The word “Gentiles,” etymologically, has its roots in the Latin language, having no roots at all in the original Hebrew or Greek Bibles.
Whenever I read the word, “Gentiles” in English, I struggle to understand its impact in the context of scripture. I just see eight black letters on a white page. The hollowness at the lack of the meaning seems to reverberate with the echo of an empty United Nations general assembly room. For most English readers, in general, the word falls flat with little comprehension, usually having the traditional meaning of, “non-Jew.” assigned to it.
There is, however, a rich Hebrew and Greek linguistic substrata underlying the use of “Gentiles” in both the Old and New Testaments that we will explore in this blog. We will discover that there is, in fact, a real reason for the lack of understanding of those eight letters. We will see that when we read "Gentiles" on the page, we are simply reading a mere veneer of a powerful substrata of biblical truth below the surface that is represented by those surface level eight letters.
In essence, the power of the word "Gentiles" is found underneath the surface, in the substrata of those eight letters. Let's dig and see what we uncover.
Etymologically, the word “Gentiles” derives from the Latin plural noun “gentilis,” meaning "of the same family or clan.” The root “gene,” has the meaning of, "give birth, beget," referring to procreation and familial relationships and tribal groups,[1] with an extended meaning of "peoples of the world.[2]
Unlike the New Testament word “baptize,” which is a transliteration[3] of the Greek word βαπτίζω (baptizo), and is found in the bible, the word “Gentiles” is not found in the original language of the either the Old or New Testaments. “Gentiles” in the New Testament, is a translation of the Greek word ἔθνη (éthnē) or ἔθνος (ethnos) meaning, “a people group,” “ethnic group,” or “nation” from which English derives the word “ethnic.” “Gentiles,” in the Old Testament, is a translation of the Hebrew word גוי (goy) meaning “peoples of the world” and in a remote sense, in the Hebrew mindset, “heathens."[4]
The original biblical words, Hebrew גוי (goy) and Greek ἔθνη (éthnē), were often translated as "nations" or “families” in early translations and were applied to both Israelites and non-Israelites in the Bible[5] with remote meanings of “peoples,” “family of peoples,” “non Jew,” "stranger," and “heathen.”
Through time, the Latin word “gentilis,” found its way into the Bible via the Latin Vulgate translating the Greek word ἔθνη as "nations," and the Hebrew גוי (goy) as "non-Jewish nations."[6] Once it had secured its place in the Vulgate, “gentilis” was then transliterated in further English translations a “Gentiles.” So today, when we read the word “Gentiles” we understand it to be a mere veneer of the Old and New Testament roots; that is, simply a transliteration of the Latin “gentilis” which was used to translate the Greek word ἔθνη (éthnē), meaning, “a people group,” “ethnic group,” or “nation,” and the Hebrew word גוי (goy) meaning “peoples of the world,” and in a remote sense, in the Hebrew mindset, “heathens."[7] But there is a deeper meaning laying in the substratum beneath the mere veneer.
In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word “goy” (sg.) or “goyim” (pl) is translated as "nation" 374 times, "heathen" 143 times, "Gentiles" 30 times, and "people" 11 times.
In the New Testament, the Greek word, "ἔθνη" (ethne) occurs at least 161 times, translated as “nations” 65 times and as “Gentiles” 96 times. In some cases, "ἔθνη" (ethne) is translated as "people."
The word In the Hebrew Bible, גוי (goy) and its variants appear over 550 times in reference to Israelites and to non-Jewish nations.[8] The first recorded usage of “goy” occurs in Genesis 10:5 and is in reference to non-Jewish nations.
It is interesting to note that the first occurrence of “goy” in the old Testament is in the context of the establishment of the language groups of the world including as a seedling in the growth of the nation of Israel, from whom the Messiah emerged. The context of Genesis 10 indicates a precise and meaningful definition and context of the word that we can apply and carry forth into the rest of Scripture.
Genesis 10, as the pre-sequel[9] to Genesis chapter 11, is a pre-recording of the establishment of the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and most importantly the establishing of the nation (Shem) from whom the Messiah would eventually emerge.
From those three sons of Noah come not only the nation of the Messiah, but also the beginnings of all the nations to whom the God of the universe would send His Messiah.
Moses, as the author, identifies the three “nations” and in each case, after listing the names of each descendent, he concludes with what seems to be a stylistic and codified statement listing three specific identifying marks of what constitutes a “nation.” In each case, Moses seems to identify a nation as a group of people who can be identified by their familial lineage, their land boundaries and by the language they speak. It is hard to miss that Moses summarizes the identity of the nation with a phrase that includes the words “clans,” “languages,” and “lands.”
