gentiles

Gentiles is a term used to refer to people who are not Jewish. The English word derives from Latin gentilis, meaning “of the gens” or “of the people,” and entered usage through Old French. In Jewish and some Christian contexts, non-Jews are commonly described by the Hebrew word goy (plural goyim), which literally means “nation.” The term goy can be neutral or pejorative depending on context and tone.

In Judaism, goy is a descriptive category rather than a religious designation. Rabbinic literature distinguishes Jews from non-Jews and outlines specific obligations for each. Non-Jews are traditionally associated with the Seven Noahide Laws, regarded as universal moral obligations for all humanity, while Jews observe the broader corpus of mitzvot. A Gentile who formally converts to Judaism becomes a Jew. The concept of ger toshav refers to a non-Jew living among Jews who agrees to observe certain basic laws without converting.

In Christianity, Gentiles are non-Jews. The New Testament recounts the early Christian mission to the Gentiles and debates over whether Gentile converts must follow Jewish ceremonial laws. The Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15) concluded that Gentile converts did not need to adopt the full Mosaic legal framework. The term Gentile remains common in historical, biblical, and scholarly writing; in modern Hebrew, goy often denotes a non-Jew and can be used neutrally or pejoratively, depending on context.

Demographically, Gentiles comprise the non-Jewish populations worldwide. The term’s significance today lies mainly in religious, historical, and cultural discussions.