centurion built a synagogue for the Jewish nation (ethnos). Jn.11:47-48 priests feared the Romans would take away the Jewish nation. Jn.18:35 Pilate spoke of the Jews’ nation (ethnos). Ac.10:22 the Italian Cornelius got a good report from the Jews’ nation. Ac.26:4 Paul’s manner of life was known by his Jewish nation. In the preceding sample of verses, ethnos/ethne referred to Israel or the Jews.
2. Ethnos most commonly refers to non-Israelites or non-Jews. Over time, the term gentiles became synonymous with heathens or non-Jews, outsiders distinct from Jews. Although this trend didn’t fully absorb the basic ethne definition “nations”, the trend contributed to the ethnic sense of the Latin term gentilis. In this sense, the Latin term (and the English term “gentiles”) does express the intended meaning or perceived disparity. Also see the topics, “Strangers’ in Ancient Bible Texts” and “Israelites Identification”.
In the NT, ethne are people in general who are distinct from the Jews. However, in the NT Greek the term doesn’t reflect Jesus or His apostles speaking of them in an emphatically disparaging manner. In Judaism, the term goy (ethnos in Greek) increasingly was used in a disparaging sense of negative judgment. Many Jews viewed it like…us versus them (and vice versa for gentiles). To many Jews, children of mixed marriages were bastards, De.23:2. (ref Jn.18:28 & Ac.11:3 for Jewish prejudice).
That’s one reason why many Greeks & Romans disliked Jews. Some, but not all, rabbinic writings display hostility toward gentiles, because the “nations” frequently persecuted the Jewish people.
Around 1600 AD (the time of the English KJV) the term gentiles referred to (Christian) non-Jews in European cities which had Jewish minorities. And today, gentiles means non-Jews or non-Israelites. Following are verses where ethnos refers to non-Israelites/non-Jews:
Ge.10:5, 20, 31-32 nations come from Noah’s three sons in those early post-Flood years, before there were any Jews. Ge.17:20 a nation (ethnos) was to come from Abraham’s son Ishmaél. Ex.9:24 Egypt was a nation (ethnos). Ge.25:23 Jacob and Esau to be two nations. (But to apply the term ‘gentiles’ to Jacob in this verse wouldn’t fit, according to today’s evolved definition!) 1Sm.8:5 nations other than Israel had kings. 2Ki.17:26 people from foreign nations replaced most Israelites in Samaria (assimilation ensued). 1Ch.18:11 nations are listed. Is.37:11-12 nations had gods. Je.10:1-2 nations/heathen observed signs from heavenly bodies. Lk.18:32 Jesus was to be delivered to Pilate and the Romans, people of other nations. 1Co.10:20 other nations sacrifice to demons. Ep.2:11 people of other nations (gentiles) were the uncircumcised. Ep.4:17-19 peoples of nations were then even past feeling, according to Paul. In these sample verses, ethnos/ethne referred to non-Israelites or non-Jews.
{Sidelight: Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 17:11:4 lists the peoples of Lk.3:1, plus others, among the countries of Palestine (paying tribute to Rome). These regions/nations/provinces were in a state of flux. They had an éthnarch prince. These countries were then: Judaea, Samaria, Decapolis, Batania, Abilene, Trachonitis, Gaulanitis, Peréa, Galilee, Iduméa, Ituréa. (cf. Mt.10:18, 23) Josephus called Idumeans & Itureans “half Jews”. In 120 BC, John Hýrcanus compelled Idumeans (Edomites) to accept Judaism and be circumcised. Itureans were Arabians living between the Sea of Galilee and Damascus, circumcised forcibly by Jews in 100 BC. Alexander Jánaeus tried to force circumcision on Galilee gentiles. Samaritans practiced circumcision. In Acts 15, circumcision was a big issue for the early church…to be saved, “gentiles” needn’t first become Jewish proselytes! (see “Circumcision in the Bible”.)
