Language Studies

Hebrew Thoughts

gôy, ''nation'' - גּוֹי (Strong's #1471)

"Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing?" (Psalm 2:1, NKJV)

The word גּוֹי gôy "nation" (Strong's #1471, x558), plural: גּוֹיִם gôyîm, derives from the same root as גְּוִיָּה geviyyâh (Strong's #1472, 13x) and גֵּוָה gêvâh (Strong's #1465, x1) "body" [dead or alive], namely גֵּו gêv "back" (Strong's #1460, x7) from גָּאָה gâ’âh "rise up" (Strong's #1342, 7x). It, thus, described a collective body of people, with no inherent negativity. Perhaps there is a negative sense in that nations that do not know God are virtually "corpses", they are "dead" towards God, but this is theological eisegesis "reading into the text".

It is often used specifically of pagan "gentile" nations who are not God's people, although occasionally even Israel is called a גּוֹי gôy (Genesis 12:2; 17:20; 21:18; 35:11; Isaiah 1:4; 9:2; 26:2; 49:7; Psalm 33:12), since Abraham "will surely become a great and mighty גּוֹי gôy (Genesis 18:18). Equally, Moses prays "consider too that this גּוֹי gôy is thy people", (Exodus 33:13). In Deuteronomy 4:6-7, Moses talks about the people being seen as a great גּוֹי gôy by the other nations if they keep God's laws and have His ear. These Mosaic references also demonstrate that Israel was considered a nation even before she crossed over into Canaan and gain the land of Israel. The nation is the people not the territory and thus continued to exist as such even in exile (e.g., Jer. 31:36).

In Psalm 2:1 גּוֹי gôy is paired with לְאם le’ôm "people" (Strong's #3816, x35), another neutral term, however the KJV translated pejoratively as "heathen" whilst modern versions render more fairly as "nations". Similarly, Isaiah 42:6 pairs "a covenant to the people" עַם ‘am (Strong's #5971, x1861), with "a light to the גּוֹיִם gôyîm", translated as "nations" or "gentiles" by some versions.

It is even used of animals, e.g., Zeph. 2:14, in the sense of "herds", עֵדֶר ‘êdher (Strong's #5739, x38).

The idea that גּוֹי gôy exclusively means non-Israelite/Jew is false also that גּוֹי gôy is somehow negative, derisory or derogatory. Just try replacing its use in the Abraham and Moses passages above with "gentiles" rather that "nation" when used of Israel.

The Gentile stranger was to enjoy the hospitality of the Israelite who was commanded to love him (Deut. 10:19), to sympathize with him, "For ye know the heart of the stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Ex. 23:9) and treated equally "The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt." (Lev. 19:34).

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