Quick Definition
ἔθνος, ους, τό n.n. a race, people, the Gentiles
Strong's Definition
probably from 1486; a race (as of the same habit), i.e. a tribe; specially, a foreign (non-Jewish) one (usually, by implication, pagan)
KJV Usage: Gentile, heathen, nation, people
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, n. | -ους | ἐθνάρχης · ἐθνικός · ἐθνικῶς
11.55 · Groups and Classes of Persons and Members of Such Groups and Classes · Socio-Political
nation, people the largest unit into which the people of the world are divided on the basis of their constituting a socio-political community In a number of languages a term meaning basically ‘tribe’ has been extended in meaning to identify ‘nations.’ In other instances different nations are spoken of simply as ‘different peoples.’ In certain cases distinct nations are classified primarily in terms of their diverse languages, for example, ‘those people who speak different languages.’ Such an expression should not, however, be used if it only refers to multilingual persons.
MAT 21:43 · MAT 24:7 · MAT 24:7 · MAT 24:9 · MAT 24:14 · MAT 25:32 · MAT 28:19 · MRK 11:17 · MRK 13:8 · MRK 13:8 · MRK 13:10 · LUK 7:5 · LUK 12:30 · LUK 21:10 · LUK 21:10 · LUK 21:24 · LUK 21:25 · LUK 23:2 · LUK 24:47 · JHN 11:48 · JHN 11:50 · JHN 11:51 · JHN 11:52 · JHN 18:35 · ACT 2:5 · ACT 7:7 · ACT 7:45 · ACT 8:9 · ACT 10:22 · ACT 10:35 · ACT 13:19 · ACT 14:16 · ACT 17:26 · ACT 24:2 · ACT 24:10 · ACT 24:17 · ACT 26:4 · ACT 28:19 · ROM 4:17 · ROM 4:18 · ROM 10:19 · ROM 10:19 · 1PE 2:9 · REV 2:26 · REV 5:9 · REV 7:9 · REV 10:11 · REV 11:2 · REV 11:9 · REV 11:18 · REV 12:5 · REV 13:7 · REV 14:6 · REV 14:8 · REV 15:4 · REV 16:19 · REV 17:15 · REV 18:3 · REV 18:23 · REV 19:15 · REV 20:3 · REV 20:8 · REV 21:24 · REV 21:26 · REV 22:2
11.37 · ((pl)) · Groups and Classes of Persons and Members of Such Groups and Classes · Socio-Religious
Collocation: τὰ ἔθνη
heathen, pagans, Gentiles (an extended meaning of ἔθνος ‘nation,’ 11.55) those who do not belong to the Jewish or Christian faith Though in a number of instances τὰ ἔθνη may be rendered as ‘those who do not believe in God,’ it is often more appropriate to render τὰ ἔθνη in terms of belief in other gods or in false gods. For example, EPH 4:17 may be rendered as ‘do not any longer live like those who believe in idols’ or ‘... in gods who are not really God.’
MAT 4:15 · MAT 6:32 · MAT 10:5 · MAT 10:18 · MAT 12:18 · MAT 12:21 · MAT 20:19 · MAT 20:25 · MRK 10:33 · MRK 10:42 · LUK 2:32 · LUK 18:32 · LUK 21:24 · LUK 21:24 · LUK 22:25 · ACT 4:25 · ACT 4:27 · ACT 9:15 · ACT 10:45 · ACT 11:1 · ACT 11:18 · ACT 13:46 · ACT 13:47 · ACT 13:48 · ACT 14:2 · ACT 14:5 · ACT 14:27 · ACT 15:3 · ACT 15:7 · ACT 15:12 · ACT 15:14 · ACT 15:17 · ACT 15:19 · ACT 15:23 · ACT 18:6 · ACT 21:11 · ACT 21:19 · ACT 21:21 · ACT 21:25 · ACT 22:21 · ACT 26:17 · ACT 26:20 · ACT 26:23 · ACT 28:28 · ROM 