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 to the people of the land, to the Hittites.
And Abraham bowed before the people of the land. And he spoke to Ephron in the hearing of the people of the land, saying, "{If only you will hear me}--I give the price of the field. Take [it] from me that I may bury my dead there."
Only do not rebel against Yahweh, and you will not fear the people of the land, because they will be our food. {Their protection} has been turned from them; Yahweh [is] with us. You should not fear them."
Shecaniah son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, answered and said to Ezra, "We ourselves have broken faith with our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land, and even now there is hope for Israel in spite of this.
Now make a confession to Yahweh the God of your ancestors and do his will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from the foreign women."
On the twenty-fourth day of this month the {Israelites} gathered in fasting, in sackcloths, and with soil on them.
You were patient toward them for many years, and you have warned them by your spirit through the hand of your prophets, but they did not listen. So you gave them into the hand of the nations of the lands.
We will not give our daughters to the peoples of the land nor take their daughters for our sons. And the peoples of the land who bring merchandise and any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not accept it from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day. We will forego [the crops of] the seventh year and [cancel] every debt.
Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, because you judge [the] peoples with equity and guide the nations on the earth. Selah
Look! I made him a witness to [the] peoples, a leader and a commander [for the] peoples.
For look! darkness shall cover [the] earth, and thick darkness [the] peoples, but Yahweh will rise on you, and his glory will appear over you.
But this crowd who does not know the law is accursed!"
And they said to me, "It is necessary for you to prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings."
And he said to me, "The waters that you saw, where the prostitute is seated, are peoples and crowds and nations and languages.