גּוֹי
nation
‘nation’ is one of 4 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Absolute-state word in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
- Proper
- A name of a specific person, place, or people (e.g. Abraham, Zion, Israel).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
- Singular
- One.
Every verse where H1471 appears in the Book of Ezekiel — 81 distinct verses. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Ezekiel
- Ezekiel 2:3 גּוֹיִ֥ם n c mp He said to me, Son of man, I send you to the children of Israel, to nations that are rebellious, which have rebelled against me: they and their fathers have transgressed against me even to this very day.
- Ezekiel 4:13 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֕ם prep det + n c mp Yahweh said, Even thus shall the children of Israel eat their bread unclean, among the nations where I will drive them.
- Ezekiel 5:5 הַ/גּוֹיִ֖ם ptcl def.art + n c mp Thus says the Lord Yahweh: This is Jerusalem; I have set her in the midst of the nations, and countries are round about her.
- Ezekiel 5:6 הַ/גּוֹיִ֔ם ptcl def.art + n c mp She has rebelled against my ordinances in doing wickedness more than the nations, and against my statutes more than the countries that are round about her; for they have rejected my ordinances, and as for my statutes, they have not walked in them.
- Ezekiel 5:7 הַ/גּוֹיִם֙ הַ/גּוֹיִ֛ם ptcl def.art + n c mp ptcl def.art + n c mp Therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because you are turbulent more than the nations that are round about you, and have not walked in my statutes, neither have kept my ordinances, neither have done after the ordinances of the nations that are round about you;
- Ezekiel 5:8 הַ/גּוֹיִֽם ptcl def.art + n c mp therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I, even I, am against you; and I will execute judgments in the midst of you in the sight of the nations.
- Ezekiel 5:14 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֖ם prep det + n c mp Moreover I will make you a desolation and a reproach among the nations that are round about you, in the sight of all that pass by.
- Ezekiel 5:15 לַ/גּוֹיִ֖ם prep det + n c mp So it shall be a reproach and a taunt, an instruction and an astonishment, to the nations that are round about you, when I shall execute judgments on you in anger and in wrath, and in wrathful rebukes; (I, Yahweh, have spoken it;)
- Ezekiel 6:8 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֑ם prep det + n c mp Yet will I leave a remnant, in that you shall have some that escape the sword among the nations, when you shall be scattered through the countries.
- Ezekiel 6:9 בַּ/גּוֹיִם֮ prep det + n c mp Those of you that escape shall remember me among the nations where they shall be carried captive, how that I have been broken with their lewd heart, which has departed from me, and with they eyes, which play the prostitute after their idols: and they shall loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed in all their abominations.
- Ezekiel 7:24 גוֹיִ֔ם n c mp Therefore I will bring the worst of the nations, and they shall possess their houses: I will also make the pride of the strong to cease; and their holy places shall be profaned.
- Ezekiel 11:12 הַ/גּוֹיִ֛ם ptcl def.art + n c mp and you shall know that I am Yahweh: for you have not walked in my statutes, neither have you executed my ordinances, but have done after the ordinances of the nations that are round about you.
- Ezekiel 11:16 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֔ם prep det + n c mp Therefore say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Whereas I have removed them far off among the nations, and whereas I have scattered them among the countries, yet will I be to them a sanctuary for a little while in the countries where they are come.
- Ezekiel 12:15 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֔ם prep det + n c mp They shall know that I am Yahweh, when I shall disperse them among the nations, and scatter them through the countries.
- Ezekiel 12:16 בַּ/גּוֹיִם֙ prep det + n c mp But I will leave a few men of them from the sword, from the famine, and from the pestilence; that they may declare all their abominations among the nations where they come; and they shall know that I am Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 16:14 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֖ם prep det + n c mp Your renown went forth among the nations for your beauty; for it was perfect, through my majesty which I had put on you, says the Lord Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 19:4 גּוֹיִ֖ם n c mp The nations also heard of him; he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks to the land of Egypt.
- Ezekiel 19:8 גּוֹיִ֛ם n c mp Then the nations set against him on every side from the provinces; and they spread their net over him; he was taken in their pit.
