"Gentile" is a problem word for Christians. It doesn't mean what you think it means! When you learn what the Bible is really saying with the Greek word "§θvoς" (ethnos), (usually translated as "Gentile") then your entire religion of Christianity will be wonderfully revised and uplifted.

In English Bibles the Greek word "ethnos" (§θvoς) is translated either as "Gentile" or as "nation." A few centuries ago the English word "Gentile" had the same meaning as the Greek "ethnos," but today the meanings are exactly opposite each other. But modern versions of the Bible still use the word "Gentile" just as older versions did. The polar change in the meaning of the word has dramatically influenced the beliefs and the practice of Christianity. Unless one understands what Jesus and the N.T. writers meant by the word  (§θvoς), one cannot understand the message of Jesus. This is a critically important factor for every Christian to consider.

Shortly, I will present definitions of these words in detail. The word "Gentiles" historically meant those who belonged to the same ethnic group, clan or tribe. Today it commonly means "those who are not Jews."

First, we will examine the definitions of the word, and then show passages in Matthew and Romans where the word is used. You will see how the present-day understanding of the word "Gentile" gives us a different Christianity than we would have if we understood it correctly.

Gentile and nation are the English words used for the Greek word, "ethnos", which is the root word for our English word ethnic. But Gentile is understood by most people today as non-Jew. Davis Bible Dictionary actually defines it as: "Gentile: All nations of the world other than the Jews." But, that is erroneous, as I will show below. The word, Gentile, has only assumed this corrupted meaning in recent years. According to Skeat's Etymological Dictionary of the English Language  (New York: Perigee Books, 1980, p. 210) the word is derived from Old French and Latin. Skeat says: GENTILE. see Genteel. GENTEEL. (F. - L.) XVI cent.; F. gentil. C L. gentilis, belonging to the same clan, a gentile (afterwards applied to mean well-bred, &c). C L. genti-, decl. stem of gens, a clan, tribe. Allied to genus.

The original use of the word referred to those who belong to the same clan or tribe, a meaning nearly opposite its misinterpreted use in Scripture today as all nations other than Jews.

The Universal Dictionary of the English Language, 1897, vol II, p. 2286, says: "gen-tile, gen-til, gen-tyl, a. & s. [Fr. gentil, from Lat. gentilis = one belonging to the same class, a gentile, from gens (genit. gentis) = a clan; Sp. & Port. gentil: Ital. gentile. Gentile is thus a doublet of genteel and gentle (q.v.).]   A. As adjective: I. Ordinary Language: 1. Of or pertaining to any nation; national. 2. Of noble or gentle birth; of high rank; noble. II. Technically: 1. Gram.: Denoting the clan, race, or country. B. As substantive: I. Ordinary Language: 1. One of the same clan or family. 2. A person of noble or gentle birth; one of high rank."

The Greek word, "ethnos" means exactly the same as the Roman word, gens. When "ethnos" was used by Jesus or others, they didn't mean non-Jews; they meant those of their own ethnic group: Israelites. Occasionally the word referred to some other specific ethnic group, but it NEVER meant all nations of the world other than the Jews!

The ultimate Greek Lexicon, Liddell & Scott, lists many references to secular Greek Classical literature, and Biblical writings, for definition of the word "ethnos". The definitions are: "number of people living together, company, body of men; particular tribe; a nation, a people; a caste, a tribe; a guild; a relation." (p. 480) That is the Greek language known to the Greeks of that day, in academia, and in literature. Biblical Koine Greek is no exception. Thayer's Greek Lexicon of the New Testament defines "ethnos" as "a multitude associated or living together, a company, troop, or swarm, & a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus, & a race or nation." (Thayer, p. 168) ONLY modern Bible-translators are interpreting this Greek word to mean all-others except Jews, and that is an outrageous act of theological mischief in my opinion.

