Nations and the Bible

Nations and the Bible refers to the frequent use of the term "nation" or "nations" in English translations, totalling 594 times (ESV) overall (529 times in the Old Testament.

Today the term "nation" connotes a "nation-state" with powerful government, but that did not originate until 1648 in the Peace of Westphalia. The meaning in the Bible is more akin to the modern American term for "people", as in "We the People" that begins the U.S. Constitution, or descendants.

Example: Genesis 10:20 (ESV): "These are the sons of Ham, by their clans, their languages, their lands, and their nations."