ἔθνος (ethnos)
ethnos
Gentiles
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 152 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The noun ethnos fundamentally denotes a group of people bound together by shared habits or origin, translating broadly to "nation" or "people." In classical usage and the Septuagint, it serves as the standard equivalent for Hebrew terms like goy, referring to any distinct ethnic or political community. While it most frequently appears in the plural to describe the Gentile nations outside of Israel, the singular form occasionally refers to the Jewish people themselves, as seen when the high priest Caiaphas speaks of the nation (John 11:48).
A significant development occurs in the New Testament when Paul applies ethnos to Gentile believers. In passages like Romans 15:16 and Ephesians 3:1, the term shifts from describing ethnic outsiders to identifying a new spiritual community chosen by God. This usage expands the concept beyond mere geography or ancestry, framing the church as a people gathered from all nations.
Translators often render ethnos as "Gentiles" in contexts emphasizing the distinction between Israel and the rest of the world, such as Matthew 6:32. However, the word retains its neutral sense of "nation" when discussing political powers or general human groups. The lexical data confirms that while the term can carry a theological weight regarding salvation history, it primarily functions as a descriptive label for any collective people group.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ethnos points to a people group defined by shared life, not just bloodline. In the New Testament it often marks the boundary between Israel and the surrounding world, reminding us that God’s plan always included those outside the original covenant family. When Jesus speaks of the nations, He describes a vast audience for His message, one that stretches far beyond any single ethnic identity.
This expansion brings hope to every reader. The Great Commission commands disciples to go to all ethne, inviting people from every background into the same family through baptism and faith. This means your heritage or current status does not limit your place in God’s story. Instead, the church becomes a gathering of many peoples, united by grace rather than geography.
Understanding this word helps us see our own role in that wide invitation. We are part of a community where distinctions fade before the shared identity of believers. This perspective encourages humility and welcome, knowing that God’s light shines for all nations, not just one.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 152 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- Gentiles47×
- nation23×
- nations22×
- [the] Gentiles9×
- Gentiles,7×
- of [the] Gentiles5×
- Gentiles.5×
- nations.4×
- Gentiles —4×
- nations;3×
- a nation3×
- the Gentiles2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἔθνη40×
- ἐθνῶν31×
- ἔθνεσιν21×
- ἔθνος16×
- ἔθνη,8×
- ἐθνῶν,8×
- ἔθνει7×
- ἔθνους6×
- ἔθνη.4×
- ἔθνεσιν,4×
- ἐθνῶν.4×
- ἔθνεσιν·3×
Key Verses
-
Matthew 28:19
Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
This verse defines the scope of the mission by commanding disciples to make followers from every ethnos, establishing the church as a multi-ethnic community.
-
Luke 2:32
a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel.”
Simeon identifies Jesus as a light for the ethne, showing that the Messiah’s purpose was always to reveal God to the wider world beyond Israel.
-
Matthew 10:5
Jesus sent these twelve out and commanded them, saying, “Don’t go among the Gentiles, and don’t enter into any city of the Samaritans.
Here Jesus restricts the initial mission to Israel, highlighting a specific phase in salvation history before the gospel expands to all nations.
-
Mark 11:17
He taught, saying to them, “Isn’t it written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers!”
Jesus quotes Isaiah to describe the temple as a house of prayer for all ethne, reclaiming its purpose as a place of welcome for outsiders.
-
Matthew 24:14
This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
This passage links the global preaching of the gospel to every ethnos with the culmination of history, showing the urgency of the mission.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does ethnos mean in the New Testament?
Is ethnos always used for non-Jews?
How does this word relate to the Great Commission?
Why does Matthew use ethnos differently than Paul?
Every Occurrence (152 verses across 16 books)
Matthew 14 verses
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,
Matthew 6:32For the Gentiles seek after all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
Matthew 10:5Jesus sent these twelve out and commanded them, saying, “Don’t go among the Gentiles, and don’t enter into any city of…
Matthew 10:18Yes, and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations.
Matthew 12:18“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit on him. He…
Matthew 12:21In his name, the nations will hope.”
Matthew 20:19and will hand him over to the Gentiles to mock, to scourge, and to crucify; and the third day he will be raised up.”
Matthew 20:25But Jesus summoned them, and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones…
Matthew 21:43“Therefore I tell you, God’s Kingdom will be taken away from you and will be given to a nation producing its fruit.
Matthew 24:7For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes…
Matthew 24:9“Then they will deliver you up to oppression and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name’s…
Matthew 24:14This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end…
Matthew 25:32Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the…
Matthew 28:19Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,