# Gentile

## Facts:

The term “Gentile” refers to anyone who is not a Jew. Gentiles are people who are not descendants of Jacob.

* In the Bible, the term “uncircumcised” is also used figuratively to refer to Gentiles because many of them did not circumcise their male children as the Israelites did.
* Because God chose the Jews to be his special people, they thought of the Gentiles as outsiders who could never be God’s people.
* The Jews were also called “Israelites” or “Hebrews” at different times in history. They referred to anyone else as a “Gentile.”
* Gentile could also be translated as “not a Jew” or “non-Jewish” or “not an Israelite” (Old Testament) or “non-Jew.”.
* Traditionally, Jews would neither eat with nor associate with Gentiles, which at first caused problems within the early church.

(See also: [Israel](../kt/israel.md), [Jacob](../names/jacob.md), [Jew](../kt/jew.md))

## Bible References:

* [Acts 09:13-16](rc://en/tn/help/act/09/13)
* [Acts 14:5-7](rc://en/tn/help/act/14/05)
* [Galatians 02:16](rc://en/tn/help/gal/02/16)
* [Luke 02:32](rc://en/tn/help/luk/02/32)
* [Matthew 05:47](rc://en/tn/help/mat/05/47)
* [Matthew 06:5-7](rc://en/tn/help/mat/06/05)
* [Romans 11:25](rc://en/tn/help/rom/11/25)


## Word Data:

* Strong’s: H1471, G1482, G1484, G1672