1:5 · ROM 1:13 · ROM 2:14 · ROM 2:24 · ROM 3:29 · ROM 3:29 · ROM 9:24 · ROM 9:30 · ROM 11:11 · ROM 11:12 · ROM 11:13 · ROM 11:13 · ROM 11:25 · ROM 15:9 · ROM 15:9 · ROM 15:10 · ROM 15:11 · ROM 15:12 · ROM 15:12 · ROM 15:16 · ROM 15:16 · ROM 15:18 · ROM 15:27 · ROM 16:4 · 1CO 1:23 · 1CO 5:1 · 1CO 12:2 · 2CO 11:26 · GAL 1:16 · GAL 2:2 · GAL 2:8 · GAL 2:9 · GAL 2:12 · GAL 2:14 · GAL 2:15 · GAL 3:8 · GAL 3:8 · GAL 3:14 · EPH 2:11 · EPH 3:1 · EPH 3:6 · EPH 3:8 · EPH 4:17 · COL 1:27 · 1TH 2:16 · 1TH 4:5 · 1TI 2:7 · 1TI 3:16 · 2TI 4:17 · 1PE 2:12 · 1PE 4:3
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ἔθνος, -ους, τό; 1. a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together ; a company, troop, swarm: ἔθνος ἑταίρων, ἔθνος ᾿Αχαιῶν, ἔθνος λαῶν, Hom. 1]. ; ἔθνος μελισσάων, 2,87; μυιάων ἔθνεα, ib. 469. 2. α multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus, (τὸ ἔθνος τὸ θῆλυ ἢ τὸ ἄρρεν, Xen. oec. 7, 26): πᾶν ἔθνος ἀνθρώπων, the human race, Acts xvii. 26 [but this seems to belong under the next head]. 3. race, nation: Mt. xxi. 43; Acts x. 35, ete.; ἔθνος ἐπὶ ἔθνος, Mt. xxiv. 7; ΜΚ. xiii. 8; οἱ ἄρχοντες, of βασιλεῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν, Mt. xx. 25; Lk. xxii. 25; used [in the sing.] of the Jewish people, Lk. vii. δ; xxiii. 2; Jn. xi. 48, 50-53; xviii. 35; Acts x. 22; xxiv. 2 (3), 10; xxvi. 4; xxviii. 19. 4. (ra) ἔθνη, like 0127 in the O. T., foreign nations not worshipping the true God, pagans, Gentiles, [ οἴ. Trench § xeviii.]: Mt. iv. 15 (Γαλιλαία τῶν ἐθνῶν), vi. 32; [3 Jn. 7 RG; ef. Rev. xv. 3 GL T Tr WH mrg. after Jn. x. 7], and very often; in plain contradistinction to the Jews: Ro. iii. 29; ix. 24; [1 Co.i.23 GL T Tr WH]; Gal. ii. 8, ete.; ὁ λαὸς (τοῦ θεοῦ, Jews) καὶ τὰ ἔθνη, Lk. ii. 32; Acts xxvi. 17, 23; Ro. xv. 10. 5. Paul uses τὰ ἔθνη even of Gentile Christians: Ro. xi. 13; xv. 27; xvi. 43 Gal. ii. 12 (opp. vs. 13 to οἱ ᾿Ιουδαῖοι i. 6. Jewish Christians), vs. 14; Eph. iii. 1, ef. iv. 17 [W. § 59, 4 a.; B. 130 (114)].
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ἔθνος ethnos 162x
a multitude, company, Acts 17:26; 1 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 21:24; a nation, people, Mt. 20:25; 21:43; pl. ἔθνη, from the Hebrew, nations or people as distinguished from the Jews, the heathen, Gentiles, Mt. 4:15; 10:5; Lk. 2:32
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ἔθνος, -ους, τό,
[in LXX chiefly for עַם ,גּוֹי ;]
a multitude, a company, whether of beasts or men (Hom.).
a nation, people: Mt 21:43 24:7, Mk 13:8, Lk 22:25, Ac 10:35, al.; in sing., of the Jewish people, Lk 7:5 23:2, Jo 11:48, 50-53 18:35, Ac 10:22 24:3, 10 26:4 28:19.
In pl., as in OT, τὰ ἔ. (like Heb. הַגּוֹיִם), the nations, as distinct from Israel, Gentiles: Mt 4:15 6:32, Ac 26:17, Ro 3:29 11:11 15:10, Ga 2:8, al.; of Gentile Christians, Ro 11:13 15:27 16:4, Ga 2:12, 14, Eph 3:1.
