CategoryPeople / Jewish Conversion Term
Modern Equivalentconvert to Judaism.
KJV Word TypePeople term / religious identity term
DefinitionA Gentile convert to Judaism, especially one associated with synagogue worship and Jewish religious life.
Key Verses"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte." (Matthew 23:15); "And Nicolas a proselyte of Antioch." (Acts 6:5)
KJV Usage NoteRefers to a convert to Judaism. In the New Testament, proselytes often appear in synagogue or Jewish religious contexts.
Common MisunderstandingIt does not mean any new believer generally; in KJV usage it usually refers to a Gentile convert to Judaism.
EtymologyFrom Greek prosēlytos ("newcomer, one who has come over").