Goy
Encyclopedia
is a Hebrew biblical
term for "nation". By Roman times
it had also acquired the meaning of "non-Jew". The latter is also its meaning in Yiddish
.
In the Torah
/Hebrew Bible
, and its variants appear over 550 times in reference to Israelite
s and to Gentile
nations. The first recorded usage of occurs in Genesis 10:5 and applies innocuously to non-Israelite nations. The first mention in relation to the Israelites comes in Genesis 12:2, when God promises Abraham
that his descendants will form a ("great nation"). On one occasion, the Jewish people are referred to as a goy kadosh, a "holy nation." While the earlier books of the Hebrew Bible often use to describe the Israelites, the later ones tend to apply the term to other nations.
Some Bible translations leave the word untranslated and treat it as the proper name of a country in Genesis 14:1. Bible commentaries suggest that the term may refer to Gutium
. The "King of Goyim" was Tidal.
The Rabbinic literature
conceives of the nations of the world as numbering seventy, each with a distinct language.
On the verse, “He [God] set the borders of peoples according to the number of the Children of Israel,”(Deut., 32:8) Rashi
explains: “Because of the number of the Children of Israel who were destined to come forth from the children of Shem
, and to the number of the seventy souls of the Children of Israel who went down to Egypt
, He set the ‘borders of peoples’ [to be characterized by] seventy languages.”
Chaim ibn Attar
maintains that this is the symbolism behind the Menorah: “The seven candles of the Menorah [in the Holy Temple] correspond to the world's nations, which number seventy. Each [candle] alludes to ten [nations]. This alludes to the fact that they all shine opposite the western [candle], which corresponds to the Jewish people.”
In modern Hebrew and Yiddish the word is the standard term for a gentile
. The two words are related. In ancient Greek, ta ethne was used to translate ha goyim, both phrases meaning "the nations". In Latin, gentilis was used to translate the Greek word for "nation", which led to the word "gentile".
In English, the use of the word can be controversial. Like other common (and otherwise innocent) terms, it may be assigned pejoratively to non-Jews. To avoid any perceived offensive connotations, writers may use the English terms "Gentile" or "non-Jew".
In Yiddish, it is the only proper term for Gentile and many bilingual English and Yiddish speakers use it dispassionately or even deliberately.
The term shabbos goy refers to a non-Jew who performs duties that Jewish law
forbids a Jew from performing on the Sabbath
, such as lighting a fire to warm a house.
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
term for "nation". By Roman times
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
it had also acquired the meaning of "non-Jew". The latter is also its meaning in Yiddish
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
.
In Biblical Hebrew
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
/Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
, and its variants appear over 550 times in reference to Israelite
Israelite
According to the Bible the Israelites were a Hebrew-speaking people of the Ancient Near East who inhabited the Land of Canaan during the monarchic period .The word "Israelite" derives from the Biblical Hebrew ישראל...
s and to Gentile
Gentile
The term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
nations. The first recorded usage of occurs in Genesis 10:5 and applies innocuously to non-Israelite nations. The first mention in relation to the Israelites comes in Genesis 12:2, when God promises Abraham
Abraham
Abraham , whose birth name was Abram, is the eponym of the Abrahamic religions, among which are Judaism, Christianity and Islam...
that his descendants will form a ("great nation"). On one occasion, the Jewish people are referred to as a goy kadosh, a "holy nation." While the earlier books of the Hebrew Bible often use to describe the Israelites, the later ones tend to apply the term to other nations.
Some Bible translations leave the word untranslated and treat it as the proper name of a country in Genesis 14:1. Bible commentaries suggest that the term may refer to Gutium
Gutium
The Gutians were a tribe that overran southern Mesopotamia when the Akkadian empire collapsed in approximately 2154 BC....
. The "King of Goyim" was Tidal.
In Rabbinic Judaism
One of the more poetic descriptions of the chosen people in the Old Testament, and popular among Jewish scholarship, as the highest description of themselves: when God proclaims in the holy writ, , or 'a unique nation upon the earth!'.The Rabbinic literature
Rabbinic literature
Rabbinic literature, in its broadest sense, can mean the entire spectrum of rabbinic writings throughout Jewish history. However, the term often refers specifically to literature from the Talmudic era, as opposed to medieval and modern rabbinic writing, and thus corresponds with the Hebrew term...
conceives of the nations of the world as numbering seventy, each with a distinct language.
On the verse, “He [God] set the borders of peoples according to the number of the Children of Israel,”(Deut., 32:8) Rashi
Rashi
Shlomo Yitzhaki , or in Latin Salomon Isaacides, and today generally known by the acronym Rashi , was a medieval French rabbi famed as the author of a comprehensive commentary on the Talmud, as well as a comprehensive commentary on the Tanakh...
explains: “Because of the number of the Children of Israel who were destined to come forth from the children of Shem
Shem
Shem was one of the sons of Noah in the Hebrew Bible as well as in Islamic literature. He is most popularly regarded as the eldest son, though some traditions regard him as the second son. Genesis 10:21 refers to relative ages of Shem and his brother Japheth, but with sufficient ambiguity in each...
, and to the number of the seventy souls of the Children of Israel who went down to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, He set the ‘borders of peoples’ [to be characterized by] seventy languages.”
Chaim ibn Attar
Chaim ibn Attar
Chaim ben Moses ibn Attar also known as the Ohr ha-Chaim after his popular commentary on the Pentateuch, was a Talmudist and kabbalist; born at Meknes, Morocco, in 1696; died in Jerusalem, Israel July 7, 1743. He was one of the most prominent rabbis in Morocco.In 1733 he decided to leave his native...
maintains that this is the symbolism behind the Menorah: “The seven candles of the Menorah [in the Holy Temple] correspond to the world's nations, which number seventy. Each [candle] alludes to ten [nations]. This alludes to the fact that they all shine opposite the western [candle], which corresponds to the Jewish people.”
Modern usage
As noted, in the above-quoted Rabbinical literature the meaning of the word "" shifted the Biblical meaning of "a people" which could be applied to the Hebrews/Jews as to others into meaning "a people other than the Jews". In later generations, a further shift left the word as meaning an individual person who belongs to such a non-Jewish people.In modern Hebrew and Yiddish the word is the standard term for a gentile
Gentile
The term Gentile refers to non-Israelite peoples or nations in English translations of the Bible....
. The two words are related. In ancient Greek, ta ethne was used to translate ha goyim, both phrases meaning "the nations". In Latin, gentilis was used to translate the Greek word for "nation", which led to the word "gentile".
In English, the use of the word can be controversial. Like other common (and otherwise innocent) terms, it may be assigned pejoratively to non-Jews. To avoid any perceived offensive connotations, writers may use the English terms "Gentile" or "non-Jew".
In Yiddish, it is the only proper term for Gentile and many bilingual English and Yiddish speakers use it dispassionately or even deliberately.
The term shabbos goy refers to a non-Jew who performs duties that Jewish law
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...
forbids a Jew from performing on the Sabbath
Shabbat
Shabbat is the seventh day of the Jewish week and a day of rest in Judaism. Shabbat is observed from a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening until a few minutes after when one would expect to be able to see three stars in the sky on Saturday night. The exact times, therefore, differ from...
, such as lighting a fire to warm a house.