Gentiles

Gentiles are the peoples of the nations, as distinct from Israel. This page lists verses on the ways of the nations, God's dealings with all peoples, promises of blessing to the nations, Gentiles in the ministry of Jesus and in Acts, Jew and Gentile in one body, and Gentiles grafted in.

The ways of the nations

• Jeremiah 10:2-3
  ²Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them.This is what the LORD says: “Do not learn the ways of the nations or be terrified by the signs in the heavens, though the nations themselves are terrified by them. ³For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.For the customs of the peoples are worthless; they cut down a tree from the forest; it is shaped with a chisel by the hands of a craftsman.
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• Matthew 6:7
  But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard.
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• Matthew 6:31-32
  ³¹Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³²(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.For the Gentiles strive after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
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• Ephesians 2:11-12
  ¹¹Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh and called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcision (that done in the body by human hands)— ¹²That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
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• Ephesians 4:17-18
  ¹⁷This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. ¹⁸Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.
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• 1 Peter 4:3
  For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:For you have spent enough time in the past carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry.
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God and all peoples

• Acts 17:26-27
  ²⁶And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;From one man He made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and He determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands. ²⁷That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:God intended that they would seek Him and perhaps reach out for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.
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• Acts 14:16-17
  ¹⁶Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.In past generations, He let all nations go their own way. ¹⁷Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.Yet He has not left Himself without testimony to His goodness: He gives you rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts with food and gladness.”
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• Romans 2:14-15
  ¹⁴For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)So they show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts either accusing or defending them
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• Romans 3:29
  Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:Is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too,
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• Acts 10:34-35
  ³⁴Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:Then Peter began to speak: “I now truly understand that God does not show favoritism, ³⁵But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him.but welcomes those from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.
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Promises to the nations

• Genesis 12:3
  And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.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.”
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• Genesis 22:18
  And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
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• Psalm 22:27
  All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD. All the families of the nations will bow down before Him.
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• Isaiah 2:2-3
  ²And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. ³And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.And many peoples will come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways so that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go forth from Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
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• Isaiah 49:6
  And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.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.”
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• Isaiah 60:3
  And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.
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• Romans 15:9-12
  ⁹And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.so that the Gentiles may glorify God for His mercy. As it is written: “Therefore I will praise You among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to Your name.” ¹⁰And again he saith, Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people.Again, it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.” ¹¹And again, Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.And again: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and extol Him, all you peoples.” ¹²And again, Esaias saith, There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.And once more, Isaiah says: “The Root of Jesse will appear, One who will arise to rule over the Gentiles; in Him the Gentiles will put their hope.”
  Show context · Read Romans 15 →

Gentiles in the ministry of Jesus

• Luke 2:30-32
  ³⁰For mine eyes have seen thy salvation,For my eyes have seen Your salvation, ³¹Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people;which You have prepared in the sight of all people, ³²A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.”
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• Matthew 8:10-11
  ¹⁰When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.When Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those following Him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. ¹¹And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
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• Matthew 12:18-21
  ¹⁸Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.“Here is My Servant, whom I have chosen, My beloved, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations. ¹⁹He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets. ²⁰A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, till He leads justice to victory. ²¹And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.In His name the nations will put their hope.”
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• Mark 7:26-29
  ²⁶The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.Now she was a Greek woman of Syrophoenician origin, and she kept asking Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter. ²⁷But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs.“First let the children have their fill,” He said. “For it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” ²⁸And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs.“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” ²⁹And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.Then Jesus told her, “Because of this answer, you may go. The demon has left your daughter.”
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The gospel to the Gentiles in Acts

• Acts 10:45
  And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.All the circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.
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• Acts 11:18
  When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.When they heard this, their objections were put to rest, and they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”
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• Acts 13:46-48
  ⁴⁶Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. ⁴⁷For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” ⁴⁸And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.When the Gentiles heard this, they rejoiced and glorified the word of the Lord, and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.
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• Acts 15:7-9
  ⁷And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.After much discussion, Peter got up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you that the Gentiles would hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;And God, who knows the heart, showed His approval by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us. ⁹And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts by faith.
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• Acts 15:19-20
  ¹⁹Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not cause trouble for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood.
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• Acts 28:28
  Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.Be advised, therefore, that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!”
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One body

• Ephesians 2:13-16
  ¹³But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. ¹⁴For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility ¹⁵Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;by abolishing in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace ¹⁶And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:and reconciling both of them to God in one body through the cross, by which He extinguished their hostility.
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• Ephesians 3:6
  That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.
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• Galatians 3:28
  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
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• Romans 10:12
  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.For there is no difference between Jew and Greek: The same Lord is Lord of all, and gives richly to all who call on Him,
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• Colossians 3:11
  Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all and is in all.
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• Romans 1:16
  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, then to the Greek.
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Grafted in

• Romans 11:11
  I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.I ask then, did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Certainly not! However, because of their trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous.
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• Romans 11:17-18
  ¹⁷And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;Now if some branches have been broken off, and you, a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others to share in the nourishment of the olive root, ¹⁸Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.do not boast over those branches. If you do, remember this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.
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• Romans 11:25
  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you will not be conceited: A hardening in part has come to Israel, until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
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See also

• Nations
• Israel
• Great Commission
• Foreigners
• Circumcision

Notes

1. Verses are quoted in the translation chosen in the Translation menu at the top of the page. See Translations for sources and copyright notices.
2. Each reference links to the full chapter so the verse can be read in context.