προσήλυτ-ος G4339
A convert to Judaism; a Gentile who has adopted Jewish faith and practice, a proselyte.
Derived from a root meaning 'one who has come to' or 'approached,' this term designates a Gentile who has formally converted to Judaism, embracing its covenant, law, and worship. In the New Testament it appears in contexts ranging from Jesus' sharp critique of Pharisaic proselytizing efforts (Matt 23:15) to the vibrant multicultural scene at Pentecost where proselytes from many nations heard the gospel (Acts 2:11). The multilingual glosses uniformly retain the transliterated form 'proselyte' across English, Spanish, and French, reflecting the term's technical character as a recognized religious-social category.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A Gentile convert to Judaism who has fully embraced the Jewish faith, including circumcision (for males), Torah observance, and participation in temple worship. The translation signatures across languages consistently retain the transliterated loanword ('prosélito,' 'prosélyte'), underscoring the term's status as a fixed category rather than a loose description. Jesus warns about aggressive proselytizing that produces converts 'twice the child of hell' (Matt 23:15), while Acts records proselytes among the early church's first hearers (Acts 2:11) and members (Acts 6:5, Nicolaus of Antioch). 4×
AR["-", "الدُّخَلاءِ", "دَخِيلاً", "دُخَلَاءُ"]·ben["ধর্মান্তরিত", "ধর্মান্তরিতগণ", "প্রসিলিতদের"]·DE["προσήλυτοι", "προσήλυτον", "προσηλύτων"]·EN["a-proselyte", "proselyte", "proselytes"]·FR["prosélyte"]·heb["אֶחָד", "גֵּר", "גֵּרִים", "גֵּרֵי-צֶדֶק"]·HI["धर्म-परिवर्तित", "नए-विश्वासियों", "मतान्तरित", "हम-सुनते-हैं"]·ID["penganut-agama", "penganut-agama-Yahudi", "penganut-agama-Yahudi,", "petobat"]·IT["proselito", "proseluton"]·jav["prosélit", "tiyang-mualap", "tiyang-pitobat", "tiyang-proselit,"]·KO["개종자", "개종자-를", "개종자들이", "유대인들-이"]·PT["prosélitos"]·RU["прозелита", "прозелитов", "прозелиты,"]·ES["prosélito", "prosélitos"]·SW["mgeuzwa-dini", "na", "wageuzwa-dini", "wageuzwa-imani"]·TR["ihtida-eden", "mühtedi", "mühtediler", "mühtedilerin"]·urd["مرید", "نو-مرید", "نو-مسلم", "نومریدوں"]
Related Senses
H5971a 1. people, nation (1836×)H5973a 1. accompaniment, together with (956×)H0854 1. with (accompaniment) (665×)H1471a 1. nations, peoples (plural/collective) (466×)G3326 1. with (368×)H1285 1. covenant, pact, treaty (284×)G2453 1. Jewish person, Jew (194×)H4150 1. meeting (tent of meeting) (151×)G2992 1. people/nation (an ethnic or political community) (142×)G4862 1. (129×)G1484 1. Gentiles, non-Jewish nations (128×)H1471a 2. nation, people-group (singular) (98×)H3162b 1. together (97×)H1616 1. sojourner, resident alien (92×)H0567 1. Amorite (people group) (87×)H3064 1. Jew, Jewish person (81×)H3669a 1. Canaanite (ethnic designation) (70×)G1122 1. scribe / expert in the Law (63×)H2114a 1. stranger, foreigner (person) (54×)H5608b 1. scribe, royal secretary (48×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
προσήλυτ-ος, ον, one that has arrived at a place, stranger, sojourner, τῷ προσελθόντι προσηλύτῳLXX __II one who has come over to Judaism, convert, proselyte, NT+1st c.AD+