The reason this word is so important is because the change-in-meaning has caused a very different Christianity than that which Jesus taught. Very simply, today's Christians think Jesus was a Jew who referred to non-Jews (Greeks, Romans, et al) as "Gentiles," as though they were people NOT of His own group. Actually, Jesus used the word "ethnos" (§θvoς) to refer to people OF His own group. Jesus said in Matthew 15:24, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." So, when Jesus sent his disciples forth to spread the word, He was not sending them to outsiders, but ONLY to those lost-sheep for whom He came. Jesus was explicitly and emphatically clear that He came for no others except His lost sheep. It is puzzling that the church has conspicuously ignored this explicit statement of Jesus; let's rephrase it to see if it can be stated more clearly. Jesus said that except for His lost-sheep He was not sent to anyone. It is due to the mis-use of the word "Gentile" that the Christian community has come to believe that Jesus came for all the people of the world; His clear statements to the opposite are inconsistent with such an interpretation, regardless of the charitable motives of those who wish to make for themselves such a satisfyingly compassionate religion.

It has been mostly during this twentieth century that the information has been lost regarding the true identity of those lost-sheep of the House of Israel. During the nineteenth century and the early part of ours there were many publications outlining the history of the migrations of diasporan Israelites from Palestine to Europe and to the United States. There is on the wall of Westminster Abbey in London a genealogical chart which shows the direct lineage of British Royalty from King David. The European white race is the "ethnos" (§θvoς) to which Jesus sends His good news. But western Christianity is today reluctant to recognize our own heritage because we consider ourselves to be a foreign race of Gentiles instead of those lost sheep for whom Jesus came. Great confusion has resulted from this mistake. How can we reconcile Jesus' clear statements about coming ONLY for the lost sheep with our mission outreach toward foreigners whom God always warned against through the Old Testament?

When New Testament writers wanted to refer to unbelievers or infidels, they used the words "apeitheÇ"(•πειθέω) and "apistos" (–πιστoς). These Greek words mean: being outside the belief-system of the group.  I just want to indicate there were Greek words to indicate such outside-the-group people without using the word, "ethnos" (§θvoς), which has the ethnic-group connotation.

When you are reading the Bible, the Old or New Testaments, and you see the word "Gentile" or "nation," replace the word (singular) with "our ethnic group," or "our tribe of Israel;" replace the plural with "those ethnic groups" or "our tribes" or "those races." Sometimes it is appropriate to replace the word with "nation" or "nations" as long as the ethnic meaning is maintained. The Greek word "ethnos" (§θvoς) is the very root of our English word "ethnic" and means a specific ethnic group. When used by Jesus or his disciples, it usually meant "our people:" the twelve Israelite tribes. St. Paul sometimes used the word to refer to the ten Israelite tribes of the northern kingdom, distinguishing them from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin (Paul's own tribe), known collectively as "Judah," "Ioudaia" (zIoυδαία), and called "Jews." Paul is a little confusing, sometimes preferring to reference his own Jerusalem group as "Israel," and the ten northern tribes as the "ethnos" (§θvoς), sort of meaning the rest of our group outside Judea, or the rest of the tribes. In some instances, it does seem that Paul meant "non-Israelites." But, Paul usually saw himself (with the Jerusalem faithful ones) as the true "Jews" who didn't abandon the region in the prior dispersions, and he referred to those diasporan Israelite tribes in Greece, Asia, and Europe as the "ethnos" (§θvoς).

One argument for this skewed interpretation of ethnos (§θvoς) is this: consider that Paul was the "apostle to the Gentiles," as is commonly recognized. Well, if he was sent to pagan-Gentiles, why then did he do his mission work in the synagogues of Asia Minor? Acts 17:1,2 has him going to the synagogue, "as was his custom." The book of Acts shows him teaching in many synagogues: in Salamis 13:5; in Antioch 13:14; Iconium 14:1, Thessalonica 17:1; Berea 17:10; Athens 17:17; Corinth 18:4; Ephesus 18:19. Simply, Paul's commission was to go to the ethnos (§θvoς), meaning: to fellow Israelites of the Diaspora who had become Greeks and other white European groups. Paul knew that ethnos (§θvoς) didn't mean "non-Jew" or he wouldn't have focused his mission work in synagogues! The word, "synagogue" is a Greek word, by the way, not Hebrew. Synagogues were small churches away from Jerusalem where diasporan Israelites could have their Old Testament religion without being closely aligned with the corrupt Talmudic religion of the Jerusalem temple. Edomite Jews didn't start the synagogues, the Greek speaking Israelites did! Within a century after Christ the true Israelites had left the synagogues to be Christians and meet in homes as small groups. The synagogues were left to the Edomite Jews of Jerusalem who still use that Greek (not Hebrew) word today.

