The term
Gentile (from
Latin,
gentilis, meaning of or belonging to a clan or tribe) refers to non-
Israelite tribes or nations in English translations of the
Bible, most notably the
King James Version.
It serves as the Latin and subsequently English translation of the
Hebrew words
גוי (
goy) and
נכרי (
nokhri) in the
Old Testament and the
Greek word
ἔθνη (
éthnē) in the
New Testament.
Today, the primary meaning of
gentile is "
non-Jew".
Latin etymology
Gentile derives from Latin
gens (from which, together with forms of the cognate Greek word
genos, also derive
gene, general,
genus and
genesis). The original meaning of "clan" or "family" was extended in post-Augustan Latin to acquire the wider meaning of belonging to a distinct nation or ethnicity. Later still the word came to mean "foreign", i.e. non-Roman. After the Christianization of the empire it could also be used of pagan or barbarian cultures.
Early Christianity
"Gentile" in the context of
Early Christianity meant "non-Jewish". It was a matter of dispute whether proselytization should be extended to the gentiles (that is, the Greco-Roman population of the Roman Empire) or whether it should remain restricted to the
Jewish communities throughout the Empire.
Attached to this question was the
Circumcision controversy in early Christianity, i.e., does a gentile need to convert to Judaism before he can convert to Christianity. The position of the
Judaizers was that this was a necessity, taking Christianity to remain fully within Judaism, including obedience to the
Torah Laws.
The opposite position was defended by
Paul of Tarsus who argued against the Judaizers. The
Council of Jerusalem decided in favour of the more liberal position, allowing converts to forgo
circumcision. This decision contributed to the rapid spread of Christianity, since it made Christianity a more attractive option for interested pagans than
Rabbinic Judaism which instituted a more stringent circumcision procedure in response, see
Brit milah.
In the Bible
In
Saint Jerome's Latin version of the Bible, the
Vulgate,
gentilis was used in this wider sense, along with
gentes, to translate Greek and Hebrew words with similar meanings that referred to the non-Israelite peoples.
The most important of such Hebrew words was
goyim (singular,
goy), a term with the broad meaning of "peoples" or "nations" which was sometimes used to refer to Israelites, but most commonly as a generic label for other peoples.
Strong's Concordance defines
goy as "nation, people usually of non-Hebrew people, or of descendants of Abraham of Israel, or of a swarm of locusts or other animals (fig.)
Goyim = "nations". Strongs #1471
In the KJV
Gentile is only one of several words used to translate goy or goyim. It is translated as "nation" 374 times, "heathen" 143 times, "Gentiles" 30 times, and "people" 11 times. Some of these verses, such as
Genesis 12:2 and
Genesis 25:23 refer to Israelites or descendants of Abraham. Other verses, such as
Isaiah 2:4 and
Deuteronomy 11:23 are generic references to any nation. Typically the KJV restricts the use of
Gentile as a translation when the text is specifically referring to non-Israelites. For example, the only use of the word in Genesis is in chapter 10, verse 5, referring to the peopling of the world by descendents of
Japheth, "By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations."
In the
New Testament, the word translates Greek terms for peoples in general, and is used
specifically to indicate non-
Jewish peoples, as in Jesus's command to the apostles in Matthew chapter 10,
These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Here
Gentiles becomes a synonym for pagan cultures of the period.
Altogether, the word is used 123 times in the King James Version of the Bible and 168 times in the New Revised Standard Version.
Modern usage
As in the King James Bible, from the 17th century onwards
gentile was most commonly used to refer to non-Jews. This was in the context of European Christian societies with a Jewish minority. For this reason
Gentile commonly meant persons brought up in the
Christian faith, as opposed to the adherents of
Judaism, and was not typically used to refer to non-Jews in non-Western cultures.
Latter-day Saints Church usage
In the terminology of
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ("LDS Church"; see also
Mormon) the word Gentile takes on different meanings in different contexts, which may confuse some and alienate others. Members of the LDS church regard themselves as regathered Israelites, and so sometimes use the word "Gentile" to refer to non-members. In such usage Jews may be colloquially referred to as "Gentiles" because they are not members of the LDS Church. However, the traditional meaning is also to be found in the introduction to the
Book of Mormon, in the statement that it is written to both "Jew" (literal descendants of the
House of Israel) and "Gentile" (those not descended from the House of Israel or those of the
tribe of Ephraim scattered among the "Gentiles" throughout the earth).
In order to avoid confrontation and pejorative connotations, Latter-day Saints in the 21st century avoid using the term "Gentile" in everyday matters, preferring "non-member". "Gentile" is usually reserved for discussions of scriptural passages.
British Israelism
In
British Israelism, which claims that the
Anglo-Saxon nations are direct descendants of the lost tribes of ancient Israel, the word "gentiles" is used to refer to all nations which are not of "Israelite" origin. Some schools of British Israelism consider that most nations of western and Northern
Europe are tribes of Israel as well, and thus non-gentile nations.
See also
Footnotes and References
