Reference: People
Hastings
This is the translation used in AV for a large number of Hebrew and Greek terms. In some cases ambiguity occurs, as the pl. 'peoples' is not used in AV except in Re 10:11; 17:15. Thus 'people' is used sometimes of the people of Israel, and often of heathen nations. RV uses 'peoples' freely, and this makes the meaning much clearer in such passages as Ps 67:4; Isa 55:4; 60:2 etc. (see art. Nations, also preface to RV).
A special phrase 'the people of the land' occurs frequently in the OT, especially in Jeremiah, Ezeklel, 2Kings., and 2 Ch. In most of these cases it means the general body of the people, the common people as opposed to the courtiers or the ruling class. In Ge 23:7,12-13; Nu 14:9 the term is applied to non-Israelites. In the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah the 'people of the land' are the half-heathen, half-Jewish population with whom the less scrupulous Jews intermarried, but who were avoided by the stricter party represented by Ezra and Nehemiah (Ezr 10:2,11; Ne 10:30-31; cf. Ne 9:1,30). The same phrase was used by the Rabbis to describe the common people, who were lax in observing the Mosaic law (Joh 7:49).
W. F. Boyd.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Abraham rose up, and bowed himself to the people of the land, even to the sons of Heth.
And Abraham bowed himself down before the people of the land. And he spoke to Ephron in the audience of the people of the land, saying, But if thou will, I pray thee, hear me. I will give the price of the field. Take it from me, and I will bury my dead there.
Only do not rebel against LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their defense is removed from over them, and LORD is with us. Fear them not.
And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have married foreign women of the peoples of the land. Yet now there is hope for Israel concerning this th
Now therefore make confession to LORD, the God of your fathers, and do his pleasure, and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the foreign women.
Now in the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel were assembled with fasting, and with sackcloth, and earth upon them.
Yet many years thou bore with them, and testified against them by thy Spirit through thy prophets. Yet they would not give ear. Therefore thou gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
And that we would not give our daughters to the peoples of the land, nor take their daughters for our sons. And if the peoples of the land bring wares or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, that we would not buy from them on the Sabbath, or on a holy day. And that we would forego the seventh year, and the exaction of every debt.
O let the nations be glad and sing for joy. For thou will judge the peoples with equity, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.
Behold, I have given him for a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander to the peoples.
For, behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the peoples. But LORD will arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
But this multitude that does not know the law are accursed.
And he says to me, Thou must prophesy again against many peoples, and against nations and tongues and kings.
And he says to me, The waters that thou saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.