'Peoples' in the Bible

From these, [the people of] the coastlands of the nations were separated and spread into their lands, every one according to his own language, according to their constituent groups (families), and into their nations:

I will bless her, and indeed I will also give you a son by her. Yes, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

The Lord said to her,“[The founders of] two nations are in your womb;And the separation of two nations has begun in your body;The one people shall be stronger than the other;And the older shall serve the younger.”

May peoples serve you,And nations bow down to you;Be lord and master over your brothers,And may your mother’s sons bow down to you.May those who curse you be cursed,And may those who bless you be blessed.”

May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a [great] company of peoples.

“The peoples have heard [about You], they tremble;Anguish and fear has gripped the inhabitants of Philistia.

Now therefore, if you will in fact obey My voice and keep My covenant (agreement), then you shall be My own special possession and treasure from among all peoples [of the world], for all the earth is Mine;

But I have said to you, “You are to inherit and take possession of their land, and I will give it to you to possess, a land [of plenty] flowing with milk and honey.” I am the Lord your God, who has separated you from the peoples (pagan nations).

You are to be holy to Me; for I the Lord am holy, and have set you apart from the peoples (nations) to be Mine.

This day I will begin to put the dread and the fear of you on the peoples (pagans) under the whole heaven, who, when they hear the reports about you, will tremble and be in anguish because of you.’

So keep and do them, for that is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’

The Lord will scatter and disperse you among the peoples (pagan nations), and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord drives you.

You shall not follow other gods, any of the gods of the peoples who surround you,

For you are a holy people [set apart] to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be a people for His own possession [that is, His very special treasure].

You shall be blessed above all peoples; there will be no male or female barren (childless, infertile) among you or among your cattle.

And you shall consume all the peoples whom the Lord your God will give over to you; your eye shall not pity them, nor shall you serve their gods, for that would be a [deadly] trap to you.

Yet the Lord had a delight in loving your fathers and set His affection on them, and He chose their descendants after them, you above all peoples, as it is this day.

of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other),

And you will become a horror, a proverb [a mere object lesson], and a taunt [a derisive joke] among all the people to which the Lord drives you.

And the Lord will scatter you among all the nations, from one end of the earth to the other; and there you will [be forced to] serve other gods, [lifeless gods of] wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.

“When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance,When He separated the sons of man,He set the boundaries of the peoplesAccording to the number of the sons of Israel.

“His majesty is like a firstborn young bull,And his horns like the horns of the wild ox;With them he will gore the peoples,All of them together, to the ends of the earth.And those are the ten thousands of Ephraim,And those are the thousands of Manasseh.”

so that all the peoples of the earth may know [without any doubt] and acknowledge that the hand of the Lord is mighty and extraordinarily powerful, so that you will fear the Lord your God [and obey and worship Him with profound awe and reverence] forever.”

for the Lord our God is He who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did these great signs (miracles) in our sight and kept us safe all along the way that we went and among all the peoples among whom we passed.

and they abandoned the Lord, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt. They followed other gods from the gods of the peoples who were around them, and they bowed down to them, and offended and provoked the Lord to anger.

“The adversaries of the Lord will be broken to pieces;He will thunder against them in the heavens,The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;And He will give strength to His king,And will exalt the horn (strength) of His anointed.”

“It is God who executes vengeance for me,And brings down [and disciplines] the peoples under me,

People came from all the peoples (nations) to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and from all the kings of the earth who had heard of his wisdom.

hear in heaven, Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls upon (prays to) You, so that all peoples of the earth may know Your name and fear You [with reverence and awe], as do Your people Israel, and that they may know [without any doubt] that this house which I have built is called by Your name.

For You singled them out from all the peoples of the earth as Your heritage, just as You declared through Moses Your servant, when You brought our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God.”

then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and I will cast out of My sight the house which I have consecrated for My Name and Presence. Then Israel will become a proverb (a saying) and a byword (object of ridicule) among all the peoples.

and have thrown their gods into the fire, for they were not [real] gods but [only] the work of men’s hands, wood and stone. So they [could destroy them and] have destroyed them.

