Gentiles
ethnos denotes Gentile groups in contrast with Jews, and can also denote a nation or people as a collective.
The predominant use identifies Gentile groups, especially where they are contrasted with Jews or receive proclamation, faith, and instruction. The same noun also denotes a nation or people collectively, whether speaking of all nations, particular peoples, or a people described as holy.
Senses in use
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Gentile groups contrasted with Jews · dominant
Plural forms identify groups set alongside Jews or addressed apart from them: in Acts 13:46 the APB renders Paul and Barnabas turning from those who reject the word to “the Gentiles,” and Acts 14:5 places Gentiles and Jews together in the threatened action. The same plural group hears, believes, receives the word, or is reached by proclamation in Acts 11:1, Acts 14:27, and Acts 15:7.
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A nation or people as a collective · common
Singular and plural forms can refer broadly to national or people-group collectives rather than specifically marking the contrast with Jews. In Acts 17:26 the APB renders the singular in the statement that God made “every nation of mankind”; Acts 10:35 speaks of “every nation,” while Acts 10:22 and Acts 24:17 concern the Jewish nation. In 1 Peter 2:9, the nominative singular stands in the description “a holy nation.”
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB usually presents the term as “Gentiles” where groups are contrasted with Jews or receive proclamation, as in Acts 13:46 and Acts 15:7. In collective-national settings it renders “nation” or “nations,” as in Acts 10:35 and Acts 17:26; these are translation renderings rather than definitions.