2007-07-09 07:41:48 · 14 answers · asked by Giggly Giraffe 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
In the Hebrew Bible, goy and its variants appear over 550 times in reference to Israelites and to gentile nations. The first recorded usage of goy occurs in Genesis 10:5 and applies 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 goy gadol ("great nation"). While the earlier books of the Hebrew Bible often use goy to describe the Israelites, the later ones tend to apply the term to other nations.
Some Bible translations leave the word Goyim 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.[1] The "King of Goyim" was Tidal.
2007-07-09 07:48:16 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 3⤋
Goy (Hebrew: גוי, regular plural goyim גויים, or goys in Western languages) is a transliterated Hebrew word which translates as "nation" or "people". In practice today it is a synonym for gentile or non-Jew and its use can be controversial.
2007-07-09 07:45:13 · answer #2 · answered by lucy_diamond66 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Goy means nation, goyim means nations.
It refers to the nations of the world; the non-Jews.
2007-07-09 07:46:45 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Goy means nation, goyim means nations. Its present usage refers to non-Jewish nations or people. It is only a slur when a Jew is referred to as a goy, because he isn't doing what a Jew should be doing. But, if a Jew would say about a non-Jew that "so&so is a goy", that has no derogetory message.
2007-07-09 08:06:44 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Dig deeper and you'll find it has developed from the biblical
use as detailed in another answer into a term used as an ethnic stereotype, or slur. While it retains the implication of "not one of us", it is used today as an insult meant to degrade, in short to show superiority of the person using the term.
A Jew calling someone a Goy has the same insulting overtones as someone calling an African a ******.
2007-07-09 07:56:58 · answer #5 · answered by ThinkaboutThis 6 · 1⤊ 3⤋
Gentiles, non-jews
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goyim
2007-07-09 08:03:09 · answer #6 · answered by evolver 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I heard the term «goy» in Will and Grace once, Grace was talking about how when she was little, she used to read "one fish, two fish, goy fish, jew fish. "Goy" stands for someone who is not Jewish. Supposedly, it is supposed to be a derogatory term, but I don't really think so, can anybody who is Jewish validate this?
2007-07-09 07:49:15 · answer #7 · answered by au_lycée_Américain 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
In Hebrew , it means 'nation'.
It means 'non-Jew' or 'Gentile' in Yiddish. It's usually used in a deterogatory or joking way.
2007-07-09 07:44:56 · answer #8 · answered by Elianah 3 · 1⤊ 3⤋
It refers to non-jews. It MEANS 'stranger".
2007-07-09 14:49:46 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Basically, it means gentile. Considered a slur or a slam.
2007-07-09 07:44:56 · answer #10 · answered by Jed 7 · 1⤊ 4⤋