SYN.: λαός (v. DCG, ii, 229; Cremer, 226).
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ἔθνος. Hicks in CR i. p. 42f. has shown that ‘‘ Hellenic life found its normal type in the πόλις, and barbarians who lived κατὰ κώμας or in some less organised form were ἔθνη,᾽᾿ and that similarly in the LXX and NT ἔθνος ‘‘ describes the pagan world, outside the Jewish Church,’’ but occasionally stands for the λαός itself, as in Ac 107%, 2477 α΄. In an Impenial rescript of a.p. 198-201 we have a good example of the word = ‘‘ province’ —P Oxy VII. 1020° ᾧ ἡγούplevos] τοῦ ἔθνους τὸν ἀγῶνα τῆς ἀφέσεως ἐκδικ[ήσει, “the praefect of the province shall decide the suit for release” (Ed.): cf. P Strass I. 2219 (iii/A.p.) διατάξεις εἰσὶν τῶν κυρίων περὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν οἰκούντων, where the editor understands by ἔθνη, ‘“‘provinctae populé Romani,” and the exx. from Greek writers of this usage in Magie p. 59, dA7chzv i. p. 66: see also Deissmann Pax/, p. 100. In the edict regarding the aurum coronarium, P Fay 201 (iv/A.D.) ἅπαντες ἐν ταῖς πόλεσιν ἁπάσαις ταῖς τε κατ᾽ ᾿Ιταλίαν κα[ὶ] ταῖς ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἔθνεσιν, we may render ‘‘all persons in all the cities throughout Italy and in the provinces besides,” cf. 1% 29, In P Petr III. 59 (4)* ἱερὰ ἔθνη are ‘‘ priestly associations or corporations”: cf. P Tebt I. 674 (B.c. 140-39) τῶν κατὰ μέρος ἐθνῶν where the reference is to the different classes of priests as contrasted with the πλῆθος of them, P Tor I. 1.24 (B.c, 116) τὸ ἔθνος (‘‘hoc Collegium”) μεταγαγεῖν els
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ἔθνος (ethnos) — Gentiles. ἔθνος, εος, τό: (ϝέθνος,[Refs 8th c.BC+]: - number of people living together, company, body of men, ἑτάρων ἔ., ἔ. ἑταίρων, band of comrades, [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἔθνος λαῶν host of men, [Refs]; of particular tribes, Αυκίων μέγα ἔ. [Refs 8th c.BC+]; of animals, ἔ. μελισσάων, ὀρνίθων, μυιάων, swarms, flocks, etc., [Refs 8th c.BC+]; ἔ. ἀνέρων, γυναικῶν, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἔ. βρότεον, θνατόν, [Refs]; ἔ. τόδε, of the Erinyes, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
2. after [Refs 8th c.BC+], nation, people, τὸ Μηδικὸν ἔ. (γένος being a subdivision of ἔθνος) [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἔ. ἠπειρογενές, μαχαιροφόρον, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
2. b later, τὰ ἔ. foreign, barbarous nations, opposed to Ἕλληνες, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ἔ. νομάδων, of Bedawîn, [Refs]; at Athens, athletic clubs of non-Athenians, [Refs], non-Jews,[LXX+NT]
2. c at Rome, = provinciae, [Refs 2nd c.AD+]: so in singular, province, ὁ τυραννήσας τοῦ ἔθνους [Refs 1st c.AD+]; ὁ ἡγούμενος τοῦ ἔθνους the governor of the province, [Refs 3rd c.AD+]
3. class of men, caste, tribe, τὸ Θετταλῶν.. πενεστικὸν ἔ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; οἶσθά τι ἔ. ἠλιθιώτερον ῥαψῳδῶ; [Refs 5th c.BC+]; δημιουργικὸν ἔ. [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τὰ ἱερὰ ἔ. the orders of priests, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]; trade-associations or guilds, ἔθνη καὶ ἐργαστήρια [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; class in respect to rank or station, οὐ πρὸς τοῦτο βλέποντες.. ὅπως.. ἕν τι ἔ. ἔσται διαφερόντως εὔδαιμον [Refs 5th c.BC+]
4. sex, θῆλυ, ἄρρεν ἔ., [Refs 5th c.BC+]
5. part, member, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II. of a single person, a relation, [Refs 5th c.BC+]