GOIIM

(Goiʹim) [nations].

1. The realm of King Tidal, an ally of the Elamite king Chedorlaomer. (Gen. 14:1-9) No identification of Goiim is known, though places such as Gutium in Kurdistan have been suggested. In view of the meaning of the term and its translation in other texts (Judg. 4:2; Isa. 9:1) as a common noun (“nations”) rather than a proper name, some suggest that Goiim was a collection of tribes with varied national backgrounds.—See TIDAL.

2. The domain of a Canaanite king defeated by Joshua. He is spoken of as “the king of Goiim in Gilgal.” (Josh. 12:7, 23) Nothing is known of this Goiim except that Gilgal, possibly its seat or center, is not the well-known Israelite campsite of the same name near the Jordan, but perhaps the modern-day village of Jiljulieh, some twelve miles (19 kilometers) NE of Tel Aviv.—See GILGAL No. 3.