GÖJIM. — Hebrew term: the “nations,” the “peoples” (Gen. 10:5, 20; 17:4; etc.), often used in a pejorative sense insofar as “the nations” are enemies of Israel, usually called ‘am “people.” The g. are frequently stigmatized by the Bible as idolatrous and immoral (Ex. 34:24; Lev. 18:24; etc.; V. ENNICO).
In later Judaism, hatred and the severest judgment prevail against the g., who are held to be guilty of the gravest crimes: all the g. GEGENNA (v.); their bones do not render one impure, for they are not human bones (J. Bonsirven, p. 103 ff.). For many centuries, many Jews have practically understood by g. Christians (Muslims are called jifim’é’l’lim).
Bibl.: J. Bonsirven, Le judaïsme palestinien, I, 2nd ed., Paris 1933, pp. 99-107; F. Zorell, Lexicon Hebraicum, Rome 1940, p. 145 ff.; A. Romeo, Il giudaismo, in N. Turchi, Le religioni del mondo, ibid. 1946, pp. 340-44. Francesco Spadafora