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 down to the people of the land, to the sons of Heth;
So Abraham boweth himself down, before the people of the land: and spake unto Ephron in the ears of the people of the land saying, Only if, thou, wouldst, hear me, - I have given the silver of the field Take it of me, That I may bury my dead here.
Only against Yahweh, do not rebel. Do not, ye, fear the people of the land, For our food, they are, - Their shade hath departed, from over them. And Yahweh is with us, Do not fear them!
Then responded Shecaniah son of Jehiel of the sons of Elam, and said unto Ezra, We, have been faithful with our God, and have married foreign women from among the peoples of the land, - yet, now, there is hope for Israel concerning this thing.
Now, therefore, make confession unto Yahweh God of your fathers, and do his pleasure, - and separate yourselves from the peoples of the land, and from the foreign women.
Now, on the twenty-fourth day of this month, were the sons of Israel gathered together, with fasting and with sackcloth, having earth upon them.
And thou didst suffer many years to pass over them, and didst testify against them by thy Spirit through thy prophets, yet did they not give ear, - therefore didst thou deliver them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
and that we would not give our daughters unto the peoples of the land, - and, their daughters, would we not take for our sons; and, if the peoples of the land should be bringing in wares, or any corn on the sabbath day, to sell, we would not buy of them on the sabbath, or on a holy day, - and that we would remit the seventh year, and the loan of every hand.
Races of men, will be glad and shout for joy, Because thou wilt judge peoples with equity, And, races of men throughout the earth, thou wilt lead. Selah.
Lo! As a witness to the peoples, have I given him, - As a leader and commander to the peoples:
For lo! darkness, covereth the earth, And, deep gloom the peoples, - But, on thee, beameth Yahweh, And, his glory, on thee is seen.
But, this multitude, that take no note of the law, are, laid under a curse.
And they say unto me - It behoveth thee again to prophesy against peoples and nations and tongues, and many kings.
And he saith unto me - The waters which thou sawest, where the harlot sitteth, are, peoples and multitudes, and nations and tongues.