בס”ד
How did the Movement Begin? And Where is it Going?
I: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
II: SOME MAIN ORAL TORAH SOURCES, AND SUBSEQUENT USE OF THESE TERMS
III: SOME MODERN MILESTONES, AND A LOOK AHEAD
Introduction
In publications and on-line, the Hebrew terms Bnei (or Bnai) Noach, Ben Noach, Bat (or Bas) Noach, and the words Noachite and Noachide are being used more frequently. The name נֹחַ in Hebrew has only one pronunciation, but in the transliteration in English, Noach, the representation of the letter ח (which has no equivalent letter in the English alphabet) by the letters ch invites it to be mispronounced. Therefore, to avoid that confusion, many prefer to use the English form of the name, which is Noah. Thus, we often see and hear Bnei Noah, Ben Noah, Bat Noah, Noahite, and Noahide.
There are variations in the intended meanings, which go beyond the literal translations. The literal translated meanings of the Hebrew terms are:
- Bnei Noah: descendants (or “children”) of Noah.
- Ben Noah: a male descendant of Noah, or the general term for any descendant of Noah.
- Bat Noah: a female descendant of Noah.
All of this can lead to confusion about what is being meant when any of these titles are used in reference to a non-Jew’s personal observance and faith. As well, these can be confused with speaking about a “descendant of Noah” in terms of genealogy, which corresponds to the word Noahite.[1]
In this three-part article, we explain some of the historical background, definitions of terms in Oral Torah and subsequent writings, and how the terms are being used differently in our time. This is an overview, and it is not intended to cover all the details of these topics.
PART I. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
On the basis of Torah, the most basic aspect of personal identity is distinguishing between Jews and non-Jews (the Gentiles[2]). This brings with it a need to understand G-d’s assignment of different prohibitions, obligations, and other aspects of Divine service for those two groups of people that He established for their respective missions in the world.
The Pre-Sinai Descendants of Noah and Their Commandments
When Noah and his family left the ark, Noah built an altar and offered burnt offerings in thanks to G-d. The Torah relates that G-d resolved not to ever again bring such total destruction upon the earth, and He blessed them to repopulate the world. In Genesis 9:1 it states,
| 1 And G-d blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them: ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth.’ | א וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹקים, אֶת-נֹחַ וְאֶת-בָּנָיו; וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ, וּמִלְאוּ אֶת-הָאָרֶץ |
Then, in conjunction with the Covenant of the Rainbow,[3] G-d gave Noah the commandments that were given through Adam. G-d gave one additional commandment, which was a restriction on the new permission He gave for people to eat meat.[4]
In the Talmud, at the end of Sanhedrin 56a, the Sages state that these are the Seven Commandments for the Bnei Noah (Descendants of Noah), also known as the Seven Laws of Noah. They are: establishing courts of justice, and the prohibitions of “blessing” (i.e. cursing) the name of G-d, idol worship, forbidden sexual relations, murder, theft, and consuming meat of a living animal. There are source verses for these commandments in the Books of Genesis and Leviticus.[5]
Biblical Lineage and Noahites
Biblical national identity among the Noahites was determined by patrilineal descent. We can see this from a midrash where Rabbi Nehemiah explains that Abraham was called an Ivri (a “Hebrew”) because he had patrilineal descent from Ever (or Eber). Ever was a descendant of Shem, the son of Noah. Since Ever was a Shemite, and Shem was a Noahite, the pre-Sinai descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob/Israel – the Ivri’im (Hebrews) – were also Noahites. The nations descended from Ishmael and the sons of Keturah were split off from Abraham’s lineage (Genesis 17:19-21), and the nation of Edom (Esau) was split off from Isaac’s lineage (Genesis 28:1-4).
The rest of the Biblical nations also followed their patrilineal lines. In general terms, they were all Noahites, as they all descended from Noah through one of his three sons. All of them were commanded to observe the Seven Commandments that G-d gave through Noah.
Abraham Influenced People to Observe the Seven Laws of Noah
The Midrash attests to Abraham’s success in drawing great numbers of people throughout (at least) the Middle East to accept the One G-d and observe the Seven Commandments. Even before Abraham left Haran to journey to the Land of Canaan, he and his wife Sarah had gained a large number of followers who accompanied them.[6] In Canaan, through his outreach efforts in a mode of boundless kindness, he brought many more people to this faith.[7] After Abraham, his son Isaac and grandson Jacob continued to have positive influence on the general population for observance of the Seven Commandments.
Then the Number of People Observing the Seven Laws Drastically Declined
Significantly, at the time of the famine in Egypt when Joseph was the viceroy, there was still a great number of Noahites in the Middle East who accepted the One G-d and were righteous observers of the Seven Commandments.[8] Until then, the great movement in the world that was started by Abraham was maintained due to the continuing inspiration and teaching provided by Isaac and Jacob in Canaan.
