On June 30, Candace Owens and Shawn Ryan sat down on The Shawn Ryan Show and told millions of listeners that the Hebrew word “goy” secretly means “cattle.” Owens went further, calling the idea that it means “nation” a modern invention — “completely made up.” Ryan agreed.
It’s false. It’s not even debatable. “Goy” (plural: “goyim”) is the standard Hebrew word for “nation” or “people.” It has meant that for over 3,000 years, confirmed by every dictionary, every biblical translation, and every serious scholar of Hebrew who has ever studied the text.
The Word Predates English Itself
Hebrew is one of the oldest continuously spoken languages on earth. English didn’t exist yet when “goy” was already appearing throughout the Hebrew Bible. Old English wasn’t spoken until the 5th century A.D. — roughly 1,500 years after Abraham.
What the Bible Actually Says
Open a Bible — any Bible — and the evidence is right there:
- God tells Abraham, “I will make of you a great nation” (goy gadol) — Genesis 12:2.
- At Mount Sinai, Israel is called a “holy nation” (goy kadosh) — Exodus 19:6.
- The term “ha-goyim” (“the nations”) is used constantly to describe other peoples — and just as often to describe Israel itself.
Every English translation — Jewish and Christian alike — renders this as “nation,” “people,” or “Gentiles” (from the Latin gentes, also meaning “nations”). If “goy” actually meant “cattle,” Abraham’s descendants would be promised as a “great cattle” and Israel would be called a “holy cattle.” No translation says that. Not one. Because that’s not what the word means.
Owens claims to be Catholic. Catholics believe in the Old Testament. She should know this.
The Etymology Doesn’t Even Connect
“Goy” likely comes from Hebrew roots tied to “body” or “collective group” — describing a body of people, a nation. It has zero linguistic connection to any Hebrew word for cattle.
And on the English side, “cattle” comes from a completely different family of words — Indo-European roots tied to “chattel” and property. Two unrelated words, from two unrelated language families, thousands of miles and centuries apart. Claiming they’re connected isn’t linguistics. It’s fabrication.
For the record, here’s what “cattle” actually is in Hebrew:
- Baqar — general term for cattle/herd, used over 180 times in the Bible.
- Shor — ox or bull.
- Par / Parah — bull and cow.
- Egel — calf.
- Behemah — livestock or beast in general.
None of these words resemble “goy.” None share a root. The comparison doesn’t exist outside of the claim itself.
This Isn’t New — It’s an Old Nazi Trope
The “goy means cattle” claim isn’t some fresh discovery Owens stumbled onto. It’s a recycled piece of antisemitic propaganda that was circulated in Nazi-era material and in forgeries like The Protocols of the Elders of Zion. The implication is always the same: that Jews secretly view non-Jews as subhuman animals to be herded and controlled.
The Bottom Line
“Goy” means “nation.” It meant that in Genesis, it means that in modern Hebrew, and it’s meant that for three thousand years — used to describe Israel just as often as anyone else. There is no dictionary, no biblical commentary, no serious scholar of Hebrew anywhere who defines it as “cattle.”
Candace Owens and Shawn Ryan didn’t discover some gnostic knowledge. Their claim is pure recycled Nazi garbage from Der Sturmer and The Protocols. The Bible itself laughs at their “revelation.”
Sources
The Shawn Ryan Show, Wiktionary, Chabad, Dynamic Language, Genesis 12:2, Genesis 19:6, USHMM, Hebrewpod 101, Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion
