λαός

λαός, -οῦ, ὁ,

[in LXX very frequently for עַם, 1 Mos 14,16, al.; occasionally for לְאֹם ( 1 Mos 25,23, al.), etc. ;]

a word rarely found in Att. prose;

1. the people at large (Hom., al.), esp. of people assembled: Matt 27,25, Luk 1,21; 3,15 al.; pl. (Hom., al., π.; see MM, xvi), ApG 4,27,

2. a people, those of the same race and language (Pind., Æsch., al.: in LXX, 1 Mos 26,11, 2 Mos 9,16, al.): joined with γλῶσσα, φυλή, ἔθνος, Åb 5,9; 7,9; 11,9, al.; pl., Luk 2,31, Rom 15,11; esp. as almost always in LXX, of Israel, Matt 4,23, Mark 7,6, Luk 2,10, Joh 11,50, Hebr 2,17, al.; opposite to τ. ἔθνη, ApG 26,17, 23 Rom 15,10; πρεσβύτεροι (πρῶτοι, etc.) τοῦ λ., Matt 21,23, Luk 19,17, ApG 4,8, al.; ὁ λ. μου (αὐτοῦ, τ. θεοῦ), Matt 2,6, Luk 1,68, Hebr 11,25, al.; of the people disting. from the rulers and priests ( I Est 1,10, Jdt 8,9, al.), Matt 26,5, Luk 20,19, Hebr 5,3, al.; of Christians, as the people of God, ApG 15,14, Rom 9,25, 26 Hebr 4,9; περιούσιος, Tit 2,14 εἰς περιποίησιν, 1 Pet 2,9 (LXX).

SYN.: see: δῆμος.