גּוֹי
gôwy · H1471 · Hebrew · 558 occurrences
Place
- Goiimfirst named in Genesis 14:13 verses
Meanings
-
nation
A large body of people united by common descent, religion, or language, inhabiting a particular state or territory, led by one common leader; often referring to the non-Israelite nations, especially when used in plural
ExamplesGenesis 10:5 From these the people of the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.
Genesis 10:20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and by their nations.
Genesis 10:31 These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and according to their nations.
-
people, band
Literally: a nation; hence: a group of people pursuing a common goal
Examples2 Kings 6:18 And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed to the LORD and said, “Please strike this people with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness in accordance with the word of Elisha.
Psalm 43:1 Vindicate me, God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; Save me from the deceitful and unjust person!
Daniel 11:23 “After an alliance is made with him he will practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people.
How it’s used In 9 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
21 occurrences in 6 groups
- אֶרֶץland, earth, ground 11
- הֶםtheir 4
- ךְyour 3
- כְּרֵתִיCherethite 1
- יmy 1
- ךָyour 1
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
191 occurrences in 76 groups
- רַבmany, great 20
- אֵלֶּהthese 19
- גָּדוֹלgreat, large 18
- עָצוּםnumerous 13
- סָבִיבround about, around, on every side 11
- בּוֹאto come, to go in, to bring 9
- Other words · 56 groups that occur once or twice (69) 69
Named alongside itApposition
22 occurrences in 29 groups
- עַםpeople 4
- קַוmeasuring line 4
- בֵּןson 3
- Other words · 26 groups that occur once or twice (38) 38
What it doesIt is the subject
94 occurrences in 45 groups
- יָדַעto know 8
- הָיָהto be, to become 7
- עָבַדto serve, to work 7
- בּוֹאto come, to go in, to bring 6
- בָרַךְto bless 4
- אָמַרto say 4
- Other words · 35 groups that occur once or twice (45) 45
What is done to itIt is the object
76 occurrences in 49 groups
- יָרַשׁto possess, to drive out, to inherit 10
- כָּרַתto cut off, to make (a covenant) 4
- גָּרַשׁto drive out, to expel 3
- הָיָהto be, to become 3
- אָסַףto gather, to assemble 3
- Other words · 44 groups that occur once or twice (53) 53
What it is said to bePredicate
13 occurrences in 11 groups
- Other words · 11 groups that occur once or twice (13) 13
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
8 occurrences in 9 groups
- Other words · 9 groups that occur once or twice (10) 10
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
221 occurrences in 10 groups
- בin/on/with 187
- לto/for 76
- מִןfrom 43
- עַלon, upon, over, against 36
- אֵלto, toward 31
- כlike/as 13
- Other words · 3 groups that occur once or twice (6) 6
In phrases “… of it”It is the genitive
122 occurrences in 62 groups
- עַיִןeye, sight 13
- אֱלֹהִיםGod, gods 8
- תּוֹעֵבַהabomination, detestable thing 7
- מֶלֶךְking 6
- הָמוֹןmultitude, tumult, abundance 4
- חַיִלarmy, wealth, strength 4
- Other words · 50 groups that occur once or twice (61) 61
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
In the other Testament 1 word
- ἔθνος éthnos · G1484 · nation, people, heathen
- Greek ἔθνος directly translates Hebrew גּוֹי across its full semantic range — nation, people, and Gentile or non-Jewish people — serving as the standard Septuagint rendering.
Semantic domains 2 entries
- Groups001001003004
- גּוֹי denotes a nation or people group collectively, as in the genealogical division of nations by language and land in Genesis 10:5, 10:20, and 10:31.
- Names of Locations003001010
- This code is inherited from a territorial/geographic usage of this lexeme (a nation's associated land); it does not independently apply to the ethnic/collective-people sense attested in these citations.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H1471. goy גּוֺי561 noun masculineGen 12:2 nation, people (Late Hebrew id. Gentiles,…
גּוֺי561 noun masculineGen 12:2 nation, people (Late Hebrew id. Gentiles, Phoenician גו community, , Sabean גו id., DHMZMG 1883, 348) — ׳ג Gen 12:2 121t.; suffix 1 singular גּוֺיִ Zep 2:9, גּוֺיֶ֑ךָ Psa 106:5, גּוֺיֵךְ Kt Eze 36:13-14, Eze 36:15 (Qr wrongly גּוֺיַיִךְ compare Co, who strike out Eze 36:15); plural גּוֺיִם Gen 10:5 410t. + Qr Gen 25:23; Psa 79:10 (Kt גיים) + 6 t. Ezekiel (variant reading emended Co); construct גּוֺיֵי Gen 18:18 Gen 18:8t., גּוֺיֵ2Ch 32:13; Ezr 6:21 (compare Baer's notes); suffix גּוֺיֵהֶם Gen 10:5, Gen 10:20, Gen 10:31, Gen 10:32; —
1 nation, people Gen 10:5 (twice in verse); Gen 10:20, Gen 10:31, Gen 10:32 (twice in verse) (all P) +; Isa 2:2, Isa 2:4 (twice in verse) = Mic 4:2-3,(twice in verse); Job 12:23 (twice in verse); Job 34:29 ; Pro 14:34; הָאָרֶץ גּוֺיֵי כֹּל Gen 18:18; Gen 22:18; Gen 26:4 (all J); Deu 28:1.
