Dictionary Definition
gentile adj : belonging to or characteristic of
non-Jewish peoples
Noun
2 a person who is not a member of one's own
religion; used in this sense by Mormons and Hindus
3 in this sense `Gentile' denotes a Christian as
contrasted with a Jew; `goy' is a derogatory word for Christians
used by Jews [syn: non-Jew, goy]
User Contributed Dictionary
Pronunciation
- /ˈʤɛntaɪl/, /"dZEntaIl/
Adjective
gentile- non-Jewish
- aristocratic; upper class; polite and proper
Translations
- Finnish: ei-juutalainen, aristokraattinen, yläluokkainen, kohtelias, asiallinen
Related terms
French
Adjective
- Form of feminine, gentil
Italian
Noun
Related terms
Extensive Definition
The word Gentile is an anglicised version of the
Latin word gentilis, meaning of or belonging to a clan or tribe. In
the King
James and various other versions of the Bible it is used to
refer to non-Israelite tribes or nations, as an English translation
of the Hebrew words goy /
גוי and nochri / נכרי. It
is also used to translate the New
Testament Greek word εθνοι/ethnoi. 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.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
- Main article Mormonism and Judaism.
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.
Footnotes and References
See also
External links
gentile in Catalan: Jentil
gentile in Welsh: Cenhedlig
gentile in Spanish: Goy
gentile in Basque: Jentil
gentile in Italian: Gentili
gentile in French: Gentils
gentile in Lithuanian: Gentilės
gentile in Portuguese: Gentio
gentile in Simple English: Gentile
gentile in Serbian: Gentiles
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
atheist, atheistic, clannish, disbeliever, ethnic, family, genetic, gentilic, giaour, goy, goyish, heathen, infidel, infidelic, kaffir, lineal, minimifidian, misbelieving, national, non-Christian,
non-Jew, non-Jewish, non-Mohammedan, non-Mormon, non-Moslem,
non-Muhammadan, non-Muslim, nonbeliever, nullifidian, pagan, phyletic, phylogenetic, profane, racial, secularist, shegets, shiksa, totemic, tribal, unbeliever, unbelieving, unchristian, uncircumcised, zendician, zendik, zendikite