n2thelight
Member
A great deal of confusion and misunderstanding has been caused by the use of the word "gentile" in the English translation of the Bible.
Let us take up a brief study of it. It should always be remembered that foreign languages often lose the strength of their meaning through translation. Then it should also be remembered that some words have many meanings.
Take the word man as an illustration. Generically speaking it means mankind generally, both men and women. But if it is used in the same sentence with the word woman, it means the male of the species. If it is used in the same sentence with the word boy it means the mature of the species. Thus the word man has three meanings, the meaning of the word being determined by its use in the context.
Now the word gentile is a translation of the Hebrew word goi (singular) and goyim (plural) and the Greek word ethnos (singular) and ethne (plural). Using the word gentile to translate these words is often misleading because it is a misapplication of the Hebrew and Greek words as used in the Bible. The modern use of the word has come to mean non-Yahudi or non-Israel, but that meaning cannot be maintained in the face of the evidence I will present in this study.
The Hebrew word goi is a collective noun meaning nation or sometimes a collective body of people. But it has been translated into English may different ways. The word occurs 557 times in the Old Testament. The Authorized Version of the Bible translates it gentile 30 times; heathen 142 times; nation 373 times; people 11 times; another once. But the American Standard Version cuts the occurrence of gentile from 30 to 9 times, and then shows in the footnotes of 5 of those 9 times that the word nations should have been used.
Of course the word nation is not always an exact equivalent term because there is too much of the political significance attached to it. But it is much better than the word gentile and some of our best translators prefer the word nations. This is also shown by the way the Revised Version eliminates the word gentiles.
The same thing is true of the Greek word ethnos. It occurs 164 times in the New Testament. In the Authorized Version it is translated gentiles 93 times; heathen 5 times; nation or nations 64 times; and people twice. In the American Standard Revised Version it is gentiles 96 times in the text and 7 times in the footnotes, making 103 occurrences altogether. But in the footnotes it is corrected 15 times to read nations, making the final count 88. So not only the Hebrew word goi but also the Greek word ethnos has been translated to read nations more than any other word.
Though the word gentiles and the word heathen are used many times in the Bible, we must face the facts that there are no Hebrew or Greek words that would demand this translation.
If the reader will consult a good dictionary, you will find that the word gentile is derived from the Latin word gentilis and properly understood means non-something. As used by a Yahudi or an Israelite it would mean non-Yahudim or non-Israelite. But they are not the only people who have a right to use the word.
For instance, suppose a Buddhist priest spoke Latin and he wanted to refer to the nations that were not Buddhist, he could call them gentilis. In Hebrew and Greek, there is not an exact equivalent to the Latin word gentilis or the English word gentile, nevertheless, if this same priest spoke Hebrew and Greek along with his Latin and wanted to refer to the nations that were not Buddhist, he would call them goyim if speaking Hebrew and ethne if speaking Greek and each time he would naturally include the Yahudim and Israelite people. Likewise a Moslem priest could use the three languages and refer to the Yahudim and Israelites as gentilis, goyim and ethne.
One important thing to always keep in mind is that goi and ethnos are collective nouns and cannot properly be translated to mean an individual person. They always refer to a group. There is no such thing as A GENTILE; it is always plural. Gentiles in its plural sense may at times be used to translate goi and ethnos but its use gives an added thought not intended in the original word which cannot in every case be justified.
Another important word found in the Hebrew text, which needs only passing notice is the Hebrew word "am" and is found many times in the Old Testament text. It is translated nation 17 times. It is usually translated people, for it occurs that way 1,835 times in our English text. Occasionally it is qualified by the phrase "every people", but when it is rendered "the people" it usually means Israel. But this is not the word that has been the source of misunderstanding. Translations of the Hebrew word goi and the Greek word ethnos have caused the trouble.
The Hebrew word goi and the Greek word ethnos in their singular and plural forms are used three ways in the Bible:
1.In referring to the Israelite and Yahudim people, let us note the verses which follow below found in the Old Testament and New Testament which refer either to Israel or the Yahudi as a nation and use the Hebrew word goi and the Greek word ethnos. To demonstrate the absurdity of always translating the word goi or ethnos as gentile we suggest that you read the following verses substituting the word gentile or heathen, for nation or nations:
Gen. 12:2-"I will make of thee a great nation."
Gen. 17:4,5-"A father of many nations have I made thee."
Gen. 20:4-"Lord, wilt thou slay a righteous nation?" (heathen).
Gen. 25:23-"Two nations are in thy womb." (Try the word heathen or gentile in that verse).
Gen. 35:11-"A nation and a company of nations"
Gen. 48:19-"Thy seed shall become a multitude of nations."
Isa. 1:4-"Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity."
Isa. 10:6-"Send him against an hypocritical nation."
Jer. 31:36-"Shall cease from being a nation before me."
Luke 7:5-"He loveth our nation and hath built us a synagogue."
John 11:48-"The Romans will come and take our place and nation."
John 11:50-"That one man should die for the people and that the whole nation perish not."
Acts 24:2-"Worthy deeds are done unto this nation by the providence."
Acts 24:17-"I came to bring alm to my nation."