The Old English word "Gentile" and the word "nation" were quite similar, both meaning a specific ethnic group of people. When English translations were made, from the 1599 Geneva Bible, and the 1611 KJV up until last century, the words were properly understood and were correctly used for translation of "ethnos" (§θvoς). But, now that "Gentile" is defined by most Christians as "non-Jew," we need to take a serious look at the new Christianity which developed around this mistake. Unless we revise our definition of "Gentile," it should NOT be used for translation of the Greek "ethnos" (§θvoς).

Following are some of the scripture passages where the word "ethnos" (§θvoς) is mistranslated as "Gentile" or "Nation." Following each passage, my comments will indicate a more proper rendering. If you take your time to consider each passage carefully, you will gain insights into the New Testament writings as the early Christians understood them. It is important to take your time with this, use your Bible, examine the context, and imagine Christianity in this new light. Quotations are from KJV, 1929 version.

Mat. 4:15 - "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 'The land of Zabulon and land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;'" (ethnÇn - ¦θvov).

Mat 6:31-33 - "Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or Wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek: for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."

Mat. 10:5,6 - "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them saying, 'Go not into the way of the Gentiles, (ethnÇn - ¦θvov), and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.'"

Mat. 10:17,18 - "But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against (autois - αύτoÃς) them and the Gentiles (ethnesin - §θvεσιv)."

Mat. 12:18 - [referencing a prophecy of Isaiah, Jesus quotes:] "Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment (krisin - κρίσιv) to the Gentiles (ethnesin - §θvεσιv)."

Mat. 12:21 - "And in his name shall the Gentiles trust."

Mat. 20:17-19 - "And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles (ethnesin - §θvεσιv) to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again."

Mat. 20:25 - "But Jesus called them, and said, 'Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles (ethnÇn - ¦θvov) exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant."

Mat. 21:43 - "Therefore say I unto you (speaking to Edomite Jew chief priests and elders), The kingdom of God shall be taken from you and given to a nation (ethnei - §θvει) bringing forth the fruits thereof."

Mat. 24:7 - "For nation (ethnos - §θvoς) shall rise against nation (ethnos - §θvoς), and kingdom against kingdom:"

Mat. 24:14 - "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations (ethnesin - §θvεσιv [dative pl.]); and then shall the end come."

Mat. 28:19 - "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations (ethné - §θvη [accusative plural]), baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit."

Luke 2:30-32 - "For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel."

Regarding translation of ethnos - §θvoς into English as "Gentile," the Gospel of Mark uses the word only two times and those passages are already covered above, in Matthew. Luke uses the word five times; most are repeats of uses in Matthew. In John, the word is never translated "Gentile," but each time is translated as "nation," a few times, appropriately. The word, ethnos - §θvoς has a consistent meaning, made clear by context, of being an ethnic-group. It might refer to the Israelite group which is not scattered, distinguished from those who are scattered. Or it often means the entire Israelite people. Or it can mean any particular group of people, as in "nation." But, always it means a particular ethnic group, and NEVER means "all people who are not Jews!" St. Paul uses the word frequently in his writings; we will look at the book of Romans to sample his usage. Paul saw himself as a Pharisee from the Jerusalem group, and sometimes called his own Jerusalem Judaist group "ethnos," distinguishing it from the rest of the diasporan Israelites whom he called "Greeks," but usually considered himself a Jew who resented being sent to those Israelite ethnos of the diaspora who had left the religion of the patriarchs centuries before. Those Israelites of Greece and Europe he referred to as ethnos - §θvoς because he recognized them as being part of his own ethnic group of Jacob's descendants.

Romans 1:13 - "Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let [hindered] hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles" (ethnesin - §θvεσιv).

Romans 2:14-15 - "When the Gentiles (ethné - §θvη) which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts,"

Romans 2:23-24 - "Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles (ethnesin - §θvεσιv) through you, as it is written."

