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.
