ESTUDIO DE LA PALABRA GRIEGA
Ethnos — Meaning & Usage in the Bible
Ethnos (ἔθνος) denotes a people group or nation, and in the NT frequently refers to the Gentiles in contrast to the Jewish people.
Significado de la palabra
The Greek noun ἔθνος (éthnos) fundamentally refers to a race, people group, or nation sharing common customs. Its literal sense is a 'multitude' or 'company,' derived from a root meaning those living together by the same habit or custom.
In the Septuagint (LXX) it renders Hebrew terms like גּוֹי (goy) and עַם (am), and so it carries into the Greek OT the connotation of distinct peoples. By implication, when one people (Israel) is set apart, ἔθνος naturally comes to mean 'foreigners' or 'non-Jews.'
In the New Testament this dual register is preserved: singular forms can describe any nation or even Israel itself (Luke 7:5; John 11:48), while the plural τὰ ἔθνη is the standard expression for 'the Gentiles'—the nations outside Israel (Matthew 6:32; Romans 11:13).
Uso en las Escrituras
In Matthew's Gospel, ἔθνος already signals the expansion of God's story beyond Israel. Jesus commands the Twelve, 'Go not into any way of the Gentiles' (Matthew 10:5), yet the same Gospel announces that the servant 'shall declare judgment to the Gentiles' (Matthew 12:18) and 'in his name shall the Gentiles hope' (Matthew 12:21). Eschatological upheavals are described as 'nation shall rise against nation' (Matthew 24:7).
Pauline epistles adopt τὰ ἔθνη as a theological category. Gentiles are the beneficiaries of apostolic mission (Romans 11:13; 15:27) and also a sphere of pastoral concern (Romans 11:11; Galatians 2:8). The word thus functions in Scripture both as a neutral descriptor of peoples and as a covenant-contrast term dividing Israel from the nations—until, as Paul indicates, that division is overcome in Christ.
La palabra en detalle
- G1484 ἔθνος, transliterated éthnos, is a neuter noun. KJV renders it variously as 'Gentile,' 'heathen,' 'nation,' or 'people' depending on whether the singular or plural is used and whether the context distinguishes Israel from other nations.
Versículos de ejemplo
- Matthew 6:32 Jesus contrasts the Father's care for His disciples with what 'the Gentiles' (τὰ ἔθνη) anxiously pursue, marking the term as a designation for those outside Israel's covenant community.
- Matthew 21:43 In the singular, ἔθνος can refer to 'a nation' that replaces Israel in bearing the fruit of the kingdom—showing the word is not inherently negative.
- Matthew 24:7 In apocalyptic discourse, 'nation shall rise against nation' uses ἔθνος in its most neutral sense of geopolitical peoples, parallel to 'kingdom against kingdom.'
- Matthew 24:9 The plural τῶν ἐθνῶν identifies 'all the nations' as the hostile sphere from which disciples will be hated 'for my name's sake.'
Preguntas frecuentes
Should ἔθνος always be translated 'Gentile'?
No. The singular often means 'a nation' in a neutral or even positive sense (Matthew 21:43; 24:7). The plural τὰ ἔθνη is what typically carries the sense of 'the Gentiles' in contrast to Israel (Matthew 6:32).
Does ἔθνος ever refer to Israel?
Yes. In the singular, ἔθνος can describe the Jewish people themselves, for example in Luke 7:5 and John 11:48, where the term simply means 'nation' or 'people.'
What is the OT background for τὰ ἔθνη?
It reflects the Hebrew הַגּוֹיִם (haggoyim) in passages like Genesis 12:2 and Isaiah 42:1, where the nations stand over against Israel as God's chosen people.