People & groups
Gentile
A person or people belonging to the nations outside Israel or the Jewish people.
Also called · Nations · Non-Jew
What it means
In biblical contexts, the term may refer to nations or to people who are not Jewish. Cornelius in Acts 10 is a centurion who fears God, prays, and helps others. Calling someone a Gentile does not by itself mean that the person is wicked or knows nothing of God.
As Peter speaks in Cornelius’ house, the Holy Spirit falls on the listeners, and Peter directs that they be baptized. Acts 15 debates whether Gentiles must be circumcised. Peter says that Jews and Gentiles alike are saved through Jesus’ grace.
How it appears in the Bible
Genesis 12 promises that all the earth’s families will be blessed through Abram. In Romans 11, Paul compares Gentile believers to branches grafted into an olive tree and warns them against boasting. They must remain in God’s goodness; Israel, too, can be grafted in again if it does not persist in unbelief.