λαός

The Bible contains a covenantal formula that runs from Genesis to Revelation, threading through every major movement of redemptive history. The formula appears in slightly different wording in different contexts, but the core is consistent:

“I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

The formula appears at the foundational moments of God’s dealings with His people. Exodus 6:7 — “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God.” Leviticus 26:12 — “I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” Jeremiah 31:33 — the new covenant formula: “I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” Ezekiel 36:28 — “you shall be my people, and I will be your God.” Hebrews 8:10 — the same formula applied to the new covenant in Christ. Revelation 21:3 — the eschatological consummation: “they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

The formula is the structural backbone of biblical theology. From the call of Abraham, through the exodus from Egypt, through the Sinai covenant, through the prophets, through the incarnation of Christ, through the formation of the church, through the new heavens and new earth — the same fundamental relationship runs throughout. God is establishing a people for Himself. The people are being formed by God’s gracious action across history. The relationship is mutual: God is their God; they are His people.

The Greek word the New Testament uses for this people — for the people God is gathering across history — is laos. The word is not a generic term for “people” in the abstract; the word is the specific biblical-theological term for God’s covenant people. The laos of God is the community God has established across history, beginning with Israel and now including Gentile believers in Christ, who together constitute the one people God has been gathering since the foundation of the world.

This chapter is about that word — laos — and about the corporate identity of believers as God’s people. The chapter continues Part VI’s development of the New Testament vocabulary for the church and its ministry; the people of God is the corporate body that the apostolic foundation supports and that God’s eternal purpose has gathered.

The Word

The Greek word is λαός (laos), pronounced in the Erasmian convention as LA-os, with the accent on the first syllable. The word is a second-declension masculine noun and appears 142 times in the New Testament.

The etymology runs back to a basic Indo-European root for “people” in the sense of a defined community. The Greek classical usage of laos was somewhat narrower than the broader Greek anthrōpoi (humans) or plēthos (crowd, multitude). Laos in classical Greek often named the people in their corporate identity — the citizens, the populace, sometimes specifically the army (in the older Homeric usage). What unified the various uses was the dimension of corporate identity — laos names people as a defined group rather than as a random aggregate.

The Greek word family is limited:

Laos (λαός) — people, especially the people of God. The chapter’s main word.

Laikos (λαϊκός) — pertaining to the people. The adjective. Rare in the New Testament (does not appear). The word develops in later Christian literature as the term for “lay people” in distinction from clergy. The English word laity comes through this development. The biblical laos itself does not make the clergy/laity distinction; the laos of God includes all believers, ordained or not.

The Septuagint background of laos is critical and shapes the entire New Testament use. The LXX translates Hebrew am (עַם) — “people” — with laos consistently. The Hebrew am is one of the most theologically loaded terms in the Old Testament, appearing nearly two thousand times. The Hebrew tradition’s identification of Israel as the am Yhwh — “people of YHWH” — is the foundational identity of the Old Testament covenant community.

The Hebrew tradition’s am doctrine includes substantial theological content:

Election as a people. God did not call Abraham only as an individual; God called Abraham to become a people. Genesis 12:2 — “I will make of you a great nation.” Genesis 17:7 — “I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you… to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” The election is corporate from the beginning.

Liberation as a people. The exodus from Egypt was the formation of a people. Exodus 3:7 — “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt.” Exodus 6:6-7 — “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians… I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God.” The salvation event is the formation of the people.

Covenant as a people. The Sinai covenant established Israel as God’s covenant people. Exodus 19:5-6 — “If you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Deuteronomy 7:6 — “For you are a people holy to the LORD your God.”

Distinction as a people. The am Yhwh was distinguished from the other peoples (Hebrew amim, plural — sometimes also translated goyim, nations). The distinction was not based on Israel’s superiority but on God’s gracious election. Deuteronomy 7:7-8 — “It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the LORD set his love on you… but it is because the LORD loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers.”

Mission as a people. Israel was called to be a light to the nations. Isaiah 42:6 — “I will give you as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations.” The election of Israel as God’s people did not exclude the other nations; the election was for the sake of the nations.

Several Old Testament passages illuminate the New Testament development:

Exodus 6:7 — “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” The foundational formula at the exodus.

