1. Adjective, referring to something or someone who is not Jewish. Derived from "goy" - a Hebrew word used in the Jewish Scriptures (a.k.a. the
Old Testament). The word means "nation," and is
always used within these scriptures to refer to the nations of the
world. Significantly, within the
Old Testament,
Judah (the Jewish nation) itself is called a "goy."
2. In the
Old Testament, the Jews were called to be a nation separate from the other nations, which were all
Pagan. And so, colloquially, all non-Jewish nations came to be called "goyim" as in "the nations" from which the God of the
Old Testament had called upon the Jews to separate themselves.
3. A word used by some Jews to refer to the things of the Gentiles (non-Jews), whether ideas or cultural manifestations, etc. The word can have derogatory connotations, such as the word "black" when used to refer to a persons of African descent. It can be neutral or negative depending on the context and the intent of the speaker.
Noun: goy
Pl. Noun: goyim
Adjective: goyish or, less commonly, goyisch
1. "Gather together, gather together, O shameful goy" - Zephaniah 2:1 (Referring to the
Jewish nation)
2.
Honey-baked ham is a goyish food; have some gefilte
fish instead.