Excerpt from the below link.......
http://assemblyoftrueisrael.com/Documents/Thewordgentile.html
Let us take up a brief study of it. It should always be remembered that foreign languages often lose the strength of their meaning through translation. Then it should also be remembered that some words have many meanings.
Take the word man as an illustration. Generically speaking it means mankind generally, both men and women. But if it is used in the same sentence with the word woman, it means the male of the species. If it is used in the same sentence with the word boy it means the mature of the species. Thus the word man has three meanings, the meaning of the word being determined by its use in the context.
Now the word gentile is a translation of the Hebrew word goi (singular) and goyim (plural) and the Greek word ethnos (singular) and ethne (plural). Using the word gentile to translate these words is often misleading because it is a misapplication of the Hebrew and Greek words as used in the Bible. The modern use of the word has come to mean non-Yahudi or non-Israel, but that meaning cannot be maintained in the face of the evidence I will present in this study.
The Hebrew word goi is a collective noun meaning nation or sometimes a collective body of people. But it has been translated into English may different ways. The word occurs 557 times in the Old Testament. The Authorized Version of the Bible translates it gentile 30 times; heathen 142 times; nation 373 times; people 11 times; another once. But the American Standard Version cuts the occurrence of gentile from 30 to 9 times, and then shows in the footnotes of 5 of those 9 times that the word nations should have been used.
Of course the word nation is not always an exact equivalent term because there is too much of the political significance attached to it. But it is much better than the word gentile and some of our best translators prefer the word nations. This is also shown by the way the Revised Version eliminates the word gentiles.
The same thing is true of the Greek word ethnos. It occurs 164 times in the New Testament. In the Authorized Version it is translated gentiles 93 times; heathen 5 times; nation or nations 64 times; and people twice. In the American Standard Revised Version it is gentiles 96 times in the text and 7 times in the footnotes, making 103 occurrences altogether. But in the footnotes it is corrected 15 times to read nations, making the final count 88. So not only the Hebrew word goi but also the Greek word ethnos has been translated to read nations more than any other word.
Though the word gentiles and the word heathen are used many times in the Bible, we must face the facts that there are no Hebrew or Greek words that would demand this translation.
If the reader will consult a good dictionary, you will find that the word gentile is derived from the Latin word gentilis and properly understood means non-something. As used by a Yahudi or an Israelite it would mean non-Yahudim or non-Israelite. But they are not the only people who have a right to use the word.
For instance, suppose a Buddhist priest spoke Latin and he wanted to refer to the nations that were not Buddhist, he could call them gentilis. In Hebrew and Greek, there is not an exact equivalent to the Latin word gentilis or the English word gentile, nevertheless, if this same priest spoke Hebrew and Greek along with his Latin and wanted to refer to the nations that were not Buddhist, he would call them goyim if speaking Hebrew and ethne if speaking Greek and each time he would naturally include the Yahudim and Israelite people. Likewise a Moslem priest could use the three languages and refer to the Yahudim and Israelites as gentilis, goyim and ethne.
One important thing to always keep in mind is that goi and ethnos are collective nouns and cannot properly be translated to mean an individual person. They always refer to a group. There is no such thing as A GENTILE; it is always plural. Gentiles in its plural sense may at times be used to translate goi and ethnos but its use gives an added thought not intended in the original word which cannot in every case be justified.
Another important word found in the Hebrew text, which needs only passing notice is the Hebrew word "am" and is found many times in the Old Testament text. It is translated nation 17 times. It is usually translated people, for it occurs that way 1,835 times in our English text. Occasionally it is qualified by the phrase "every people", but when it is rendered "the people" it usually means Israel. But this is not the word that has been the source of misunderstanding. Translations of the Hebrew word goi and the Greek word ethnos have caused the trouble.
The Hebrew word goi and the Greek word ethnos in their singular and plural forms are used three ways in the Bible:
1.In referring to the Israelite and Yahudim people, let us note the verses which follow below found in the Old Testament and New Testament which refer either to Israel or the Yahudi as a nation and use the Hebrew word goi and the Greek word ethnos. To demonstrate the absurdity of always translating the word goi or ethnos as gentile we suggest that you read the following verses substituting the word gentile or heathen, for nation or nations:
Gen. 12:2-"I will make of thee a great nation."
Gen. 17:4,5-"A father of many nations have I made thee."
Gen. 20:4-"Lord, wilt thou slay a righteous nation?" (heathen).
Gen. 25:23-"Two nations are in thy womb." (Try the word heathen or gentile in that verse).
Gen. 35:11-"A nation and a company of nations"
Gen. 48:19-"Thy seed shall become a multitude of nations."
Isa. 1:4-"Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity."
Isa. 10:6-"Send him against an hypocritical nation."
Jer. 31:36-"Shall cease from being a nation before me."
Luke 7:5-"He loveth our nation and hath built us a synagogue."
John 11:48-"The Romans will come and take our place and nation."
John 11:50-"That one man should die for the people and that the whole nation perish not."
Acts 24:2-"Worthy deeds are done unto this nation by the providence."
Acts 24:17-"I came to bring alm to my nation."
Excerpt from the below link.......
http://assemblyoftrueisrael.com/Documents/Thewordgentile.html
