The Semantic Field of Words

While the semantic range encompasses the potential meanings of a particular word, the semantic field refers to a group of words related in meaning by belonging to the same conceptual domain. These words share overlapping and interconnected meanings, even though they have distinct nuances and applications. Take, for example, the English word pastor. Its semantic range includes: (1) minister in charge of a church; (2) shepherd in charge of sheep. The semantic field, on the other hand, includes words such as (1) bishop; (2) priest; (3) theologian; (4) preacher, etc.

Now let’s apply this to Hebrew by considering the semantic field of the word גּוֹי (gôy). Before we do so, it is worth noting that it has a relatively wide semantic range in the Hebrew Bible. It appears 552 times in the Old Testament and is one of several Hebrew words that describe people groups. It is sometimes used to describe (1) Israel (Josh. 5:8; Gen. 12:2;), (2) other times it includes all nations including Israel (Josh. 5:8; ), and (3) other times it refers to what we commonly refer to as the Gentiles (Ex. 32:24; Lev. 18:24). Interestingly, the NKJV uses the word “Gentiles” to translate גּוֹי (gôy) 51 times. Not surprisingly, then, gôy is translated in the Septuagint by ἔθνος (ethnos), a Greek word that appears 164 times in the New Testament and is translated as “Gentiles” 97 times in the NKJV.

Now to its semantic field. Several Hebrew words translate “nations” in the Old Testament NKJV. The first we’ll consider is עַם (ʿam), normally translated “people,” but also translated “nation” 13 times (Deut. 2:25; 4:6; Ne. 9:22). Like gôy, it can refer to either Israel or Gentile nations (Ex. 8:8). Then there is לְאֹם (lĕʾōm), appearing a total of 30 times and translated as “nation” 11 times. Belonging to the same semantic field as gôy and am, it appears in Hebrew poetry, especially in Psalms and Isaiah. When it appears in the plural, it refers to non-Israelite nations (Gen. 27:29; Psa 47:3), but can also refer to Israel when it appears in the singular (Isa 51:4).

There are other Hebrew words in the same semantic field, such as נָכְרִי (nokrî), appearing 45 times and usually translated as “foreign,” “pagan,” “stranger,” mainly referring to non-Israelite people and lands; נֵכָר (nēkār), appearing 36 times and mostly translated “foreign.” Isaiah refers to the ben-nēkār (son of foreignness) who “has joined himself to the Lord” (Isa 56:3, 6). There are several others, but we’ll stop here, since the examples given are sufficient to illustrate the difference between semantic range and semantic field.