- Ezekiel 20:9 הַ/גּוֹיִ֖ם ptcl def.art + n c mp But I worked for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, among which they were, in whose sight I made myself known to them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt.
- Ezekiel 20:14 הַ/גּוֹיִ֔ם ptcl def.art + n c mp But I worked for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them out.
- Ezekiel 20:22 הַ/גּוֹיִ֔ם ptcl def.art + n c mp Nevertheless I withdrew my hand, and worked for my name's sake, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I brought them forth.
- Ezekiel 20:23 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֔ם prep det + n c mp Moreover I swore to them in the wilderness, that I would scatter them among the nations, and disperse them through the countries;
- Ezekiel 20:32 כַ/גּוֹיִם֙ prep det + n c mp and that which comes into your mind shall not be at all, in that you say, We will be as the nations, as the families of the countries, to serve wood and stone.
- Ezekiel 20:41 הַ/גּוֹיִֽם ptcl def.art + n c mp As a sweet savor will I accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples, and gather you out of the countries in which you have been scattered; and I will be sanctified in you in the sight of the nations.
- Ezekiel 22:4 לַ/גּוֹיִ֔ם prep det + n c mp You have become guilty in your blood that you have shed, and are defiled in your idols which you have made; and you have caused your days to draw near, and are come even to your years: therefore have I made you a reproach to the nations, and a mocking to all the countries.
- Ezekiel 22:15 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֔ם prep det + n c mp I will scatter you among the nations, and disperse you through the countries; and I will consume your filthiness out of you.
- Ezekiel 22:16 גוֹיִ֑ם n c mp You shall be profaned in yourself, in the sight of the nations; and you shall know that I am Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 23:30 גוֹיִ֔ם n c mp These things shall be done to you, because you have played the prostitute after the nations, and because you are polluted with their idols.
- Ezekiel 25:7 לַ/גּוֹיִ֔ם prep det + n c mp therefore, behold, I have stretched out my hand on you, and will deliver you for a spoil to the nations; and I will cut you off from the peoples, and I will cause you to perish out of the countries: I will destroy you; and you shall know that I am Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 25:8 הַ/גּוֹיִ֖ם ptcl def.art + n c mp Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because Moab and Seir say, Behold, the house of Judah is like all the nations;
- Ezekiel 25:10 בַּ/גּוֹיִֽם prep det + n c mp to the children of the east, [to go] against the children of Ammon; and I will give them for a possession, that the children of Ammon may not be remembered among the nations.
- Ezekiel 26:3 גּוֹיִ֣ם n c mp therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh, Behold, I am against you, Tyre, and will cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come up.
- Ezekiel 26:5 לַ/גּוֹיִֽם prep det + n c mp She shall be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea; for I have spoken it, says the Lord Yahweh; and she shall become a spoil to the nations.
- Ezekiel 28:7 גּוֹיִ֑ם n c mp therefore, behold, I will bring strangers on you, the terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and they shall defile your brightness.
- Ezekiel 28:25 הַ/גּוֹיִ֑ם ptcl def.art + n c mp Thus says the Lord Yahweh: When I shall have gathered the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and shall be sanctified in them in the sight of the nations, then shall they dwell in their own land which I gave to my servant Jacob.
- Ezekiel 29:12 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֔ם prep det + n c mp I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be a desolation forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.
- Ezekiel 29:15 הַ/גּוֹיִ֑ם בַּ/גּוֹיִֽם ptcl def.art + n c mp prep det + n c mp It shall be the base of the kingdoms; neither shall it any more lift itself up above the nations: and I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations.
- Ezekiel 30:3 גּוֹיִ֖ם n c mp For the day is near, even the day of Yahweh is near; it shall be a day of clouds, a time of the nations.
- Ezekiel 30:11 גוֹיִ֔ם n c mp He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought in to destroy the land; and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain.
- Ezekiel 30:23 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֑ם prep det + n c mp I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.
- Ezekiel 30:26 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֔ם prep det + n c mp I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them through the countries; and they shall know that I am Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 31:6 גּוֹיִ֥ם n c mp All the birds of the sky made their nests in its boughs; and under its branches did all the animals of the field bring forth their young; and under its shadow lived all great nations.
