Hebrew word · Strong's H1471

גּוֹי

gôwy · go'-ee · noun · “nation, people”

In a sentence

Goy means nation or people — sometimes Israel itself, but often the “nations” (Gentiles) beyond Israel, whom God promises to bless through Abraham’s line.

Goy is the Hebrew word for a nation as a people group. In the singular it can describe any nation, including Israel; in the plural it often means the Gentile nations — outside the covenant but never outside God’s reach.

The promise to Abraham was that in him “all the families of the earth (kol goyim)” would be blessed. The story of the Bible is God keeping that promise, all the way to the gospel going out to every goy.

Strong's reference

Definition: a foreign nation; hence, a Gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts

KJV usage: Gentile, heathen, nation, people.

Reference gloss from Strong's Concordance (1890, public domain).

Key verses BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

Genesis 12:3 “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”” Isaiah 49:6 “He says: “It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”” Matthew 28:19 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,”

Original BibleDawn word study. Original-language data and the public-domain Strong's (1890) gloss are referenced; see sources.