Then Jacob and his family descended to Egypt. Over the next 210 years, they rapidly increased in population and were eventually enslaved. Over that time, the number of people in the world who were observing the Seven Commandments (other than the degree of observance that remained among the Israelites) dwindled. Torah sources mention only a few righteous Noahites (G-d Fearers) among the nations during the last decades of the Israelites’ enslavement: Job,[9] Batya (Pharaoh’s daughter who adopted Moses),[10] and Yitro (Jethro,[11] who repented from being the idolatrous priest of Midian).
Why did the number of G-d Fearers decrease so much? We can postulate two reasons: (1) It is likely that when they heard that Jacob’s progeny were brutally enslaved by the idolatrous Egyptians, many of them lost their faith in G-d and reverted to idolatry; (2) no one with the spiritual stature of Abraham, Isaac or Jacob was left among the nations to provide them with teaching and inspiration.
The Distinction Between Jewish and Gentile Identity Was Made at Mount Sinai
When G-d spoke the “Ten Commandments”[12] to the Israelites on their sixth day at Mount Sinai, He made a clear distinction between the lineage and specific precepts that Israelites and Noahites would thenceforth separately be required to follow. The Israelites became the Jewish people, and G-d commanded that their Jewish identity from then on would be defined as matrilineal.
After that event, someone born to a Jewish mother, in a maternal line going back to the women at Mount Sinai, is a Jew. From then on, a Noahite is someone born to a Noahite mother. (Here we are not considering the matter of conversion to become a Jew.)[13] Therefore, it is not correct to say that after the revelation at Mount Sinai, a Jew is a Noahite. The Noahites after Mount Sinai eventually became known as Gentiles.
In Biblical times, a person who was born a Noahite also had a national identity (e.g. Ammonite, Moabite, Egyptian, etc.). The nation which a Noahide belonged to was determined by the national identity of the birth father, as a patrilineal inheritance. Eventually, the people of the Noahites’ Biblical nations became relocated and mixed by the Assyrian and Babylonian empires, to the extent that it was not possible to identify which Biblical nation a Gentile belonged to by patrilineal descent.
For the Jews, one’s identity among the Twelve Tribes (descended from the twelve sons of Jacob) also follows paternal lineage. In fact, G-d considers the Twelve Tribes to be twelve separate “nations” within the Jewish people.[14]
Elevating the Seven Commandments Through Moses at Mount Sinai
On the fourth day that the Israelites were camped at Mount Sinai, they reaffirmed their acceptance of the Seven Commandments. This time, it was in the form of a covenant with G-d. This is found in Exodus 24:3-8, where Rashi explains that “all the ordinances… which the L-rd has spoken” included the Seven Commandments for the Noahites, that the other nations had declined to accept.
This “bridging” covenant (which included a few additional commandments that they had been given at Marah on the way to Mount Sinai) was a prerequisite and preparation for the new and eternal covenant that they would make with G-d, through accepting to receive the entire Torah and the 613 Jewish Commandments as the new Jewish people.
Although the Seven Commandments had been given through Noah, it had not been assured before the Torah was given that they would be eternal. Their status changed to that of eternal Torah commandments when G-d reiterated them through Moses, as part of the Torah that was given at Mount Sinai. From then on, Noahites are obligated to observe their Seven Commandments with the additional details that G-d added when He gave the Torah to the Jews through Moses.[15]
Ger Toshav Noahites in Biblical Times
From the time of the Jews’ entry into the holy Land of Israel under the leadership of Joshua, until the northern and southern Tribes were exiled by the Assyrian and Babylonian Empires, respectively, there is little indication that any Noahites outside of the Holy Land were adhering to the Seven Commandments. Inside the Holy Land, however, Noahites who resided there with the Ger Toshav status, after officially declaring their commitment to observe the Seven Commandments, were a well-known part of the society.[16]
By Dr. Micheal Schulman and Angelique Sijbolts
Footnotes 1-5:
[1] In English, the primary usage of the noun suffix “-ite” indicates a descendant in a particular lineage. E.g., a Jew who has patrilineal descent from Jacob’s son Levi is called a Levite. A secondary usage of “-ite” is to indicate an adherent or follower of a particular philosophy or sect that was started by a particular person. E.g., a member of the Mennonites is a follower of Menno Simons, a Dutch theologian.
In English, the word Noahite cannot serve to distinguish between all non-Jews in general (the primary definition), and those non-Jews who follow the path of Noah by observing the Seven Commandments (or “Laws”) of Noah. In Hebrew, a non-Jew who carefully observes the details of the Seven Commandments as they were given by G-d through Moses at Mount Sinai, as part of the Torah, is called a Hasid Umot HaOlam – [one of the] Pious of the Nations of the World.
[2] The word “Gentile” has Latin origin. It is widely used for “non-Jew”. However, it has other meanings among some groups and cultures, so they may prefer to use “non-Jew”.
[3] See Genesis 9:1-18.
[4] Rambam, Laws of Kings 9:1.