- Ezekiel 31:11 גּוֹיִ֑ם n c mp I will even deliver him into the hand of the mighty one of the nations; he shall surely deal with him; I have driven him out for his wickedness.
- Ezekiel 31:12 גוֹיִ֖ם n c mp Strangers, the terrible of the nations, have cut him off, and have left him: on the mountains and in all the valleys his branches are fallen, and his boughs are broken by all the watercourses of the land; and all the peoples of the earth are gone down from his shadow, and have left him.
- Ezekiel 31:16 גוֹיִ֔ם n c mp I made the nations to shake at the sound of his fall, when I cast him down to Sheol with those who descend into the pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the lower parts of the earth.
- Ezekiel 31:17 גּוֹיִֽם n c mp They also went down into Sheol with him to those who are slain by the sword; yes, those who were his arm, [that] lived under his shadow in the midst of the nations.
- Ezekiel 32:2 גּוֹיִ֖ם n c mp Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and tell him, You were likened to a young lion of the nations: yet are you as a monster in the seas; and you did break forth with your rivers, and troubled the waters with your feet, and fouled their rivers.
- Ezekiel 32:9 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֔ם prep det + n c mp I will also vex the hearts of many peoples, when I shall bring your destruction among the nations, into the countries which you have not known.
- Ezekiel 32:12 גוֹיִ֖ם n c mp By the swords of the mighty will I cause your multitude to fall; the terrible of the nations are they all: and they shall bring to nothing the pride of Egypt, and all the multitude of it shall be destroyed.
- Ezekiel 32:16 הַ/גּוֹיִ֖ם ptcl def.art + n c mp This is the lamentation with which they shall lament; the daughters of the nations shall lament therewith; over Egypt, and over all her multitude, shall they lament therewith, says the Lord Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 32:18 גּוֹיִ֧ם n c mp Son of man, wail for the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down, even her, and the daughters of the famous nations, to the lower parts of the earth, with those who go down into the pit.
- Ezekiel 34:28 לַ/גּוֹיִ֔ם prep det + n c mp They shall no more be a prey to the nations, neither shall the animals of the earth devour them; but they shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid.
- Ezekiel 34:29 הַ/גּוֹיִֽם ptcl def.art + n c mp I will raise up to them a plantation for renown, and they shall be no more consumed with famine in the land, neither bear the shame of the nations any more.
- Ezekiel 35:10 הַ/גּוֹיִ֜ם ptcl def.art + n c mp Because you have said, These two nations and these two countries shall be mine, and we will possess it; whereas Yahweh was there:
- Ezekiel 36:3 הַ/גּוֹיִ֔ם ptcl def.art + n c mp therefore prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that you might be a possession to the residue of the nations, and you are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people;
- Ezekiel 36:4 הַ/גּוֹיִ֖ם ptcl def.art + n c mp therefore, you mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord Yahweh: Thus says the Lord Yahweh to the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, to the desolate wastes and to the cities that are forsaken, which are become a prey and derision to the residue of the nations that are round about;
- Ezekiel 36:5 הַ/גּוֹיִ֖ם ptcl def.art + n c mp therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Surely in the fire of my jealousy have I spoken against the residue of the nations, and against all Edom, that have appointed my land to themselves for a possession with the joy of all their heart, with despite of soul, to cast it out for a prey.
- Ezekiel 36:6 גּוֹיִ֖ם n c mp Therefore prophesy concerning the land of Israel, and tell the mountains and to the hills, to the watercourses and to the valleys, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I have spoken in my jealousy and in my wrath, because you have borne the shame of the nations:
- Ezekiel 36:7 הַ/גּוֹיִם֙ ptcl def.art + n c mp therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: I have sworn, [saying], Surely the nations that are round about you, they shall bear their shame.
