2992. laos
Strong's Lexicon
laos: People, nation, populace

Original Word: λαός
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Transliteration: laos
Pronunciation: lah-OS
Phonetic Spelling: (lah-os')
Definition: People, nation, populace
Meaning: (a) a people, characteristically of God's chosen people, first the Jews, then the Christians, (b) sometimes, but rarely, the people, the crowd.

Word Origin: Derived from the root word λᾶς (las), meaning "stone" or "rock," metaphorically referring to a group of people as a solid, unified entity.

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: - עַם (am): Often used in the Old Testament to refer to the people of Israel or a nation.

- לְאֹם (leom): Refers to a people or nation, emphasizing ethnic or national identity.

Usage: In the New Testament, "laos" primarily refers to a group of people, often the people of God, Israel, or the general populace. It is used to denote a collective group bound by common identity, purpose, or faith. The term emphasizes the communal aspect of individuals as part of a larger body, often in a religious or national context.

Cultural and Historical Background: In the Greco-Roman world, "laos" was commonly used to describe the citizenry or the general population of a city-state. In the Jewish context, it often referred to the people of Israel, God's chosen nation. The New Testament expands this concept to include the Church, the new people of God, composed of both Jews and Gentiles united in Christ.

HELPS Word-studies

2992 laós (the root of the English term, "laity") – a people, particularly used of "the people of the Lord" (= Heb ʽam).

2992 (laos) is the usual term for "the people of God" and thus typically used in the LXX (OT) and the Gospels, for believing Israel (Jews).

Example: Heb 4:9: "So there remains a Sabbath rest for the people (2992 /laós) of God" (NASU).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
the people
NASB Translation
people (134), peoples (8).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 2992: λαός

λαός, λαοῦ, ((cf. Curtius, § 535)); the Sept. more than fifteen hundred times for עַם; rarely for גּוי and לְאֹם; (from Homer down); people;

1. a people, tribe, nation, all those who are of the same stock and language: universally, of any people; joined with γλῶσσα, φυλή, ἔθνος, Revelation 5:9; Revelation 7:9; Revelation 10:11; Revelation 11:9; Revelation 13:7 (Rec. omits); (see γλῶσσα, 2); πάντες οἱ λαοί. 2:31; Romans 15:11; especially of the people of Israel: Matthew 4:23; Matthew 13:15; Mark 7:6; Luke 2:10; John 11:50 (where it alternates with ἔθνος); ; Acts 3:23; Hebrews 2:17; Hebrews 7:11, etc.; with Ἰσραήλ added, Acts 4:10; distinguished from τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, Acts 26:17, 23; Romans 15:10; the plural λαοί Ἰσραήλ (R. V. the peoples of Isa.) seems to be used of the tribes of the people (like עַמִּים, Genesis 49:10; Deuteronomy 32:8; Isaiah 3:13, etc.) in Acts 4:27 (where the plural was apparently occasioned by Psalm 2:1 in its reference to Christ, cf. Acts 4:25); οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ λαοῦ, Matthew 21:23; Matthew 26:3, 47; Matthew 27:1; οἱ γραμματεῖς τοῦ λαοῦ, Matthew 2:4; οἱ πρῶτοι τοῦ λαοῦ, Luke 19:47; τό πρεσβυτέριον τοῦ λαοῦ, Luke 22:66; ἄρχοντες τοῦ λαοῦ, Acts 4:8. with a genitive of the possessor, τοῦ Θεοῦ, αὐτοῦ, μου (i. e. τοῦ Θεοῦ, Hebrew יְהוָה עַם, הָאֱלֹהִים עַם), the people whom God has chosen for himself, selected as peculiarly his own: Hebrews 11:25; Matthew 2:6; Luke 1:68; Luke 7:16; without the article Jude 1:5 (Sir. 46:7; Wis. 18:13); cf. Winer's Grammar, § 19, 1; the name is transferred to the community of Christians, as that which by the blessing of Christ has come to take the place of the theocratic people of Israel, Hebrews 4:9; Revelation 18:4; particularly to a church of Christians gathered from among the Gentiles, Acts 15:14; Romans 9:25ff; 1 Peter 2:10; with εἰς περιποίησιν added, 1 Peter 2:9; περιούσιος, Titus 2:14, cf. Acts 18:10; Luke 1:17. λαός the people (of Israel) is distinguished from its princes and rulers ((1 Esdr. 1:10 1 Esdr. 5:45; Judith 8:9, 11; etc.)), Matthew 26:5; Mark 11:32 (here WH Tr marginal reading read ὄχλος); Mark 14:2; Luke 20:19; Luke 22:2; Luke 23:5; Acts 5:26, etc.; from the priests, Hebrews 5:3; Hebrews 7:5, 27.

2. indefinitely, of a great part of the population gathered together anywhere: Matthew 27:25; Luke 1:21; Luke 3:15; Luke 7:1, 29; Luke 8:47; Luke 9:13; Luke 18:43, etc.; τό πλῆθος τοῦ λαοῦ, Luke 1:10. (The Gospels of Mark and John use the word but three times each. Synonym: see δῆμος, at the end)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
people.

