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the Bible -- it might surprise some of you to realize who and what people this word is correctly
applied to.

Most believing Christians simply do not care -- or they "reason" that it does not matter who
the Gentiles are. We will show that it matters VERY MUCH who the "Gentiles" are, because this
understanding is directly linked to the death and sacrifice of Yeshua the Messiah. We must come to
realize that we live in a deceived world; and the Bible is no longer regarded as the guide book for
determining what is truth and what is not truth.

Jews, Gentiles and Others

People seem to have a problem with the Biblical intent and meaning of the words "Jews"
and "Gentiles" as found in the context of scripture. We find the word "Gentiles" 121 times in the
entire Bible -- and it is always plural except in two places. In the Old Testament the Hebrew word
gowy is translated "Gentiles," and is No. 01471 in Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the
Bible:

01471 gowy {go'-ee} rarely (shortened) goy {go'-ee} apparently from the same root as
01465; TWOT -- 326e AV -- nation 374, heathen 143, Gentiles 30, people 11; 558 n m
1) nation, people 1a2) OF DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM 1a3) OF ISRAEL 1b) pf
swarm of locusts, other animals (fig. n pr m 1c) Goyim? = "nations"

Usually this word means nation or people; however, it is interesting to see that this mean-
ing could also apply to THE DESCENDANTS OF ABRAHAM AND ISRAEL -- as well as to
non-Hebrew people (1a2, 3). Keep this in mind -- it is very important to understand as we pro-
gress through this article!

The only time that the word "Gentile" is found in the singular form in the Bible is in Ro-
mans 2:9-10. Here the apostle Paul referred to a "Gentile" on a personal and individual level in-
stead of on a national basis.

Now, whenever the words "nation" or "nations" appear in the Bible, they could also be
translated "Gentiles." It means the same thing and is the SAME word. The translators of our Bibles
used the word that was best suited for a particular scripture. For instance, in Genesis 12:2, it
wouldn't make much sense if this verse was translated "I will make of thee a great 'Gentile'" in-
stead of "I will make of thee a great NATION." The translators used "nation" in this verse since it
made better sense than "Gentile," and was best suited for this particular scripture. However, it is
the SAME Hebrew word.

In the New Testament the word "ethnos" is used for "Gentiles" and in most cases means na-
tion or people, which is the same meaning as that used in the Old Testament. The word "ethnos" is
No. 1484 in Strong's Concordance --

1484 ethnos {eth'-nos} probably from 1486; TDNT 2: 364, 201; n n
AV -- Gentiles 93, nation 64, heathen 5, people 2; 164

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