Lexical Definition

‎φυλή‎ phylḗ (foo-lay') tribe ^G:N-F
from ‎φύω‎ (compare ‎φύλλον‎)

kindred, tribe.

• an offshoot, i.e. race or clan

Abbott-Smith

φυλή, ῆς, ἡ [in LXX chiefly for; מַטֶּה, also for שֵׁבֶט, מִשְׁפָּחָה, etc. ;]
a body of men united by kinship or habitation, a clan or tribe: of the tribes of Israel, Mt 19:28, Lk 2:36 22:30, Ac 13:21, Ro 11:1, Phl 3:5, He 7:13, 14, Ja 1:1, Re 5:5 7:4-8 21:12; of the tribes of the earth, the peoples and nations, Mt 24:30, Re 1:7 5:9 7:9 11:9 13:7 14:6.†

Abbott-Smith References

Liddell-Scott-Jones

φυλή, ἡ,

(φύω) properly, like{φῦλον}, a race, tribe; but accusative to [Refs 4th c.BC+] a union formed in an organized community (whether πόλις or ἔθνος): hence, tribe, i.e.

__I a body of men united
__I.1 by supposed ties of blood and descent, clan, such as the three Dorian tribes, Rhetra cited in [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of the four Ionic tribes, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of the Laconian, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of the old Roman, [Refs 1st c.BC+]; of the Persian, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; of the Jewish, [LXX] (but also of subdivisions of the tribe (σκῆπτρον),[LXX+NT]
__I.2 by local habitation, such as the ten local tribes at Athens formed by Cleisthenes, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; or those formed by Servius at Rome, φ. τοπικαί, opposed to γενικαί, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__I.3 subdivision of the priests in each Egyptian temple, [Refs 3rd c.BC+]
__II military contingent furnished by a tribe, among the Athenians, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
__II.2 representatives of a tribe, on political bodies, φυλῆς πρυτανευούσης, προεδρευούσης, [Refs 2nd c.BC+]
__III of things, ={γένος}, kind, species, κατὰ φυλὰς διεκρίνομεν τὰ ἔπιπλα [Refs 5th c.BC+]

_{LSJ Scripture Refs: LXX.Num.1.4 ☩ LXX.1Kgs.10.20* ☩ Matt.19.28}