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
Abraham stood up and bowed himself before the people of the land the children of Heth.
Then Abraham bowed himself before the people of the land, and spake unto Ephron in the audience of the people of the country saying, "I pray thee hear me: I will give silver for the field, take it of me, and so will I bury my dead there."
But in any wise, rebel not against the LORD. Moreover fear ye not the people of the land, for they are but bread for us. Their shield is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not therefore."
And Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the children of Elam, answered, and said unto Ezra, "We have trespassed against the LORD our God, in that we have taken strange wives of the people of the land. Now there is hope yet in Israel concerning this:
confess now therefore unto the LORD God of your fathers, and do his pleasure, and separate yourselves from the people of the land, and from the strange wives."
In the four and twentieth day of this month came the children of Israel together with fasting, and sackcloth, and earth upon them,
And many years didst thou forbear them, and testified unto them through thy spirit, even by the office of thy prophets, and yet would they not hear. Therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the nations in the lands.
and that we would not give our daughters unto the people in the land, neither to take their daughters for our sons. And if the people of the land brought wares on the Sabbath, and all manner of victuals to sell, that we would not take it of them on the Sabbath and on the holy days. And that we would let the seventh year be free concerning all manner of charge.
O let the nations rejoice and be glad; for thou shalt judge the folk righteously, and govern the nations upon earth.
Behold, I shall give him for a witness among the folk, for a Prince and Captain unto the people.
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and a thick mist the nations. But the LORD shall rise as the sun over thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.
But the common people which know not the law are accursed."
And he said unto me, "Thou must prophesy again among the people, and nations, and tongues, and to many kings."
And he said unto me, "The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are people, and folk, and nations, and tongues.