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Matthew 4:15

Footnote:

9b

Strongs #G1484 ἔθνος ethnos, collective body, swarm, herd, band, group.

ἔθνος (éthnos) primarily refers to collective body of beings, not internally bound by any particular identity but rather more like a class or even caste:

  • Band of Comrades: A group of companions or associates (e.g., Iliad 3.32, 7.115).
  • Host of Men: A large assembly or crowd of men (e.g., Iliad 13.495).
  • Particular Tribes or Nations: Specific ethnic groups or tribes (e.g., Iliad 12.330 for Lycians, 17.552 for Achaeans), though it has more to do with the association than the tribal generation/genus for which the word phulé (see #G5443) is used.
  • Swarms or Flocks of Animals: Groups of animals like bees, birds, or other creatures (e.g., Iliad 2.87 for bees, Odyssey 10.526 for the dead).
  • Collectives of Men or Women: Collectives of men or women (e.g., Pindar's Odes).
  • Group of the Dead (Erinyes): Mythological figures such as the Erinyes (e.g., Aeschylus' Eumenides 366).

The ideas of "nation" or "gentiles" developed later out of this. Although the modern idea of "nation" carries some sense of inward identity.

cf. Logeion - ἔθνος