- Ezekiel 36:13 גוי/ך גּוֹיַ֖יִ/ךְ n c ms cs + sfx pers 2fs n c mp cs + sfx pers 2fs Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because they say to you, You [land] are a devourer of men, and have been a bereaver of your nation;
- Ezekiel 36:14 ו/גוי/ך וְ/גוֹיַ֖יִ/ךְ conj + n c ms cs + sfx pers 2fs conj + n c mp cs + sfx pers 2fs therefore you shall devour men no more, neither bereave your nation any more, says the Lord Yahweh;
- Ezekiel 36:15 הַ/גּוֹיִ֔ם ו/גוי/ך וְ/גוֹיַ֨יִ/ךְ֙ ptcl def.art + n c mp conj + n c ms cs + sfx pers 2fs conj + n c mp cs + sfx pers 2fs neither will I let you hear any more the shame of the nations, neither shall you bear the reproach of the peoples any more, neither shall you cause your nation to stumble any more, says the Lord Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 36:19 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֔ם prep det + n c mp and I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them.
- Ezekiel 36:20 הַ/גּוֹיִם֙ ptcl def.art + n c mp When they came to the nations, where they went, they profaned my holy name; in that men said of them, These are the people of Yahweh, and are gone forth out of his land.
- Ezekiel 36:21 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֖ם prep det + n c mp But I had regard for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations, where they went.
- Ezekiel 36:22 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֖ם prep det + n c mp Therefore tell the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: I don't do [this] for your sake, house of Israel, but for my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations, where you went.
- Ezekiel 36:23 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֔ם הַ/גּוֹיִ֜ם prep det + n c mp ptcl def.art + n c mp I will sanctify my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in the midst of them; and the nations shall know that I am Yahweh, says the Lord Yahweh, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.
- Ezekiel 36:24 הַ/גּוֹיִ֔ם ptcl def.art + n c mp For I will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all the countries, and will bring you into your own land.
- Ezekiel 36:30 בַּ/גּוֹיִֽם prep det + n c mp I will multiply the fruit of the tree, and the increase of the field, that you may receive no more the reproach of famine among the nations.
- Ezekiel 36:36 הַ/גּוֹיִ֗ם ptcl def.art + n c mp Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I, Yahweh, have built the ruined places, and planted that which was desolate: I, Yahweh, have spoken it, and I will do it.
- Ezekiel 37:21 הַ/גּוֹיִ֖ם ptcl def.art + n c mp Say to them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the nations, where they are gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
- Ezekiel 37:22 לְ/ג֨וֹי גוֹיִ֔ם prep + n c ms n c mp and I will make them one nation in the land, on the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all; and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all;
- Ezekiel 37:28 הַ/גּוֹיִ֔ם ptcl def.art + n c mp The nations shall know that I am Yahweh who sanctifies Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them forevermore.
- Ezekiel 38:12 מִ/גּוֹיִ֔ם prep + n c mp to take the spoil and to take the prey; to turn your hand against the waste places that are [now] inhabited, and against the people who are gathered out of the nations, who have gotten cattle and goods, who dwell in the middle of the earth.
- Ezekiel 38:16 הַ/גּוֹיִ֜ם ptcl def.art + n c mp and you shall come up against my people Israel, as a cloud to cover the land: it shall happen in the latter days, that I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when I shall be sanctified in you, Gog, before their eyes.
- Ezekiel 38:23 גּוֹיִ֣ם n c mp I will magnify myself, and sanctify myself, and I will make myself known in the eyes of many nations; and they shall know that I am Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 39:7 הַ/גּוֹיִם֙ ptcl def.art + n c mp My holy name will I make known in the midst of my people Israel; neither will I allow my holy name to be profaned any more: and the nations shall know that I am Yahweh, the Holy One in Israel.
- Ezekiel 39:21 בַּ/גּוֹיִ֑ם הַ/גּוֹיִ֗ם prep det + n c mp ptcl def.art + n c mp I will set my glory among the nations; and all the nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid on them.
- Ezekiel 39:23 הַ֠/גּוֹיִם ptcl def.art + n c mp The nations shall know that the house of Israel went into captivity for their iniquity; because they trespassed against me, and I hid my face from them: so I gave them into the hand of their adversaries, and they fell all of them by the sword.
- Ezekiel 39:27 הַ/גּוֹיִ֥ם ptcl def.art + n c mp when I have brought them back from the peoples, and gathered them out of their enemies' lands, and am sanctified in them in the sight of many nations.