[5] The Seven Commandments are found implicitly or explicitly in passages in the Five Books of Moses. There is no set order for listing them. In Laws of Kings 9:1, Rambam lists them in this order:
1) Prohibition of idolatry [Genesis 2:16]
2) Prohibition of blasphemy – not to curse G-d [Genesis 2:16 and Leviticus 24:15]
3) Prohibition of murder [Genesis 9:5-6]
4) Prohibition of sexual transgressions [Genesis 2:24 and 20:12]
5) Prohibition of theft [Genesis 2:16 and 6:13]
6) Establishment of laws and courts of justice [Genesis 9:6]
7) Prohibition of eating “eiver min ha’chai” – meat removed from a living land animal or bird [Genesis 9:4]
Two introductory explanations of the Seven Commandments:
– the free PDF booklet Go(o)d for You: The Divine Code of 7 Noahide Commandments
– the blog Understanding the Seven Noahide Laws – Part 2, by Angelique Sijbolts.
The Seven Commandments are stated as general broad categories, and each one includes subcategories of Torah-based precepts with many specific details. Gentiles have additional obligatory observances beyond those, as Rabbi Moshe Weiner explains in his Author’s Introduction to his book The Divine Code:
In addition … a Gentile is commanded [in a general way] to act in proper ways that human intelligence would compel him, whether these are obligations to G-d or to other people, or to society as a whole. … Societal morality [that is intellectually incumbent] is included in the commandment of “judgments” … [These moral obligations are explained] according to Torah principles and Torah Law…
Here are a few of the positive obligations that follow from the above commandments, in the corresponding order (selected from the 90 precepts listed by Rabbi Moshe Weiner in The Divine Code, 4th Edition):
1) To know that there is only one G-d, the Creator, have faith and trust in Him, and pray only to Him.
2) To fear G-d and honor His name, and fulfill one’s oaths or vows – especially if spoken in His name.
3) To save one’s own life, save the life of a person who is pursued, and guard against hazardous situations.
4) To respect G-d’s will for marriage, child-bearing, civil laws for marriage and divorce, and to behave modestly.
5) Returning lost or stolen objects, freeing kidnapped/hostage people, and abiding by business agreements.
6) To observe logical obligations (e.g. honor parents), and educate others in the Seven Laws and moral living.
7) Avoid inflicting cruelty or unnecessary pain on living creatures, and avoid unnecessary damage to nature.
Footnotes 6-13:
[6] See Rashi’s explanation of Genesis 12:5, and https://asknoah.org/essay/under-the-wings-of-the-shechina
[7] See The Divine Code, 4th Edition, Part II, topic 1:6.
[8] Explanation by Rabbi Yosef Hayyim (author of Ben Ish Chai) on Tractate Sanhedrin 110a. Note that while Joseph was concealing his identity from his brothers, he presented himself to them as a righteous Noahite, by telling them, “I fear G-d” (Genesis 42:18).
[9] See Rashi on Numbers 14:9.
[10] Tractate Sotah 12b.
[11] See Rashi on Exodus 2:16.
[12] See https://asknoah.org/faq/lists-of-noahide-and-jewish-commandments-in-torah
[13] Due to another common confusion, we must note that the Hebrew Bible and the Rabbinical writings speak of a third category of people who were not Jews, but they left the category of Noahites. In Biblical times, this was the Eved Canaani, who was a non-Jew from any nation who became owned by a Jew as a slave. In Biblical Hebrew, the word canaani means a merchant (see Rashi on Genesis 38:2), indicating that an Eved Canaani could be bought and sold amongst the Jews.
When initially acquired as a slave, the person had to be given a ritual conversion to the Eved Canaani identity, for which a unique set of obligations and prohibitions applied. For example, a male or female Eved Canaani was obligated to observe almost all of the Jewish commandments that apply for a Jewish woman. This included full observance of the Jewish Sabbath, which is forbidden for Noahites.
Once conferred, the Eved Canaani identity by birth was matrilineal. If an Even Canaani was freed by the Jewish master for any reason, the person automatically became a Jew. It is critical to understand that in the “Ten Commandments”, the “man-servant” and “maid-servant” it speaks of had the unique Even Canaani identity.
Footnotes 14-16:
[14] See Genesis 35:11, and the explanation by Rashi there.
[15] See “The Basis for Fulfillment of the Noahide Code” in the Author’s Introduction to The Divine Code, 4th Ed., by Rabbi Moshe Weiner.
[16] During the time that all of the Jewish tribes were settled in the Land of Israel, a Ger Toshav was a non-Jew who was granted permission within Torah law to live there, provided that he or she accepted to observe the Seven Laws as commanded by G-d. An oral pledge of that acceptance was required to be made before a Beit Din (a Jewish court).
The Ger Toshav status could only be granted when all of the Jewish tribes were dwelling in their assigned territories. Therefore, it could no longer be validly granted after the Assyrian Empire exiled the Jewish tribes on the east side of the Jordan River around 573 B.C.E. More explanation can be found in The Divine Code, 4th Edition, in the Appendix titled “The Pious Gentile and the Ger Toshav in Torah Law”.of the society.[16]
Authored and Copyright © 20’25 by Dr. Michael Schulman and Angelique Sijbolts
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