Nation

Nation - (Webster's 1828 Dictionary)

NATION, n. [to be born]

1. A body of people inhabiting the same country, or united under the same sovereign or government; as the English nation; the French nation. It often happens that many nations are subject to one government; in which case, the word nation usually denotes a body of people speaking the same language, or a body that has formerly been under a distinct government, but has been conquered, or incorporated with a larger nation. Thus the empire of Russia comprehends many nations, as did formerly the Roman and Persian empires. Nation, as its etymology imports, originally denoted a family or race of men descended from a common progenitor, like tribe, but by emigration, conquest and intermixture of men of different families, this distinction is in most countries lost.

2. A great number, by way of emphasis.

Definition

In the Bible, a nation is a large group of people who share a common identity and speak the same language. The people of a nation often have the same ancestors and share a common ethnicity.

• In the Bible, a nation could be a country with an extensive government structure and defined boundaries (such as Egypt or Ethiopia), but usually it is more general and refers to a people group.
• Nations in the Bible included the Israelites, the Philistines, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, the Canaanites, the Romans, and the Greeks, among many others.
• Sometimes the word “nation” was used figuratively to refer to the ancestor of a certain people group, as when Rebekah was told by God that her unborn sons were “nations” that would fight against each other. This could be translated as “the founders of two nations” or the “ancestors of two people groups.”
• When used in the plural in a general way, the word translated as “nations” often referred to the people who were not Israelites, that is, to Gentiles, the people who do not worship Yahweh. The context usually makes the meaning clear.

Translation Suggestions

• Depending on the context, the word “nation” could also be translated as “people group” or “people” or “country.”
• If a language has a term for “nation” that is distinct from these other terms, then that term can be used wherever it occurs in the Bible text, as long as it is natural and accurate in each context.
• The plural term “nations” can often be translated as “people groups.”
• In certain contexts, this term could also be translated as “Gentiles” or “non-Jews.”

(See also: Assyria, Babylon, Canaan, Gentile, Greek, people group, Philistines, Rome)

Bible References

• 1 Chronicles 14:15-17
• 2 Chronicles 15:6
• 2 Kings 17:11-12
• Acts 2:5
• Acts 13:19
• Acts 17:26
• Acts 26:4
• Daniel 3:4
• Genesis 10:2-5
• Genesis 27:29
• Genesis 35:11
• Genesis 49:10
• Luke 7:5
• Mark 13:7-8
• Matthew 21:43
• Romans 4:16-17

Word Data

• Strong’s: H0523, H0524, H0776, H1471, H3816, H4940, H5971, G02460, G10740, G10850, G14840