ethnos · nation

What it means

ethnos (ἔθνος) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “nation”.

People; in the plural, often the peoples who are not Israel.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. A people with its own land, language and customs.
2. The peoples who are not Israel.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

Nation, people; in the plural, often the peoples who are not Israel. Abbott-Smith: a multitude, a group; a nation, a people; the nations; the Gentiles.

• “Make disciples of all the nations” Matthew 28:19
• “A light for revelation to the nations” Luke 2:32Acts 13:47
• Proclaiming among the nations Galatians 1:16
• Israel as a nation Luke 7:5John 11:50
• “Nation will rise against nation” Matthew 24:7

How we translate it

“Nations” 128 times, “nation” 32. This edition's glossary sets “nations” and does not use “Gentiles”; in the singular it is “nation”, also in Matthew 21:43 and Acts 17:26.

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• nations ×128
• nation ×32

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×15
• Mark×6
• Luke×13
• John×5
• Acts×43
• Romans×28
• 1 Corinthians×3
• 2 Corinthians×1
• Galatians×10
• Ephesians×5
• Colossians×1
• 1 Thessalonians×2
• 1 Timothy×2
• 2 Timothy×1
• 1 Peter×3
• Revelation×22

• Matthew 4:15

  “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations:

• Matthew 6:32

  For all these things the nations seek after; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

• Matthew 10:5

  These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, saying, “Do not go off onto a road of the nations, and do not enter into a town of Samaritans;

• Matthew 10:18

  and you will be brought before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and to the nations.

• Matthew 12:18

  “Look, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom my soul is well pleased; I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.

• Matthew 12:21

  and in his name the nations will hope.”

• Matthew 20:19

  and will hand him over to the nations to mock and flog and crucify him, and on the third day he will be raised.”

• Matthew 20:25

  But Jesus summoned them and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and the great ones exercise authority over them.

• Matthew 21:43

  Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing its fruits.

• Matthew 24:7

  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

• Matthew 24:9

  Then they will hand you over to affliction and will kill you, and you will be hated by all the nations because of my name.

• Matthew 24:14

  And this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed in the whole inhabited world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.

• Matthew 25:32

  And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;

• Matthew 28:19

  So go and make disciples of all the nations, immersing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

• Mark 10:33

  “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the high priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and hand him over to the nations,

• Mark 10:42

  And summoning them, Jesus says to them, “You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

• Mark 11:17

  And he was teaching and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.”

• Mark 13:8

  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These things are the beginning of birth pains.

• Mark 13:10

  And first the good news must be proclaimed to all the nations.

• Luke 2:32

  a light for revelation to the nations and glory for your people Israel.”

• Luke 7:5

  for he loves our nation, and he himself built the synagogue for us.”

• Luke 12:30

  For all these things the nations of the world seek after; but your Father knows that you need them.

• Luke 18:32

  For he will be handed over to the nations, and he will be mocked and insulted and spit upon;

• Luke 21:10

  Then he was saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

• Luke 21:24

  And they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled by nations until the times of the nations are fulfilled.

• Luke 21:25

  And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roar of the sea and the surging waves,

• Luke 22:25

  And he said to them, “The kings of the nations lord it over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called benefactors.

• Luke 23:2

  And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting our nation and forbidding people to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Messiah, a king.”

• Luke 24:47

  and that change of mind and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

• John 11:48

  If we let him go on like this, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation.”

• John 11:50

  nor do you consider that it is better for you that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation perish.”

• John 11:51

  He did not say this of his own accord, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation,

• John 11:52

  and not for the nation only, but so that he might also gather into one the children of God who are scattered.

• John 18:35

  Pilate answered, “Am I a Jew? Your own nation and the high priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”

• Acts 2:5

  Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation of those under heaven.

• Acts 4:25

  who through the Holy Spirit, by the mouth of our father David, your servant, said, ‘Why did the nations rage, and the peoples plot vain things?

• Acts 4:27

  For truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the nations and the peoples of Israel,

• Acts 7:7

  ‘And the nation to which they will be enslaved I will judge,’ God said, ‘and after these things they will come out and worship me in this place.’

• Acts 7:45

  This tent our fathers, having received it in turn, also brought in with Joshua into the possession of the nations whom God drove out before our fathers, until the days of David,

• Acts 8:9

  Now a certain man named Simon had previously been in the city practicing magic and amazing the nation of Samaria, saying that he himself was someone great.

And 120 more times.