Gentile (/ˈdʒɛntaɪl/) is a word that today usually means someone who is not Jewish.[1][2] Othergroups that claim Israelite heritage, notablyMormons, have historically used the termgentile to describe outsiders.[3][4][5] More rarely, the term is used as a synonym forheathen,pagan.[5] As a term used to describe non-members of a religious/ethnic group,gentile is sometimes compared to other words used to describe the "outgroup" in other cultures[6] (seeList of terms for ethnic out-groups).
In some translations of theQuran,gentile is used to translate an Arabic word that refers to non-Jews and/or people not versed in or not able to read scripture.[7]
The English wordgentile derives from theLatin wordgentilis, meaning "of or belonging to the same people or nation" (from Latin gēns 'clan, tribe, people, family'). Archaic and specialist uses of the wordgentile in English (particularly in linguistics) still carry this meaning of "relating to a people or nation."[5] The development of the word to principally mean "non-Jew" in English is entwined with the history ofBible translations from Hebrew and Greek into Latin and English. Its meaning has also been shaped byRabbinical Jewish thought andChristian theology.[8]
"Gentile" derives from Latingentilis, which itself derives from the Latingens, meaning clan or tribe.Gens derives from theProto-Indo-European*ǵénh₁tis, meaning birth or production.[9] 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 refer to other nations, 'not a Roman citizen'.[10]
InSaint Jerome's Latin version of the Bible, theVulgate,gentilis was used along withgentes, to translate Greek and Hebrew words with similar meanings when the text referred to the non-Israelite peoples. The most important of such Hebrew words wasgoy (גוי, plural,goyim), a term with the broad meaning of "people" or "nation" which was sometimes used to refer to Israelites, but with the plural formgoyim tending to be used in the Bible to refer to non-Israelite nations.[8] Other words translated in some contexts to mean "gentile/s" in the modern sense were the Biblical Hebrew wordnokhri (נכרי – often otherwise translated as 'stranger') and for the New Testament Greek wordéthenē (ἔθνη). The first English translators followed this approach, using the word "gentile" to refer to the non-Israelite nations (and principally using the word "nation(s)" to translategoy/goyim in other contexts). Seethe "Christianity" section.
These developments in Bible translation practice were related to developments in Jewish Rabbinical and Christian thinking[8] which – in the centuries after the Old and New Testament were written – created an increasingly clear binary opposition between "Jew" and "non-Jew".[11] The Hebrew word "goy" went through a change in meaning which parallels the journey of "gentilis/gentile" – both words moving from meaning "nation" to "non-Jew" today. The word "Goy" is now also used in English, principally by Jewish people – seegoy.
In 2006, the academic David Novak wrote, with limited exceptions, "TheBible can be seen as one long discussion of what differentiates Israel from all the other peoples of the world."[12]
TheHebrew Bible does not have a word which directly corresponds to the modern concept of agentile (seeetymology above). Instead, the Bible views different groups of gentiles in different ways. Novak states that, "The biblical categories of Gentiles, beginning with those farthest removed from a relationship with Israel and moving up to those closest to a relationship with Israel, seem to be: (1) the Amalekites; (2) the seven Canaanite nations; (3) the nations of the world; (4) the Samaritans; (5) slaves; (6) resident aliens; (7) proselytes."[12]
The Hebrew Bible does not show much concern for non-Israelites except insofar as they interact with the people of Israel. Nonetheless, because the God of Israel is a universal God, there must be some relationship between gentiles and God. Accordingly, Novak observes, gentiles as well asIsraelites are enjoined in the book of Psalms to "ascribe to the Lord glory and strength" (Psalms 96:7).[12]
Christine E. Hayes states that gentiles in the Hebrew Bible were generallygerim (resident aliens). They were not necessarily converts, whether in the modern or rabbinic sense, but were still given many rights and privileges. They were also allowed to keep their distinct ethnic identities. But afterEzra-Nehemiah, many Israelites believed there was an impermeable ritual and genealogical boundary between themselves and gentiles.[2] However, other scholars argue that the boundary is rooted in religious factors.[13]
Saul Oylan argues that gentiles automatically became Israelite when they lived in one of their tribal territories, which was believed to reflect 'early practices' (Ezekiel 47:21–23).[14]
Troy W. Martin believes Jewishness is defined by adherence to covenantal circumcision, regardless of ancestry (Genesis 17:9–14). Thus, even an uncircumcised Jew could be a gentile despite his biological descent from Abraham. He believes this view was extended to theNew Testament, where membership in God's chosen people was based on religious adherence rather than ancestry (Galatians 3:28).[15]
Tannaim were the rabbinic sages whose views are recorded in theMishnah, from approximately 10–220 CE.
