People & groups
Diaspora
Communities living dispersed from their homeland; in biblical contexts, especially Jews living among other peoples.
Also called · Dispersion · Scattered communities
What it means
In Esther 3, Haman seeks to destroy Jews living throughout the king’s provinces. His claim that they disobey the king’s laws is an accusation made to persuade the king, not a neutral description of all Jews.
In John 7, people hearing Jesus ask whether he intends to go to the Dispersion among the Greeks and teach the Greeks. This is their question, not an account of Jesus making that journey.
How it appears in the Bible
James opens by greeting the twelve tribes in the Dispersion. First Peter addresses chosen people living as foreigners in regions including Pontus and Galatia. In Acts 2, Jews and converts to Judaism from many regions hear God’s mighty works in their own languages in Jerusalem. Deuteronomy 28 describes scattering as part of a warning about disobeying God’s law; it does not give the reason for every migration.