Jesus told eleven apostles the great commission of Mt.28:19. “Go and instruct all nations [ethnos]”. Yet later, disciples were contentious when the first uncircumcised gentiles were granted repentance…in Caesárea, the admin capital of the Judaea province (Ac.10:1, 24, 45, 11:3, 18)! Had the disciples in Ac.11 misunderstood the commission? Benson Commentary Mt.28:19 “The prejudices of the apostles led them, at first, to mistake the sense of it, and to imagine that it referred only to their going to preach the gospel to the Jews among all nations, or to those who should be willing to become Jews.” Later it was primarily Paul who apostled nations/gentiles westward, outside the Palestine countries (Ep.3:1-8).}
3. Ethnos can refer to all the nations…this includes Israelites/the Jews and non-Israelites/non-Jews. Following are verses where ethnos refers to all nations:
Ge.22:18 “In your [Abraham’s] seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed.” All to be blessed through his seed (Jesus, Ga.3:16). Ps.22:27-28 all families of the nations will worship the Lord. Ps.72:11 all nations & kings shall serve God. Mt.24:14 the gospel of the kingdom of God to be preached to all nations of the inhabited earth. Ac.17:26 God has made all nations on earth of one blood!
Ethnos/nation g1484 is used for those having a common government, territory or ethnicity. Other Bible terms which relate to ethnos are people laos g2992 (those having a common history), tribe phulé g5443 (those having a common descent), tongue glossá g1100 (those having a common language).
Some verses which reflect all these related terms: Da.4:1 LXX “King Nebuchadnézzar to all peoples, tribes, and tongues who dwell in all the earth.”…in other words, to whoever might hear it. Da.7:13-14 “The Son of Man was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom; that all peoples, tribes and tongues should serve Him.” Re.5:9 “You were slain, and did redeem us to God by Thy blood, out of every tribe, and tongue, and people, and nation.” Re.7:9 “Behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from all nations and tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.” Re.14:6 “The eternal gospel to proclaim to those dwelling on the earth, to every nation, tribe, tongue, people.” Revelation fulfills the prophecy of Da.7:14!
If those verses in Revelation don’t mean all nations/people groups, Jews and non-Jews, what other old Greek terms would have better conveyed “all”?! (Terms for groups comprising “all”, “pas” g3956.)
And all nations (ethnos) includes people groups descending from Noah’s sons Shem, Ham and Jápheth after the Flood (Ge.10:1, 5, 20, 31-32). e.g. Is.19:23-25 Israel, Egypt and Assyria reconciled.
To recap…Nation/ethnos/goy can refer to: 1. Israelites or Jews. 2. Non-Israelites or non-Jews. 3. All nations/people groups (1 + 2). Generally, the best translation of ethnos is “nations”. The Latin gentilis (English gentiles) secondarily came to mean peoples considered by Jews to be outside God’s covenant.
But according to Paul, the nations/gentiles are grafted-in to partake of the Lord’s New Covenant with the house of Israel (He.8:10)! Paul in Ro.11:13, “I speak to you nations [gentiles], as I am the apostle to the nations [gentiles]”. v.17 “You, being a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them.” v.23-26 “But a hardening has come to part of Israel until the fullness of the nations [gentiles] be come in. All Israel shall be saved.” Salvation is available to all people groups!
Col.3:11 “There is no distinction between Greek (Hellen g1672) and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, slave and free, but Christ is in all.” Humanity is of one blood (Ac.17:26 KJV). God is love (1Jn.4:8), and will have all men to be saved (1Ti.2:3-4), and to love one another (Jn.13:34-35). Jews and gentiles.
The day will come when strife & division among peoples and nations will end. Cooperation will ensue. No more biased us versus them! Re.21:23-26 “The city…Light is the Lamb. And the nations [gentiles] that are saved shall walk in the light of it, and the kings of the earth bring the glory and honor of the nations into it.” Nations/gentiles and peace in the holy city, New Jerusalem (v.2). To God be the glory!
Bible Topic Exposition 