a. specifically of descendants of Abraham, גָּדוֺל גּוֺי Gen 12:2; compare Gen 18:18 (both J), גּוֺיִם Gen 17:6, גּוֺיִם הֲמוֺן Gen 17:4, Gen 17:15 (all P); of Sarah גּוֺיִם Gen 17:16 (P); of Ishmael גּוֺי Gen 21:13, גָּדוֺל גָּוֺי Gen 21:18 (both E), גָּדוֺל גּוֺי Gen 17:20 (P); of Jacob גּוֺיִם וּקְהַל גּוֺי Gen 35:11 (P), גָּדוֺל גּוֺי Gen 46:3 (E); of Ephraim הַגּ ׳מְלֹא Gen 48:19 (J); of Moses גָּדוֺל גּוֺי Exo 32:10 (J) compare Num 14:12 (J) Deu 9:14; of Jacob and Esau as two nations Gen 25:23 (J).
b. definitely of Israel Exo 19:6 (׳גּ קָדוֺשׁ) Exo 33:13 (both J E), Deu 4:6 (הַזֶּה הַגָּדוֺל הַגּוֺי, said by heathen compare Deu 4:7; Deu 4:8) see also Deu 4:34, Deu 26:5 compare Psa 33:12; Psa 83:5 (said by enemies) Jer 31:36; Jer 33:24; Eze 37:22; in narrative Jos 3:17; Jos 4:1; Jos 5:8 (JE), Jos 5:6 (D), Jos 10:13 (in poetry, no article); of Israel and Judah as two nations Eze 35:10 (said by heathen) Eze 37:22; of Judah Isa 26:2, Isa 26:15 (twice in verse); compare Isa 58:2; Isa 60:22; Mic 4:7; once my people Zep 2:9 (|| עַם); thy people Psa 106:5 (i.e. of ׳י), compare also Eze 36:13-14, (read Kt); especially of Israel and (or) Judah as sinful, rebellious Deu 32:28; Jdg 2:20; Isa 1:4; Isa 10:6; Jer 5:9, Jer 5:29; Jer 7:28; Jer 9:8; Jer 12:17; Eze 2:3 (strike out ᵐ5 Co) Hag 2:14; Mal 3:9. — Note. This definite reference to Israel and (or) Judah is comparatively rare; in Hexateuch not P (yet see Gen 17:4-5, Gen 17:6, Gen 17:16; Gen 35:11 P); seldom in exile & post-exile prophets; not Chronicles —
c. usually of non-Hebrew peoples Exo 9:24; Exo 34:10 (JE) Lev 25:44 (H) Num 14:15 (J) Deu 15:6 (twice in verse); 1Ki 5:11; 1Ch 14:17; 1Ch 16:20; Isa 11:10, Isa 11:12 + often; opposed to Israel as י ׳עם 2Sa 7:23; 1Ch 17:21 (twice in verse) etc., see עם, compare also Num 23:9; note especially הַגּוֺיִם גְּלִיל Isaiah 8:23 circle or district of the nations (see גָּלִיל); also הַגּ ׳חֲרשֶׁת Jdg 4:2, Jdg 4:13, Jdg 4:16 Charosheth of the nations, & לְגִלְגָּ֖ל גּוֺיִם מֶלֶךְ Jos 12:23 king of nations (peoples, tribes) belonging to Gilgal (ᵐ5 Di to the district, i.e 'Galilee'); especially of these peoples as heathen: idolatrous Lev 8:24, Lev 8:28 (P) Lev 20:23 (H) 1Ki 14:24; 2Ki 17:8, 2Ki 17:11, 2Ki 17:15, 2Ki 17:26, 2Ki 17:29 (twice in verse); 2Ch 28:3; 2Ch 32:13 +, Ezr 6:21; Eze 5:6 +; hostile Gen 15:14 (J) Lev 26:33, Lev 26:38, Lev 26:45 (H) Deu 4:27; Deu 9:4-5, Deu 18:9; 1Ch 16:35; Jer 5:15; Eze 4:13 +? Jeremiah Ezekiel, etc.; in simile Eze 20:32; Eze 25:8; sometimes || עַם Psa 33:10; Psa 33:12; Isa 11:10; Jer 6:18, see also Isa 2:2, Isa 2:4 compare with Mic 4:1, Mic 4:3.
2 figurative of swarm of locusts Joe 1:6; of all species of beasts Zep 2:14.
3 גּוֺיִם Gen 14:1, Gen 14:9 probably mutilated proper name see below
גּוֺיִם proper name, of a people Gen 14:1, Gen 14:9, in phrase גּוֺיִם מֶלֶךְ תִּדְעָל Tid`al king of Goim; probably a Babylonian (Elamitic, etc.) name corrupted; H. Rawlinson proposes Gutî a people northeast of Babylonia COT on Gen 14:1; also KGF258and elsewhere; compare also DlPa 233 f.
גול see גיל.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 2 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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