It was thisrabbinic literature of the first centuries CE that developed the concept of the gentile as we understand it today - as "any individual who is not a Jew, erasing all ethnic and social differences among different others".[11]
"Mishnah-Tosefta makes no clear distinction among the various types of non-Israelites. Romans, Greeks, Syrians, Egyptians, and the like are classified merely as gentiles,goyim ornokrim" "The rabbis... had one term for all non-Israelites, whether idolaters or farmers, liars or trustworthy, Greek or Roman."
— Gary G. Porton, 2020[16]
However, the attitudes of the Rabbis to gentiles were not simple or uniform. Porton argues that the Mishnah-Tosefta discusses gentiles for two quite different reasons: firstly, practically, to guide the relations between Israelites and gentiles who were living alongside each other in Palestine. Secondly, at a theoretical level, gentiles are discussed because, in order to define the people of Israel and its symbols and institutions, it was necessary to define who lay outside that group.[16]
Some Tannaim show a positive attitude towards the gentiles.Joshua ben Hananiah believed that there are righteous men amongst the gentiles who will enter the world to come. He believed that except for the descendants of theAmaleks, the rest of the gentiles will adoptmonotheism and the righteous among them will escapeGehenna.[17]
Other rabbinical writings show more hostility towards gentiles which needs to be understood in the context of frequent persecution of the Jews in this period. The most famous and extreme of the anti-gentile teachers isSimeon bar Yochai. He is often quoted byantisemites[17] in his sayings: "The best among the Gentiles deserves to be killed", "The most pious woman is addicted to sorcery" and "The best of snakes ought to have its head crushed".[17] Such extreme views can be explained by the sage's life experience: he witnessed his teacher being tortured to death,[18] and became a fugitive after speaking out against Roman oppression.[19] Later commentators have limited this teaching to idolators and only at times of war.
Eliezer ben Hurcanus writes that the mind of every gentile is always intent uponidolatry.[17] He believed that gentiles only performanimal sacrifice to make a name for themselves. He further believed that gentiles have no share in theworld to come.
Eleazar of Modi'im wrote that Jews, when guilty of the same sin as gentiles, will not enterhell whereas the gentiles will.[17]Eleazar ben Azariah believed that the rulings performed by a gentile court are not valid for Jews.Rabbi Akiva believed that Israel's monotheism is far superior to the ever-changing beliefs of the gentiles.Jose the Galilean criticizes Israel for inconsistency compared to the faithfulness of the gentiles to their ancestral beliefs. He believed the good deeds of the gentiles will be rewarded as well.
Rav Ashi believed that a Jew who sells a gentile property adjacent to a Jewish property should beexcommunicated. The violation of Jewish women by gentile men was so frequent[citation needed] that the rabbis declared that a woman raped by a gentile should not be divorced from her husband, as Torah says: "The Torah outlawed the issue of a gentile as that of a beast."[17] A gentile midwife was not to be employed for fear of the poisoning of the baby. The gentiles should be dealt with caution in cases of using them as witness in a criminal or civil suit. The gentile does not honor his promises like that of a Jew. The laws of the Torah were not to be revealed to the gentiles, for the knowledge of these laws might give gentiles an advantage in dealing with Jews.Shimon ben Lakish wrote that "A gentile who observes Sabbath deserves death".[17]
Underrabbinic law, a modern-day gentile is only required to observe theSeven Laws of Noah, but Jews are required to observeMosaic law. During periods of decreased animosity between Jews and gentiles, some of the rabbinic laws against fellowship and fraternization were relaxed; for example,Maimonides was the personal physician ofSaladin. Even though most contemporary rabbinic schools are not as hostile to Gentiles as Medieval rabbinic schools were[clarification needed], someOrthodox rabbinic schools hold extremely xenophobic views. For example, scholars from theZionistHaRav Kookyeshiva are schooled in the doctrine that Jews and gentiles have different kinds of souls. One of the yeshiva's scholars,David Bar-Hayim, published a paper in 1989 in which he explained the doctrine, entitled "Yisrael Nikraim Adam" (Israel Gentiles Man). In his conclusion, Bar-Hayim writes:
There is no escaping the facts: the Torah of Israel makes a clear distinction between a Jew, who is defined as "Man," and a Gentile. This distinction is expressed in a long list ofHalachic laws, be they monetary laws, the laws of the Temple, capital laws or others. Even one who is not an erudite Torah scholar is obligated to recognize this simple fact; it cannot be erased or obscured ... One who carefully studies the sources cited previously will realize the abysmal difference between the concepts "Jew" and "Gentile" -- and consequently, he will understand why Halacha differentiates between them.[20][21]
Bar-Chayim further quotesAbraham Isaac Kook (1865–1935), founder of the yeshiva and the firstAshkenazi chief rabbi of BritishMandatory Palestine:
The difference between the Jewish soul, in all its independence, inner desires, longings, character and standing, and the soul of all the Gentiles, on all of their levels, is greater and deeper than the difference between the soul of a man and the soul of an animal, for the difference in the latter case is one of quantity, while the difference in the first case is one of essential quality.[22]
Similar anti-gentile remarks have been expressed by the late chief Sephardi RabbiOvadia Yosef, in which he stated in a sermon in 2010 that "The sole purpose of Gentiles is to serve Jews". He said that gentiles served a divine purpose: "Why are Gentiles needed? They will work, they will plow, they will reap. We will sit like an effendi and eat. That is why Gentiles were created.[23] These remarks by Yosef were sharply criticized by many Jewish organizations such as theAnti-Defamation League (ADL) andAmerican Jewish Committee.[24]
Those who hold these views do not necessarily support any sort of harm to non-Jews. Rav Ovadia Yosef, himself, condemned those who vandalized Arab property, as did the vast majority of Orthodox leaders.
