The Gentiles

It's a fact that you can learn something new every day.

 

I like to do word studies when reading the Bible. Today I found out that the word "Gentile" used in Genesis 10:5 is actually a Latin word! How did a Latin word get into the Old Testament when we know it was written in Hebrew and Aramaic? Ah, humans. We know in the late 4th century St. Jerome translated the Old Testament from Greek to Latin for the Roman Empire. He later translated it from the Hebrew/Aramaic language to Latin correcting translation errors he found in the Greek translations. The 4th century translators used the Latin word Gentile over and over in the OT describing foreign nations, foreign peoples. Those who were not a part of God's promise of a chosen nation.

 

Genesis 10:5 (KJV)

'By these were the isles of the [Gentiles] divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their [nations]. '

(brackets of the words are mine)

 

Moses was the author of The Book of Genesis and we understand Hebrew would have been his language of preference. In this verse the word used in the OT is the Hebrew word "goy goy" which means "nation", "people", "heathen", "pagan", those other than God's chosen people, first called Hebrew's then called Israelite's. The same word "goy goy" is the final word in this same verse which they did translate "nations". In OT times there was no Hebrew word "Gentile". In New Testament times the word in Greek is "ethnos" which is "a foreign nation". Those people who are not Jewish.

 

Now when I read scripture and find the word Gentile I understand the original translation was a non-Jewish foreign "nation". Foreign in respects to the Israelite nation, differentiating the two separate nations of people.

Even though Jesus sent the apostles out the Jewish nation first he then blessed the Gentile centurion and also the Gentile woman at the well in Samaria. We know he loves the Gentile people who come to belief in him and grafts (adopts) us into the kingdom of God! One people following the One True God.

 

In the following commentary Mr. Nelte did a good job explaining and thank you for letting me share my thoughts with you, my friends.

 

franknelte.net

THE USE OF THE WORD "GENTILE" IN THE BIBLE - franknelte.net