Leviticus 26:12 — “And I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.” The covenant blessing formula. God’s presence with His people is the substance of the covenant blessing.

Jeremiah 31:31-34 — the new covenant promise. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah… For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” The same formula projected forward into the eschatological covenant.

Hosea 1:9-10; 2:23 — the prophetic word about restoration. Hosea’s third child is named Lo-Ammi — “Not My People” — as a sign of God’s judgment on Israel. But the prophetic word includes a reversal: “And in the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not my people,’ it shall be said to them, ‘Children of the living God’” (Hosea 1:10). And in 2:23 — “I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; and he shall say, ‘You are my God.’” The prophetic word about Israel’s restoration becomes, in the New Testament, the framework for understanding the inclusion of Gentile believers in God’s people.

Ezekiel 36:24-28 — the new covenant promise. “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you… You shall be my people, and I will be your God.” The Ezekiel passage develops the new covenant with the Spirit’s transformative work.

Zechariah 8:8 — the post-exilic promise. “And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”

The Hebrew am tradition is the foundation of the New Testament’s laos doctrine. The Hebrew Bible establishes the people-of-God category, develops the covenant formula, prophesies the new covenant in which the formula will be fulfilled, and anticipates the inclusion of others alongside ethnic Israel. The New Testament’s laos doctrine inherits this whole tradition and applies it to the church Christ has gathered.

Range of Meaning

Laos in the New Testament covers a meaningful range:

The people of God — primarily Israel. The dominant Old Testament usage carried into the early New Testament. Matthew 1:21 — “he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 2:6 — “from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.” Luke 1:68, 77 — “the Lord has visited and redeemed his people.” Luke 2:32 — “for glory to your people Israel.”

The expanded people of God including Gentile believers. The distinctive New Testament development. Acts 15:14 — “God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name.” Acts 18:10 — “I have many in this city who are my people.” Romans 9:25-26 (citing Hosea) — “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people.’” 1 Peter 2:9-10 — “you are a chosen race… a people for his own possession; once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people.”

The people in general — non-theological sense. Sometimes laos is used for “people” in a less theologically loaded way. Matthew 27:25 — “all the people answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’” Luke 23:14 — “you brought me this man as one who was misleading the people.” The general populace.

The crowd present at events. Sometimes laos names the gathered crowd at specific events. Luke 1:10 — “And the whole multitude of the people were praying.” Acts 5:13 — “the people held them in high esteem.” Distinct from ochlos (crowd) but with significant overlap.

The eschatological people of God. Hebrews 4:9 — “there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” Revelation 18:4 — “Come out of her, my people.” Revelation 21:3 — “they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.”

Where You’ll Meet It

1 Peter 2:9-10. “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” The Greek of verse 9-10: hymeis de genos eklekton, basileion hierateuma, ethnos hagion, laos eis peripoiēsin… hoi pote ou laos nyn de laos theou.

The passage is one of the most theologically substantial New Testament treatments of the people of God. Several observations matter.

First, the application of Israel’s covenant categories to the church. Peter writes to Christians scattered across Asia Minor, predominantly Gentile believers. He applies to them the categories that the Old Testament used for Israel: chosen race (genos eklekton), royal priesthood (basileion hierateuma), holy nation (ethnos hagion), people for his own possession (laos eis peripoiēsin). The Old Testament categories are not abolished in the new covenant; they are extended to include the Gentile believers who have been brought into God’s people through Christ.

Second, the explicit Hosea citation in verse 10. Hoi pote ou laos nyn de laos theou; hoi ouk ēleēmenoi nyn de eleēthentes — “those who were once not a people are now God’s people; those who had not received mercy now have received mercy.” Peter applies Hosea’s prophecy directly to his Gentile Christian readers. The prophetic word about Israel’s restoration becomes the structural framework for understanding the inclusion of Gentiles in God’s people.

Third, the purpose clause. Hopōs tas aretas exangeilēte tou ek skotous hymas kalesantos eis to thaumaston autou phōs — “that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” The people of God exists not for itself but for the proclamation of God’s praises. The Old Testament’s purpose for Israel (Isaiah 43:21 — “the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise”) becomes the purpose of the New Testament people of God as well.