Many Orthodox schools have expressed more humanistic views. Rav Aharon Lichtenstein, Rosh Yeshivah of Gush, for example, strongly opposed what he saw as racist attitudes among certain segments of Religious Zionism.[25]
Jewish philosopher and professorMenachem Kellner criticizes the assumption of some Orthodox Jews that there is an "ontological divide between Jews and Gentiles", which he believes is contrary to what the Torah teaches.[26]
SomeKabbalistic writings suggest a distinction between the souls of the gentiles and the souls of the Jews. These writings describe three levels, elements, or qualities of soul:[27]
Other descriptions of the soul add two more levels Chaya and Yechida.
There has been debate among thekabbalists on whether gentiles access the mystical knowledge (Daat).Isaac Luria, prominent kabbalist, wrote:
Israel possesses the three levels of soul, nefesh, ruah, neshamah,—from holiness... the gentiles possess only the level of nefesh from the feminine side of the shells... for the souls of the nations (gentiles), come from theQlippoth, are called evil and not good' since they are created without knowledge (Daat). The animal soul of man is the good and evil inclination. The soul of the gentiles comes from the three shells: wind, cloud and fire, all of them evil.[28]
Moses de León, presumed author of the main kabbalistic workSefer Ha-Zohar, agrees with this assumption:
You know that all of the gentiles (goyim) and all of their matters are in the category of the impure... you must know and discern that the gentiles come from the side of impurity, for the souls of the gentiles derive from the side of impurity[29]
The following passage in theZohar reaffirms this idea:
Said Rabbi Hiyya: If this is true (that neshamah is acquired through following the Torah) is it so that gentiles have no neshamah, only the living nefesh? Rabbi Yohannan said: That is correct.[30]
The view that gentiles only possess bestial souls was more popularized by the main kabbalistic text ofhasidic movement, theTanya (or Likkutei Amarim). RabbiShneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of theChabadhasidic dynasty, claims that Jews like gentiles possess a vital animal soul, but the animal soul of the Jew comes from the fourth husk (Qlippoth nogah), while the animal soul of the gentiles comes from the three lower impure husks (Qlippoth Tumaot). Thus nothing gentiles do can elevate them to the level of holiness, their soul remains trapped in the unholy world of the impure Qlippoth.[31]
However, other Kabbalists likeAbraham Abulafia believed that higher levels of soul are to some extent accessible to gentiles.[32]
The Greekethnos where translated as "gentile" in the context ofearly Christianity implies non-Israelite. In the years after theministry of Jesus, there were questions over the inclusion of non-Jews and the applicability of theLaw of Moses, includingcircumcision. Over a few centuries, this led to a split betweenJewish Christians, who followed Jesus but also Mosaic Law, andPauline Christianity (also known as Gentile Christianity) which abandoned Mosaic Law and eventually became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Jewish Christian beliefs died out around the fifth century, after being rejected by both orthodox Judaism and orthodox Christianity.
With the ministry ofPaul the Apostle thegospel began to be spread among the non-Jewish subjects of the Roman empire. A question existed among the disciples whether receiving the Holy Spirit throughproselytization would be restricted to Israelites or whether it would include the gentiles as inActs 10:34–47:
And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?
