Les Feldick Bible Study

What terms does the Bible use for people who are not Jews?

Scripture refers to people who are not Jews as Gentiles, the Goyim, heathen, or uncircumcised. These terms distinguish anyone not born of Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve sons from the nation of Israel, and they appear in both Old and New Testaments.

Les explains that in Old Testament language and even in the New, anyone who was not a Jew—not born of Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve sons—is called a Gentile or the Goyim, or referred to as heathen or uncircumcised. He notes that in Psalms chapter 2, the specific word used is 'heathen.' This distinction sets Israel apart from all other peoples within the prophetic program.

Psalms 2:1

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?