Peoples¶

Overview¶

The NT vocabulary for "peoples" clusters around several words that mark ethnic, civic, or covenant identity. The central term ἔθνος (ethnos) sits in tension and relation with λαός (laós, covenant people), Ἕλλην (Héllēn, Greek/Gentile), ἐθνικός (ethnikós, Gentile adj.), δῆμος (dēmos, civic public), and ἅγιος (hágios, holy/saints). Understanding how these terms distribute reveals the NT's way of mapping who belongs to God.

Word Group Members¶

Strong's	Word	Transliteration	POS	Occurrences	Role in Concept	Library Entry
G1484	ἔθνος	éthnos	neuter noun	152	The nations; non-Jewish peoples; all ethnic groups	G1484-ethnos.md
G2992	λαός	laós	masculine noun	139	The covenant people; Israel or the church	TODO(need G2992 study)
G1672	Ἕλλην	Héllēn	masculine noun	26	Greek/Hellenist; synonym for Gentile in Paul	TODO(need G1672 study)
G1482	ἐθνικός	ethnikós	adjective	3	Gentile (adj.); heathen in manner/character	TODO(need G1482 study)
G1218	δῆμος	dēmos	masculine noun	4	Civic public assembly; the political people	TODO(need G1218 study)
G40	ἅγιος	hágios	adjective/noun	219	Holy, saints — the set-apart people, contrast to the nations	TODO(need G40 study)

Relationships¶

Shared Hebrew Roots (LXX Overlap)¶

Both G1484 (ethnos) and G2992 (laós) translate H5971 עַם (ʻam) in the LXX: - H5971 ʻam → G2992 laós: 1,400 co-occurrences (PMI 26.79) — primary - H5971 ʻam → G1484 ethnos: 193 co-occurrences (PMI 11.13) — secondary

Both also translate H3816 לְאֹם (lᵉʼôm): - H3816 → G1484 ethnos: 26 co-occ (PMI 16.26) - H3816 → G2992 laós: 19 co-occ (PMI 9.60)

This overlap explains why the Jew/Gentile boundary is linguistically fuzzy in some OT passages: both Hebrew words can be rendered by either Greek word.

Co-occurrence (Same Verse)¶

Word A	Word B	Shared Verses	Typical Context
G1484 (ethnos)	G2992 (laós)	16x	Gentiles alongside Israel; Acts Gentile mission
G1484 (ethnos)	G40 (hágios)	11x	Holy people vs. nations; "holy nation" (1 Pet 2:9)
G2992 (laós)	G40 (hágios)	4x	"holy people" in Acts contexts
G2992 (laós)	G1672 (Héllēn)	1x	Acts 21:28 — Jews and Greeks in one charge
G1672 (Héllēn)	G40 (hágios)	1x	Acts 21:28

Defining Contrasts¶

ethnos vs. laós: ethnos = outside the covenant; laós = inside. Luke 2:32 holds both in perfect tension: "A light to lighten the Gentiles [ethnos], and the glory of thy people [laós] Israel."
ethnos vs. Héllēn: Nearly synonymous in Paul, but Héllēn emphasizes Greek cultural identity while ethnos is broader. Paul's "Jew and Greek" (Rom 1:16) = "Jew and Gentile."
ethnos vs. hagios: The holy/nations binary is the covenant-identity axis. 1 Pet 2:9 collapses it: "ye are…an holy nation [ethnos hagion]" — the church becomes what Israel was meant to be.

Roles in the Concept¶

The Nations (ethnos): The peoples of the earth defined by custom and ethnicity; the primary mission field of the NT
The People (laós): Israel as covenant community; later used for the church ("my people")
The Greek/Hellenist (Héllēn): Paul's shorthand Gentile, specifically culturally Greek
The Gentile character (ethnikós): How the nations behave — idolatry, ignorance of God, moral darkness
The Civic Public (dēmos): Appears only in Acts 12:22; 17:5; 19:30–33 — the Roman imperial civic assembly; distinct from ethnic/covenant groupings
The Holy/Saints (hágios): The set-apart community — ultimately transcends ethnos/laós distinction (Gal 3:28)

Key Passages Where Multiple Group Words Appear Together¶

Luke 2:32 — [G1484 ethnos + G2992 laós] — "A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel"
Acts 4:27 — [G1484 ethnos + G2992 laós + G40 hágios] — "against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel"
1 Pet 2:9 — [G1484 ethnos + G2992 laós + G40 hágios] — "ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people"

Generated from: gather_word_group_data.py, search_strongs.py, co-occurrence queries Last updated: 2026-04-01