Romans 3:29 - "Is he the God of the Jews (IoudaiÇn -zIoυδαίωv = Judah tribe) only? is he not also of the Gentiles (ethnon)? Yes, of the Gentiles also."

Romans 9:22-26 - "What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews (IoudaiÇn -zIoυδαίωv = House of Judah) only, but also of the Gentiles (ethnon - ¦θvov [this is Paul's term for the diasporan Israelites])? As he saith in Osee (Hosea), I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved. And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God."

Romans 9:30-32 - "What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone."

If anyone still insists that the Jews of today are the real chosen ones of God, and that Gentiles are non-Jews, what will they ever do about the many passages which clearly contradict such a belief? There is a considerable anger in my heart that Christian theologians have not been willing to stand up and confront such strong witness against their traditional teachings. It is reason to rejoice that God's New Covenant does not sanction teachers, but that the Spirit of God will work within every true seeker-of-truth that which he needs. Praise God that He pushes the false-teachers aside and reclaims us as His own. May the Spirit of Truth, which our Lord promised us, guide our hearts and minds to find Him in truth and righteousness.

John Jay Chapman, a brilliant critic of late 1800's said, "If a professor is given a false teaching when young, then he will teach it until he dies. He has no way to correct himself."  That is exactly the situation with our learned theologians in Christian academies. They pass on that which they were taught, with no way to correct their errors. Just as Jesus came to those outside the Temple of 2,000 years ago, so in these end times will God awaken His children outside the dark sepulchres of sectarian academies.

Here are more passages which make it explicitly clear that the word,  ethnos - §θvoς, cannot mean non-Jews.

Luke 7:4, 5 - "When he heard about Jesus, he sent Jewish elders to Him, asking Him that He might come and heal his servant. Those who came to Jesus were begging Him earnestly, saying 'He is worthy of having you do this for him. For he loves our nation (ethnos - §θvoς) and he built the synagogue for us."

It was Jewish elders who argued that the Centurion loves "OUR NATION" (ethnos). Can anyone argue that the Jews were saying the Centurion loves "our non-Jews?" That would be nonsense.

Luke 23:1-2 - "Then the assembly arose and led Him before Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, 'We found this one misleading our nation (ethnos - §θvoς). . ."

Here we have Jews using the word to mean "our people." Should a Bible reader assume that they were complaining to Pilate that Jesus was misleading their non-Jews?

John 11:48 - "If we leave him thus, all men will believe in Him and the Romans will come and will take our holy place and our nation (ethnos - §θvoς)."

Again we have Jews using the word to mean their own people.

John 18:35 - "Pilate answered, 'Surely I am not a Jew, am I? Your people (ethnos - §θvoς) and the High Priest delivered you to me."

Seems clear enough that Pilate used the word to mean Jesus' own people. And that is exactly how the disciples understood Jesus Great Commission to reach Israel.

Acts 10:22 - "And they said, Cornelius, a Centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man, and being well spoken-of by all the nation (ethnos - §θvoς) of the Jews, was directed by a holy angel to summon you. . ."

"Nation of the Jews." Do modern theologians mean "all the non-Jews of the Jews"? Well, they avoid something so obvious by translating it so it sounds okay to the brainwashed Bible readers of today. But, the Greek text is using the word ethnos in its proper sense here, as "the race of the Jews."

Now, here are some quotations from the Greek Septuagint of 285BC. You can see that it clearly uses the word ethnos - §θvoς to mean Israelites.

Esaias (Isaiah) 1:2-4 - "Hear, O heaven, and hearken, O earth: for the Lord has spoken, saying 'I have begotten and reared up children, but they have rebelled against me. The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel does not know me, and the people has not regarded me. Ah, sinful nation (ethnos - §θvoς), a people full of sins, an evil seed, lawless children: ye have forsaken the Lord and provoked the Holy One of Israel."

Esaias 8:8-9 - "Know, ye Gentiles (ethné - §θvη), and be conquered; hearken ye, even to the extremity of the earth: be conquered . . ."

The Lord is speaking to His own people of Israel, warning them that He will send the Assyrians against them to conquer them. It makes no sense at all to insert the word "gentiles" here if the word is to mean non-Israelites. God is speaking most clearly to His own people!

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