Lexical Definition

‎λαός‎ laós (lah-os') a people ^G:N-M
apparently a primary word

people.

• a people (in general
• thus differing from ‎δῆμος‎, which denotes one's own populace)

Abbott-Smith

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 1:21 3:15 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 5:9 7:9 11:9, 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.

Abbott-Smith References

Liddell-Scott-Jones

λαός, ὁ,

Ionic dialect ληός [Refs 6th c.BC+] (variant{λαόν}, which is in all Mss. in [Refs 6th c.BC+]; Attic dialect λεώς, which is also used in [Refs 5th c.BC+] and in late Prose, as Foed.Byzantine cited in [Refs 5th c.BC+]

__1 in [Refs 8th c.BC+] (λαοί) usually means men, i.e. soldiers, both of the whole army and smaller divisions, κριτὸς ἔγρετο λ. Ἀχαιῶν [Refs]; periphrastic, στρατὸς λαῶν[Refs]; mostly including both foot and horse, as [Refs]; but sometimes λαός denotes foot, as opposed to horse, [Refs]; also, a land army, opposed to a fleet, [Refs]; also, the common men, opposed to their leaders, [Refs]; but
__2 in [Refs 8th c.BC+], almost always means men or people; as subjects of a prince, e.g. [Refs 8th c.BC+]; λαοὶ ἀγροιῶται country-folk, [Refs]; work-people, [Refs]; of sailors, [Refs 8th c.BC+] seafaring folk, [Refs 5th c.BC+]: in singular, slave, τὸν Εὐρυσθέως λεών, of Heracles, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; and so perhaps λεὼς αὔτοικος [Refs], i.e. mankind, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; λ. ἐγχώριοι the natives,[Refs 8th c.BC+]; especially in Egypt, of the fellahin, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]; civil population, opposed to priests and soldiers, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]
__3 people assembled, as in the theatre, ὁ πολὺς λαῶν ὄχλος [Refs 5th c.BC+]; especially in the Ecclesia, αἱ στίχες τῶν λαῶν [Refs] hear O people!—the usual way of beginning proclamations at Athens, like our [Refs 6th c.BC+]; τιμῶσιν οἱ πάντες λεῴ[Refs 4th c.BC+]; ὁ πολὺς λεώς the multitude, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__4 in LXX, of the people, as opposed to priests and Levites, [NT]; of [NT]
__II a people, i.e. all who are called by one name, first in [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἱππόται λαοί, i.e. the Thessalians, [Refs 5th c.BC+] people and λᾶος stone (compare λᾶας) is implied in [Refs 8th c.BC+]; and so [Refs 5th c.BC+] explains the word from the legend of Deucalion, [Refs 5th c.BC+] (From λᾱϝ-, as shown by the proper noun Λαϝοπτόλεμος [Refs]

_{LSJ Scripture Refs: Matt.2.6 ☩ Luke.2.10 ☩ Acts.15.14}