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goy

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Also known as goyim

Goy (pl: goyim or goys) is a term for a gentile, a non-Jew, sometimes in a pejorative sense. The word, of Hebrew origin, was adopted into English from Yiddish. It carries a similar meaning in Modern Hebrew.

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8 sections
Contents
  • Hebrew Bible
  • Translations of 'goy' in English-language Christian Bibles
  • Evolution of the term
  • As a derogatory term
  • In antisemitism
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

Goy (pl: goyim or goys) is a term for a gentile, a non-Jew, sometimes in a pejorative sense. The word, of Hebrew origin, was adopted into English from Yiddish. It carries a similar meaning in Modern Hebrew.

The Biblical Hebrew word goy has been commonly translated into English as nation, meaning a group of persons of the same ethnic family who speak the same language (rather than the more common modern meaning of a political unit). In the Bible, goy is used to describe both the Nation of Israel and other nations.

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