Strong's Lexicon ethnikos: Gentile, heathen, pagan Original Word: ἐθνικός Word Origin: Derived from ἔθνος (ethnos), meaning "nation" or "people." Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The Hebrew equivalent often used in the Old Testament is גּוֹי (goy), Strong's Hebrew 1471, which also means "nation" or "people" and is used to refer to non-Israelite nations. Usage: The term "ethnikos" is used in the New Testament to refer to those who are not part of the Jewish community, often translated as "Gentile" or "heathen." It carries the connotation of someone who is outside the covenant community of Israel and, by extension, outside the early Christian community. The term can also imply a lifestyle or behavior that is contrary to the teachings of Scripture, often associated with pagan practices. Cultural and Historical Background: In the first-century Greco-Roman world, the term "ethnikos" was used to distinguish between Jews and non-Jews. The Jewish people were set apart by their covenant with God, marked by practices such as circumcision, dietary laws, and Sabbath observance. Gentiles, or "ethnikos," were those who did not follow these practices and were often seen as outsiders to the faith community. The early Christian church grappled with the inclusion of Gentiles, as seen in the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), which addressed how Gentile converts should be integrated into the predominantly Jewish Christian community. HELPS Word-studies Cognate: 1482 ethnikós(from 1484/éthnos, "nation") – Gentile; heathen, usually referring to non-Israelites; a pagan, a "non-covenant person," standing outside God's covenant (salvation). See 1484 (ethnos). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom ethnos Definition national, foreign, i.e. spec. a Gentile NASB Translation Gentile (1), Gentiles (3). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1482: ἐθνικόςἐθνικός, ἐθνικη, ἐθνικον (ethnos); 1. adapted to the genius or customs of a people, peculiar to a people, national: Polybius, Diodorus, others. 2. suited to the manners or language of foreigners, strange, foreign; so in the grammarians (cf. our 'gentile']. 3. in the N. T. savoring of the nature of pagans, alien to the worship of the true God, heathenish; substantively, ὁ ἐθνικός, the pagan, the Gentile: Matthew 18:17; plural, Matthew 5:47 G L T Tr WH; From ethnos; national ("ethnic"), i.e. (specially) a Gentile -- heathen (man). see GREEK ethnos Englishman's Concordance Matthew 5:47 Adj-NMPGRK: καὶ οἱ ἐθνικοὶ τὸ αὐτὸ NAS: [than others]? Do not even the Gentiles do INT: also the The Gentiles the same Matthew 6:7 Adj-NMP Matthew 18:17 Adj-NMS 3 John 1:7 Adj-GMP Strong's Greek 1482 |
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