HEATHEN (he'th'n). The Hebrew words VI': go-yeem', together with their Greek equivalents tepos, rein/. have been somewhat arbi trarily rendered "nations," "gentiles.' and "hea then" in the A. V.
It will be interesting to trace the manner in which a tern), primarily and essentially general in its signification, acquired that more restricted sense which was afterwards attached to it. Its development is parallel with that of the Hebrew people, and its meaning at any period may be taken as significant of their relative position with regard to the surrounding nations.
(1) The Nations. While as yet the Jewish nation had no political existence, giyim denoted generally the nations of the world, especially in eluding the immediate descendants of Abraham (Gen. xviii :18; comp. Gal. iii :16). The latter, as the.y grew in numbers and importance, were distinguished in a most marked manner from the nations by whom they were surrounded, and were provided with a code of laws and a religious rit ual, which made the distinction still more pecul iar. They were essentially a separate people (Lev. xx :23) ; separate in habits, morals, and relig ion, and bound to maintain their separate char acter by denunciations of the most terrible judg ments (Lev. xxvi :L4-38 ; Deut. xxviii). On their march through the desert they encountered the most obstinate resistance from Amalek, "chief of he gdyinz" (Num. xxiv :20), in whose sight the deliverance from Egypt was achieved (Lev. xxvi: 45)• (2) Idolaters. But, even in early Jewish times, the term gdyim received by anticipation a significance of wider range than the national ex perience (Lev. xxvi :33, 38; Deut. xxx ), and
as the latter was gradually developed during the prosperous times of the monarchy, the goyim were the surrounding nations generally, with whom the Israelites were brought into contact by the extension of their commerce, and whose idolatrous practices they readily adopted (Ezek. xxiii:3o; Amos v:26). Later still, it is applied to the Babylonians who took Jerusalem (Neh. v :8; Ps. lxxix :1, 6, to), to the destroyers of Moab (Is. xvi :8), and to the several nations among whom the Jews were scattered during the Cap tivity (Ps. cvi :47; Jer. xlvi :28; Lam. i :3, etc.), the practice of idolatry still being their charac teristic distinction (Is. xxxvi :18 ; Jer. x :2, 3; xiv : 22).
As the Greek influence became more extensively felt in Asia Minor, and the Greek language was generally used, Hellenism and heathenism became convertible terms, and a Greek was synonymous with a foreigner of any nation. This is singularly evident in the Syriac of 2 Mace. v :9, to, 13; comp. John vii :33 ; Cor. x :32; 2 Mace. xi:2 (Smith, Bib. Diet.) (3) Dwellers in the Heath. As the word heathen may mean "dweller itt the heath," the word suggests the fact that the gospel first rooted itself in towns, the inhabitants of which became Christians, while the dwellers on heaths remained worshipers of false divinities. The word Pagan, from Latin Paganus, belonging to a village, rus tic, has a somewhat similar reference.