Within a few centuries, some Christians used the word "gentiles" to mean non-Christians. The alternativepagani was felt to be less elegant.[33]
In theKing James Version, "gentile" is only one of several words used to translategoy orgoyim. It is translated as "nation" 374 times, "heathen" 143 times, "gentiles" 30 times, and "people" 11 times. Some of these verses, such asGenesis 12:2 ("I will make of thee a great nation") and Genesis 25:23 ("Two nations are in thy womb") refer to Israelites or descendants ofAbraham. Other verses, such asIsaiah 2:4 andDeuteronomy 11:23 are generic references to any nation. Typically, the KJV restricts the translation to "gentile" when the text is specifically referring to non-Jewish people. For example, the only use of the word in Genesis is in chapter 10, verse 5, referring to the peopling of the world bydescendants ofJapheth, "By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations."[34]
In theNew Testament, the Greek wordethnos is used for peoples or nations in general, and is typically translated by the word "people", as in John 11:50. ("Nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not.") The translation "gentiles" is used in some instances, as in Matthew 10:5–6 to indicate non-Israelite peoples:
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.[35]
Altogether, the word is used 123 times in the King James Version of the Bible,[36] and 168 times in the New Revised Standard Version.[37]
In the terminology ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), the word "gentile" can be used to refer to people who are not members of the LDS Church, since members regard themselves as regathered Israelites. The LDS Church's website states this about the meaning of gentile in Scripture (including the Book of Mormon), "As used in the scriptures, gentiles has several meanings. Sometimes it designates people of non-Israelite lineage, sometimes people of non-Jewish lineage, and sometimes nations that are without the gospel, even though there may be some Israelite blood among the people. This latter usage is especially characteristic of the word as used in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants."[3]
Thus, in such usage, Jewish people may be gentiles because they are not members of the LDS Church.[38]
Beyond this Scriptural usage,gentile was widely used by Mormons in day-to-day life in the nineteenth century, with such usage declining through the twentieth century. As with the binary Jew/gentile distinction, the Mormon/gentile distinction arose as Mormons were socially excluded and ostracised: according to John L. Needham ofUtah State University:
"Nineteenth century Mormons in the American West applied 'gentile', as an adjective as much as a slur, to nearly everyone and everything that did not adhere to their faith or desert kingdom. Their xenophobia stood to reason: they were victims of religious discrimination, from ridicule in the press to acts of mob violence. They had been driven from a half dozen eastern states and were denied asylum in all others. Gentile thus served as a call to circle the wagons socially and politically around the fold - a means of naming the other"
— letter,PMLA Journal (1999)[4]
Needham goes on to say that today Mormons have "outgrown the term."[4]
Some translations of theQuran, such as the famousPickthall translation, employed the word "gentile" in some instances of the translation of the Arabic wordالْأُمِّيِّينَ (al-ʼummiyyīn), the definite non-nominative masculine plural ofأُمِّيّ (ʼummiyy), as in, for example, the following verse:
Among thePeople of the Scripture there is he who, if thou trust him with a weight of treasure, will return it to thee. And among them there is he who, if thou trust him with a piece of gold, will not return it to thee unless thou keep standing over him. That is because they say: We have no duty to the Gentiles. They speak a lie concerningAllah knowingly. - Quran3:75
The wordummi occurs six times in the Quran.Pickthall only uses the word gentile once in the above passage and translates other occurrences as illiterate. However many other western scholars of theQuran came to similar conclusion that the wordummi is equal to the Hebrew wordGoyim.Edward Henry Palmer used the word gentile in his translation of theQuran several times including in the following verse:
He is who sent unto the Gentiles a prophet amongst themselves to recite to them his signs and to purify them the book and wisdom although they were before in obvious error. -Quran 62:2[39]
Palmer likePickthall did not translate all instances of the wordummi as Gentiles, but his comment on chapter 3 verse 19 shows his opinion :
Mohammad seems to have borrowed the expression from the Jews,ummiyyun having the same significance as Hebrew Goyim.[40]
Edward William Lane similarly believed that the wordummi is identical to the HebrewGoyim as demonstrated in the following quote :
Ummi probably means gentile- in a secondary sense aheathen; one not having revealed a scripture; or belonging to the nation of the Arabs, who did not write nor read, and therefore metaphorically applied to anyone not knowing the art of writing nor that of reading.Mohammad was termedummi, meaning a gentile, as distinguished from an Israelite.
John Medows Rodwell in his translation of theQuran comments similarly in a note on chapter 52 verse 157 that the wordummi is equivalent to the Greekethnos and theHebrewgoyim, and was applied by Jews to those who did not know scripture.Elwood Morris Wherry wrote that almost certainly
this appellation came originally from the Jews who used it in expressing their contempt for the Gentile prophet.[41]
Some Muslim scholars also agreed with this idea: a French translation of the Quran byMuhammad Hamidullah uses the expression 'gentile prophet' in Sura 7 verse 157–158.[42]Muhammad Shahrur also believed thatummi prophet means gentile prophet in his book Al-Kitab wa-L-Quran (The Book and the Quran).[43]Abul A'la Maududi similarly translated the following instance as gentile.
He it is who has sent to the gentiles a Messenger from among themselves, one who rehearses to them his verses, purifies their lives, and imparts to them the book and the wisdom although before that they were in utter error. -Quran 62:2
Maududi clarifies in notes on this verse that the reason this verse has been sent is because Jews looked down on Arabs as gentiles and did not believe that a prophet can rise from their kind.[44]
However vast majority of Islamic scholars and translations made by Muslims are of the idea thatummi means illiterate.