- Ezekiel 39:28 הַ/גּוֹיִ֔ם ptcl def.art + n c mp They shall know that I am Yahweh their God, in that I caused them to go into captivity among the nations, and have gathered them to their own land; and I will leave none of them any more there;
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
“nation” is the headline sense of the Hebrew word גוי (gôwy). One archaism survives in the King James Version — “heathen” — where modern Bibles read “nations”; see the renderings breakdown. It turns up in 511 verses across 34 books, one of the most common footprint. Its earliest occurrence is Genesis 10:5. Its meaning spans more than one sense — see its full sense range. See the sense tree, 511-verse concordance, and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H1471 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 511
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 511 distinct verses.
- 34 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 34 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #87
- by frequency
- Top 100 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 87 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 511 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 511 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 333 verses · 65%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 96 verses · 19%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 82 verses · 16%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 3 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Nations 145×, Heathen 77×, Nation 76×
- American Standard Version†: Nations 212×, Nation 68×, Among the nations 54×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Nations 330×, Nation 107×, Among the nations 63×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Nations 311×, Nation 108×, Among the nations 51×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H1471 across 558† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 88 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H1471 across 559† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 115 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H1471 across 553† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 28 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 8 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H1471 across 563† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 42 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 6 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
- 1. nation, people Gn 10:5(×2), 20, 31, 32(×2) (all P) +; Is 2:2, 4(×2) = Mi 4:2, 3(×2); †Jb 12:23(×2); 34:29†; Pr 14:34; כֹּל גּוֹיֵי הָאָרֶץ Gn 18:18; 22:18; 26:4 (all J) Dt 28:1. e.g. Genesis 10:5
- a. specif. of descendants of Abraham, גּוֹי גָּדוֹל Gn 12:2 cf. 18:18 (both J), גּוֹיִם 17:6, הֲמוֹן גּוֹיִם 17:4, 5 (all P); of Sarah גּוֹיִם 17:16 (P); of Ishmael גּוֹי 21:13, גּוֹי גָּדוֹל v 18 (both E), גּוֹי גָּדוֹל 17:20 (P); of Jacob גּוֹי וּקְהַל גּוֹיִם Gn 35:11 (P), גּוֹי גָּדוֹל 46:3 (E); of Ephraim מְלֹא הַגּ׳ 48:19 (J); of Moses גּוֹי גָּדוֹל Ex 32:10 (J) cf. Nu 14:12 (J) Dt 9:14; of Jacob and Esau as two nations Gn 25:23 (J). e.g. Genesis 12:2
- b. definitely of Israel Ex 19:6 (גּ׳ קָדוֹשׁ) 33:13 (both JE), Dt 4:6 (הַגּוֹי הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה, said by heathen cf. v 7, 8) v. also v 34, 26:5 cf. ψ 33:12, ψ 83:5 (said by enemies) Je 31:36; 33:24 Ez 27:22; in narrative Jos 3:17; 4:1; 5:8 (JE), v 6 (D), 10:13 (poet., no art.); of Israel and Judah as two nations Ez 35:10 (said by heathen) 37:22; of Judah Is 26:2, 15(×2) cf. 58:2; 60:22 Mi 4:7; once my people Zp 2:9 (‖ עַם); thy people ψ 106:5 (i.e. of י׳), cf. also Ez 36:13, 14 (read Kt); especially of Israel and (or) Judah as sinful, rebellious Dt 32:28 Ju 2:20 Is 1:4; 10:6 Je 5:9, 29; 7:28; 9:8; 12:17 Ez 2:3 (del. 𝔊 Co) Hg 2:14 Mal 3:9.—Note. This definite ref. to Israel and (or) Judah is comparatively rare; in Hex not P (yet v. Gn 17:4, 5, 6, 16; 35:11 P); seldom in exile & post-exile proph.; not Chr.— e.g. Exodus 19:6