See the references below:
Summary of Japheth: “from these the coastland peoples spread in their lands, each with his own language, by their clans, in their nations.” 10:5
Summary of Ham: “These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.” 10:20
Summary of Shem: “These are the sons of Shem, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations.” 10:31
And then Moses’ final summation of the group of three also includes similar wording,
“These are the clans of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, in their nations, and from these the nations spread abroad on the earth after the flood.” 10:32
So, if we are looking for a biblical definition of “nations,” it seems that Genesis 10 is the best location to find it – “a group of people related by familial lines (clans) who speak the same language (language) and who live within the same territorial borders (land)”.
It is clear that Genesis 10 does not refer to the geographical boundaries of government control. So, it is not referring to nations in the sense of the represented delegates seated in the United Nations general assembly. It is in reference to people identified by their cultural clan groupings, their cultural language and their cultural and historical claims to land ownership.
It is these people groups who are the target of God’s blessing promised in Genesis 12:3 as He promises Abraham saying,
“I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples/nations-גוי (goy, goyim) (LXX-ἔθνη (éthnē) on earth will be blessed through you.”
It is these people to whom Jesus referred when he directed his disciples to,
“Go and make disciples of all nations- ἔθνη (éthnē).” (Matt 28:19).
And it is the very same people, as a result of the Jesus’ directive, to whom those who have gone refer when they sing[10] to God in adulation,
“All nations- ἔθνη (éthnē) will come and worship you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.” (Matt 28:19).
And it is the very same people-גוי (goy, goyim) & ἔθνη (éthnē)” we see in Revelation 15:3-4 who, at the end of time, will be worshiping the King of the “nations.”
“ And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying,
Great and amazing are your deeds,
O Lord God the Almighty!
Just and true are your ways,
O King of the nations- ἔθνη (éthnē)!
Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations- ἔθνη (éthnē) will come
and worship you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
The very same “nation”-גוי (goy, goyim) at the beginning of time, from which the Messiah emerges in Genesis 10 is the very same “nations”- ἔθνη (éthnē).” to which the Messiah sends His church (Matt 28:19) and the very same people who, at the end of time recognized God’s blessing on them and burst out in a song in worship to Him.
Throughout Scripture, the mere veneer of the term “Gentiles” often translated in other places as the “nations” first emerges as the seedling of the nation of Israel long ago through the clan of Shem, in the lineage of Noah, and then it sprouted in the Abrahamic blessing, further taking root in the gospels and then growing to maturity all the way through to the Revelation.
Understanding the depths beneath the mere veneer of the term “Gentiles” brings a rich understanding to scriptures like Genesis 10:5, Genesis, 12:3, Matthew 28:19 and Revelation 15:4.
The idea that from one nation with one language God created all the nations and languages of the earth and set their land boundaries in place and gave them an allotted period of history in which to exist is not a fancy of someone’s imagination. It is biblical narrative.
For example, the apostle, when Paul speaking to the Athenians, seemed to indicate that this is his view of the story of the Bible. Luke tells us exactly that in Acts 17:26. Paul understood the overall biblical story and specifically the thrust of Genesis 10 and 11 to be that the reason God created the “nations” was for the very purpose that they should, “seek God and find Him” (Acts 17:27.) Creating the nations seems to be a evangelistic strategy of God to make Himself known to them all.
It makes sense then, in light of that fact, that it is to the “nations’ that Jesus sends His disciples (Matthew 28:19); that is for the specific purpose that the nations might “find God” and might recognize His “acts of righteousness” and “worship Him”, (Revelation 15:4.)
From all of this can we conclude that it is God’s intent, from the beginning of time to the end of time, that all nations worship Him as a result of “seeing His righteous acts?” It is the strategy He chose to make Himself known. I believe so!
Applying this same substratum definition of the word “Gentiles” to Paul’s letter to the Romans, we will gain a broader understanding of Paul’s intent for this letter. We will see how Romans is part of biblical revelation within the overall story of God reaching the nations.
In my next blog, we will look at Romans 9:22-24: “The Gentiles: God’s Vessels Created Beforehand for His Wrath and Mercy.”
[1] https://www.etymonline.com/word/gentile [2] http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6585-gentile [3] to change (letters, words, etc.) into corresponding characters of another alphabet or language: i.e. βαπτίζω=Baptiz(e)
[4] http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6585-gentile
[5] "GENTILE - JewishEncyclopedia.com". jewishencyclopedia.com. [6] https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gentile [7] http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/6585-gentile [8] http://www.seraia.com/seraiauk/lexicon/Goyim.htm [9] Or more precisely a prolepsis. [10] Note the origin of this song in Revelation 15, i.e. “Moses and the Lamb”, and the content of the song, “The King of the nations being worshipped by all the nations.” It has been God’s intent from the beginning of time to the end of time that all nations worship Him as a result of “seeing His righteous acts.”