The Lutheran tradition has held this passage as one of the foundational ecclesiological texts. The church is the people of God in continuity with the Old Testament Israel; the same God who gathered Israel has now gathered the Gentile believers into the same people through Christ. The categories are not metaphorical or merely typological; the categories are the actual identity of the church.

Acts 15:13-18. “After they finished speaking, James replied, ‘Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: “After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord.”’” The Greek of verse 14: labein ex ethnōn laon tō onomati autou.

The passage from the Jerusalem Council establishes the apostolic understanding of how the Gentiles are included in the people of God. James’s speech draws together several theological strands.

First, the structural language. Labein ex ethnōn laon — “to take from the Gentiles a people.” The Greek is striking: God is taking from the Gentiles a people. The Gentiles (ethnē — nations, treated in Chapter 40) are the broader category from which God is forming His people (laos). The two categories are distinct: not every Gentile becomes part of the laos; some are taken from among them to constitute God’s people.

Second, the connection to prophetic expectation. James cites Amos 9:11-12 to ground the Gentile inclusion in the Old Testament prophets. The OT had anticipated that the Gentiles would be called by God’s name. The apostolic mission is not a departure from the Old Testament but its fulfillment.

Third, the Jerusalem Council’s decision. The council determined that Gentile believers do not need to become Jewish (circumcision, food laws) to be included in God’s people; faith in Christ alone is the basis of their inclusion. The decision is theologically substantial: the boundaries of God’s people are defined by faith in Christ rather than by ethnic descent from Abraham.

Romans 9:23-26. “In order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory — even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles? As indeed he says in Hosea, ‘Those who were not my people I will call “my people,” and her who was not beloved I will call “beloved.”’ ‘And in the very place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” there they will be called “sons of the living God.”’” The Greek of verse 25: kalesō ton ou laon mou laon mou kai tēn ouk ēgapēmenēn ēgapēmenēn.

The passage develops the Pauline theology of how the Gentiles are included in the people of God. Paul cites Hosea 2:23 and 1:10 to establish the theological pattern.

The argument is theologically careful. Paul is not saying that the church replaces Israel (the supersessionist position the Lutheran tradition has been wary of); Paul is saying that God has always intended to extend His people beyond ethnic Israel. The Hosea prophecy, originally about Israel’s restoration, includes a structural pattern — those who are “not my people” can be called “my people” by God’s gracious word — that applies to the Gentile believers in the new covenant.

The Pauline doctrine of the people of God maintains both continuity and expansion. The Old Testament people of God (Israel) and the New Testament people of God (the church including Gentile believers) are one continuous people in God’s plan. The expansion does not abolish the original people; the expansion brings new members into the same people.

Titus 2:14. “Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.” The Greek: kai katharisē heautō laon periousion.

The passage echoes Old Testament language. Laon periousion — “a people for his own possession” — echoes the LXX of Exodus 19:5 and Deuteronomy 7:6 (Israel as God’s am segullah — “treasured possession”). The Old Testament category for Israel is applied to the church. Christ’s redemptive work has the specific purpose of creating for Himself a people who are His own possession.

Two observations matter.

First, the purposive grammar. Hina katharisē heautō laon periousion — “that he might purify for himself a people for his own possession.” The people exists for Christ. The redemption is not just rescuing individuals from sin; the redemption is establishing a people who belong to Christ.

Second, the moral character. The redeemed people are zēlōtēn kalōn ergōn — “zealous for good works.” The people of God exists not just as a status but with a particular character. The people who have been redeemed by Christ live in a way that demonstrates the redemption.

Hebrews 4:9-11. “So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.” The Greek of verse 9: ara apoleipetai sabbatismos tō laō tou theou.

The passage develops the eschatological dimension of the people of God. Sabbatismos tō laō tou theou — “a Sabbath rest for the people of God.” The people who have been gathered by God through history are oriented toward an eschatological rest that lies ahead. The present age is the working-out of the journey; the consummation is the entering into the Sabbath rest.

The passage draws on the Old Testament background. Israel’s wilderness wandering, the Sabbath rest as a covenant sign, the entry into the promised land — all of these are part of the typological background of the people-of-God’s eschatological rest. The New Testament people of God is on the same kind of journey, oriented toward the same kind of rest, sustained by the same God who led Israel.