λαός

λαός — laós

λαός, λαοῦ, ὁ ((cf. Curtius, § 535)); the Sept. more than fifteen hundred times for עַם; rarely for גּוי and לְאֹם; (from Homer down); people;

1. a people, tribe, nation, all those who are of the same stock and language: universally, of any people; joined with γλῶσσα, φυλή, ἔθνος, Rev 5:9; Rev 7:9; Rev 10:11; Rev 11:9; Rev 13:7 (Rec. omits); (see γλῶσσα, 2); πάντες οἱ λαοί. 2:31; Rom 15:11; especially of the people of Israel: Mat 4:23; Mat 13:15; Mar 7:6; Luk 2:10; Joh 11:50 (where it alternates with ἔθνος);; Act 3:23; Heb 2:17; Heb 7:11, etc.; with Ἰσραήλ added, Act 4:10; distinguished from τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, Act 26:17; Act 26:23; Rom 15:10; the plural λαοί Ἰσραήλ (R. V. the peoples of Isa.) seems to be used of the tribes of the people (like עַמִּים, Gen 49:10; Deu 32:8; Isa 3:13, etc.) in Act 4:27 (where the plural was apparently occasioned by Psa 2:1 in its reference to Christ, cf. Act 4:25); οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ λαοῦ, Mat 21:23; Mat 26:3; Mat 26:47; Mat 27:1; οἱ γραμματεῖς τοῦ λαοῦ, Mat 2:4; οἱ πρῶτοι τοῦ λαοῦ, Luk 19:47; τό πρεσβυτέριον τοῦ λαοῦ, Luk 22:66; ἄρχοντες τοῦ λαοῦ, Act 4:8. with a genitive of the possessor, τοῦ Θεοῦ, αὐτοῦ, μου (i. e. τοῦ Θεοῦ, Hebrew יְהוָה עַם, הָאֱלֹהִים עַם), the people whom God has chosen for himself, selected as peculiarly his own: Heb 11:25; Mat 2:6; Luk 1:68; Luk 7:16; without the article Jud 1:5 (Sir 46:7; Wis 18:13); cf. Winer's Grammar, § 19, 1; the name is transferred to the community of Christians, as that which by the blessing of Christ has come to take the place of the theocratic people of Israel, Heb 4:9; Rev 18:4; particularly to a church of Christians gathered from among the Gentiles, Act 15:14; Rom 9:25 ff; 1Pe 2:10; with εἰς περιποίησιν added, 1Pe 2:9; περιούσιος, Tit 2:14, cf. Act 18:10; Luk 1:17. ὁ λαός the people (of Israel) is distinguished from its princes and rulers ((1Es 1:10 1Es 5:45; Jdt 8:9; Jdt 8:11; etc.)), Mat 26:5; Mar 11:32 (here WH Tr marginal reading read ὄχλος); Mar 14:2; Luk 20:19; Luk 22:2; Luk 23:5; Act 5:26, etc.; from the priests, Heb 5:3; Heb 7:5; Heb 7:27.

2. indefinitely, of a great part of the population gathered together anywhere: Mat 27:25; Luk 1:21; Luk 3:15; Luk 7:1; Luk 7:29; Luk 8:47; Luk 9:13; Luk 18:43, etc.; τό πλῆθος τοῦ λαοῦ, Luk 1:10. (The Gospels of Mark and John use the word but three times each. Synonym: see δῆμος, at the end)