Apparently a primary word; a people (in general; thus differing from demos, which denotes one's own populace) -- people.

see GREEK demos

Forms and Transliterations
λαοι λαοί λαοὶ λαοις λαοίς λαοῖς λαον λαόν λαὸν λαος λαός λαὸς λαου λαού λαοῦ λαόυ λαούς λαω λαώ λαῷ λαων λαών λαῶν lao laō laoi laoí laoì laôi laō̂i laois laoîs laon laón laòn laôn laōn laō̂n laos laós laòs laou laoû
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 1:21 N-AMS
GRK: σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ
NAS: for He will save His people from their sins.
KJV: shall save his people from their
INT: will save the people of him from

Matthew 2:4 N-GMS
GRK: γραμματεῖς τοῦ λαοῦ ἐπυνθάνετο παρ'
NAS: and scribes of the people, he inquired
KJV: scribes of the people together,
INT: scribes of the people he inquired of

Matthew 2:6 N-AMS
GRK: ποιμανεῖ τὸν λαόν μου τὸν
NAS: WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'
KJV: shall rule my people Israel.
INT: will shepherd the people of me

Matthew 4:16 N-NMS
GRK: λαὸς ὁ καθήμενος
NAS: THE PEOPLE WHO WERE SITTING
KJV: The people which sat
INT: the people who were sitting

Matthew 4:23 N-DMS
GRK: ἐν τῷ λαῷ
NAS: of sickness among the people.
KJV: manner of disease among the people.
INT: among the people

Matthew 13:15 N-GMS
GRK: καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου καὶ
NAS: OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL,
KJV: this people's heart
INT: heart people of this and

Matthew 15:8 N-NMS
GRK: λαὸς οὗτος τοῖς
NAS: THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
KJV: This people draweth nigh unto me
INT: the people this with the

Matthew 21:23 N-GMS
GRK: πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ λαοῦ λέγοντες Ἐν
NAS: and the elders of the people came
KJV: the elders of the people came
INT: elders of the people saying By

Matthew 26:3 N-GMS
GRK: πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ λαοῦ εἰς τὴν
NAS: and the elders of the people were gathered together
KJV: the elders of the people, unto
INT: elders of the people in the

Matthew 26:5 N-DMS
GRK: ἐν τῷ λαῷ
NAS: might occur among the people.
KJV: an uproar among the people.
INT: among the people

Matthew 26:47 N-GMS
GRK: πρεσβυτέρων τοῦ λαοῦ
NAS: and elders of the people.
KJV: and elders of the people.
INT: elders of the people

Matthew 27:1 N-GMS
GRK: πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ λαοῦ κατὰ τοῦ
NAS: and the elders of the people conferred
KJV: and elders of the people took counsel
INT: elders of the people against

Matthew 27:25 N-NMS
GRK: πᾶς ὁ λαὸς εἶπεν Τὸ
NAS: And all the people said, His blood
KJV: answered all the people, and said, His
INT: all the people said the

Matthew 27:64 N-DMS
GRK: εἴπωσιν τῷ λαῷ Ἠγέρθη ἀπὸ
NAS: and say to the people, 'He has risen
KJV: say unto the people, He is risen
INT: say to the people He is risen from

Mark 7:6 N-NMS
GRK: Οὗτος ὁ λαὸς τοῖς χείλεσίν
NAS: THIS PEOPLE HONORS
KJV: This people honoureth
INT: this people with the lips

Mark 14:2 N-GMS
GRK: θόρυβος τοῦ λαοῦ
NAS: there might be a riot of the people.
KJV: there be an uproar of the people.
INT: an uproar of the people

Luke 1:10 N-GMS
GRK: ἦν τοῦ λαοῦ προσευχόμενον ἔξω
NAS: multitude of the people were in prayer
KJV: multitude of the people were
INT: were of the people praying outside

Luke 1:17 N-AMS
GRK: ἑτοιμάσαι Κυρίῳ λαὸν κατεσκευασμένον
NAS: so as to make ready a people prepared
KJV: to make ready a people prepared
INT: to make ready for [the] Lord a people prepared

Luke 1:21 N-NMS
GRK: ἦν ὁ λαὸς προσδοκῶν τὸν
NAS: The people were waiting for Zacharias,
KJV: And the people waited for Zacharias,
INT: were the people expecting

Luke 1:68 N-DMS
GRK: λύτρωσιν τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ
NAS: redemption for His people,
KJV: redeemed his people,
INT: redemption [on] the people of him

Luke 1:77 N-DMS
GRK: σωτηρίας τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ ἐν
NAS: To give to His people [the] knowledge
KJV: unto his people by
INT: of salvation to people of him in

Luke 2:10 N-DMS
GRK: παντὶ τῷ λαῷ
NAS: which will be for all the people;
KJV: shall be to all people.
INT: to all the people

Luke 2:31 N-GMP
GRK: πάντων τῶν λαῶν
NAS: in the presence of all peoples,
KJV: the face of all people;
INT: of all the peoples

Luke 2:32 N-GMS
GRK: καὶ δόξαν λαοῦ σου Ἰσραήλ
NAS: And the glory of Your people Israel.
KJV: the glory of thy people Israel.
INT: and glory to [the] people of you Israel

Luke 3:15 N-GMS
GRK: δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ διαλογιζομένων
NAS: Now while the people were in a state of expectation
KJV: And as the people were in expectation,
INT: moreover the people and were wondering

Strong's Greek 2992
142 Occurrences


λαῷ — 26 Occ.
λαῶν — 3 Occ.
λαοὶ — 4 Occ.
λαοῖς — 2 Occ.
λαὸν — 44 Occ.
λαὸς — 25 Occ.
λαοῦ — 38 Occ.















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