- c. usually of non-Heb. peoples Ex 9:24; 34:10 (JE) Lv 25:44 (H) Nu 14:15 (J) Dt 15:6(×2) 1 K 5:11 1 Ch 14:17; 16:20 Is 11:10, 12 + often; opp. Israel as עם י׳ 2 S 7:23 1 Ch 17:21(×2) ect., v. עם, cf. also Nu 23:9; note especially גְּלִיל הַגּוֹיִם Is 8:23 circle or district of the nations (v. גָּלִיל); also חֲרֹשֶׁת הַגּ׳ Ju 4:2, 13, 16 Charosheth of the nations, & מֶלֶךְ גּוֹיִם לְגִלְגָּ֖ל Jos 12:23 king of nations (peoples, tribes) belonging to Gilgal (𝔊 Di to the district, i.e. ‘Galilee’); especially of these peoples as heathen: idolatrous Lv 8:24, 28 (P) 20:23 (H) 1 K 14:24 2 K 17:8, 11, 15, 26, 29(×2) 2 Ch 28:3; 32:13 +, Ezr 6:21 Ez 5:6 +; hostile Gn 15:14 (J) Lv 26:33; 38, 45 (H) Dt 4:27; 9:4, 5; 18:9 1 Ch 16:35 Je 5:15 Ez 4:13 + often Je Ez, etc.; in simile Ez 20:32; 25:8; sometimes ‖ עַם ψ 33:10, 12 Is 11:10 Je 6:18, v. also Is 2:2, 4 comp. with Mi 4:1, 3. e.g. Exodus 9:24
- 2. fig. of swarm of locusts Jo 1:6; of all species of beasts Zp 2:14. e.g. Joel 1:6
- 3. גּוֹיִם Gn 14:1, 9 prob. mutilated n.pr. v. infr. e.g. Genesis 14:1
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. n.m. Gn 12:2 nation, people (NH id. Gentiles, Ph. גו community, ܓܰܘܳܐ, Sab. גו id., DHMZMG 1883, 348)—ג׳ Gn 12:2 + 121 times; sf. i s. גּוֹיִ Zp 2:9, גּוֹיֶ֑ךָ ψ 106:5, גּוֹיֵךְ Kt Ez 36:13, 14, 15 (Qr wrongly גּוֹיַיִךְ cf. Co, who del. v 15); pl. גּוֹיִם Gn 10:5 + 410 times + Qr Gn 25:23 ψ 79:10 (Kt גיים) + 6 times Ez (var. emend. Co); cstr. גּוֹיֵי Gn 18:18 + 8 times, גּוֹיֵ 2 Ch 32:13 Ezr 6:21 (cf. Baer’s notes); sf. גּוֹיֵהֶם Gn 10:5, 20, 31, 32;—
I. n.pr.gent. Gn 14:1, 9, in phr. תִּדְעָל מֶלֶךְ גּוֹיִם Tidʿal king of Goim; prob. a Babylonian (Elamitic, etc.) name corrupted; H. Rawlinson proposes Gutî, a people NE. of Babylonia, COT on Gn 14:1; also KGF 258 al.; cf. also DlPa 233 f.
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from גוה (gêvâh) (H1465) — back.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
גּוֹי
- crowd, people, nation; pl. גּוֹיִם gentiles, fr. which גּוֹי = נָכְרִי or עכו"ם, gentile, idolator. Tosef. Ab. Zar. III, 4 sq.; Y. ib. IV, 41ᵃ top contrad. to כותי (Bab. ib. 29ᵃ נכרי); a. v. fr.—Pl. גּוֹיִים, גּוֹיִם. Ab. Zar. I, 1 sq. in Y. ed. ג׳ (Bab. ed. נכרים, עכו"ם, Mish. עכומ"ז, נכרים indiscriminately); a. v. fr.—Fem. גּוֹיָה gentile woman. Y. Yeb. II, 4ᵃ top ואין בנך מן הג׳ וכ׳ thy son from a gentile is not called thy son but her son (Bab. ib. 23ᵃ נכרית); a. fr.—Pl. גּוֹיוֹת. Y. ib. IV, 6ᵃ bot. [Y. Gitt. I, 43ᵇ top, a. e. גויים לוקין, v. גַּיּוּס.]
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 166 distinct written forms H1471 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 106 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H1471, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
Compare all same-root words → They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 472 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 511 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 10:5
- Exodus 9:24
- Leviticus 18:24
- Numbers 14:12
- Deuteronomy 4:6
- Joshua 3:17
- Judges 2:20
- 1 Samuel 8:5
- 2 Samuel 7:23
- 1 Kings 11:2
- 2 Kings 6:18
- 1 Chronicles 14:17
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
