λαός, -οῦ, ὁ,
[in LXX very freq. for עַם, Ge 14:16, al.; occasionally for לְאֹם (Ge 25:23, al.), etc.;]
a word rarely found in Att. prose;
1. the people at large (Hom., al.), esp. of people assembled: Mt 27:25, Lk 1:213:15 al.; pl. (Hom., al., π.; v. MM, xvi), Ac 4:27.
2. a people, those of the same race and language (Pind., Æsch., al.: in LXX, Ge 26:11, Ex 9:16, al.): joined with γλῶσσα, φυλή, ἔθνος, Re 5:97:911:9, al.; pl., Lk 2:31, Ro 15:11; esp. as almost always in LXX, of Israel, Mt 4:23, Mk 7:6, Lk 2:10, Jo 11:50, He 2:17, al.; opp. to τ. ἔθνη, Ac 26:17, 23, Ro 15:10; οἱ πρεσβύτεροι (πρῶτοι, etc.) τοῦ λ., Mt 21:23, Lk 19:17, Ac 4:8, al.; ὁ λ. μου (αὐτοῦ, τ. θεοῦ), Mt 2:6, Lk 1:68, He 11:25, al.; of the people disting. from the rulers and priests (I Es 1:10, Jth 8:9, al.), Mt 26:5, Lk 20:19, He 5:3, al.; of Christians, as the people of God, Ac 15:14, Ro 9:25, 26, He 4:9; περιούσιος, Tit 2:14; εἰς περιποίησιν, I Pe 2:9(LXX).
SYN.: v.s. δῆμος.