But they acted treacherously against the God of their fathers and played the prostitute with the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.

O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name;Make His deeds known among the peoples.

Declare His glory among the nations,His marvelous works among all peoples.

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,Ascribe to the Lord glory and honor and strength.

Tremble [reverently] before Him, all the earth;The world is firmly established, it will not be moved.

then hear from heaven, from Your dwelling place, and do according to all for which the foreigner calls to You, so that all the peoples of the earth may know Your name, and fear You [reverently and worshipfully], as do Your people Israel, and that they may know that this house which I have built is called by Your Name.

Have you not driven out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron and the Levites, and made priests for yourselves like the peoples of other lands? So whoever comes to consecrate himself with a young bull and seven rams, even he may become a priest of non-existent gods (idols).

Do you not know what I and my fathers (ancestors) have done to all the peoples of the [other] lands? Were the gods of the nations of those lands able to rescue their lands from my hand at all?

They spoke of the God of Jerusalem as [they spoke of] the gods of the peoples of the earth, [which are only] the work of the hands of men.

So they set up the altar on its [old] foundation, for they were terrified because of the peoples of the lands; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the Lord, morning and evening.

May the God who has caused His Name to dwell there overthrow any king or people who attempts to alter this command, so as to destroy this house of God in Jerusalem. I, Darius, have issued this decree; let it be carried out quickly and with due diligence.”

The Passover was eaten by the sons (descendants) of Israel (Jacob) who returned from exile and by all those who had separated themselves from the [ceremonial] uncleanness of the nations of the land to join them, in order to seek the Lord God of Israel.

When these things were completed, the officials came to me and said, “The people of Israel and the priests and Levites have not separated themselves from the peoples of the lands, but have committed the repulsive acts of the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, Ammonites, Moabites, Egyptians, and Amorites.

For they have taken some of their daughters as wives for themselves and for their sons, so that the holy race has intermingled with the peoples of the lands. Indeed, the officials and chief men have been foremost in this unfaithful act and direct violation [of God’s will].”

which You have commanded by Your servants the prophets, saying, ‘The land which you are entering to possess is a defiled land with the uncleanness of the peoples of the lands, through their repulsive acts which have filled it from one end to the other along with their impurity.

shall we again break Your commandments and intermarry with the peoples who practice these repulsive acts? Would You not be angry with us to the point of total destruction, so that there would be no remnant nor survivor?

Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this.

So now, make confession to the Lord God of your fathers and do His will. Separate yourselves from the peoples of the land and from [your] foreign wives.”

“You also gave them kingdoms and peoples,And You allotted the kingdoms to them as a boundary.So they took possession of the land of Sihon king of HeshbonAnd the land of Og king of Bashan.

“So their sons (descendants) went in and took possession of the land;And You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites,And You gave them into their hand, with their kings and the peoples of the land,To do with them as they pleased.

“Yet You were patient with them for many years,And admonished them and warned them by Your Spirit through Your prophets;Still they would not listen.Therefore You gave them into the hand (power) of the peoples of the lands.

Now the rest of the people—the priests, the Levites, the gatekeepers, the singers, the temple servants, and all those who had separated themselves from the peoples of the lands to the Law of God, their wives, their sons, their daughters, all those who had knowledge and understanding—

and that we will not give our daughters [as wives] to the peoples of the land or take their daughters for our sons.

As for the peoples of the land who bring merchandise or any grain on the Sabbath day to sell, we will not buy from them on the Sabbath or on a holy day; and we will give up raising crops during the seventh year [leaving the land uncultivated], and forgive every debt.

to bring Queen Vashti before the king, wearing her royal crown (high turban), to display her beauty before the people and the officials, for she was lovely to see.

And Memucan answered in the presence of the king and the officials, “Vashti the queen has not only wronged the king but [also] all the officials (royal representatives) and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus.

Then Haman said to King Ahasuerus, “There is a certain people scattered [abroad] and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom; their laws are different from those of all other people, and they do not observe the king’s laws. Therefore it is not in the king’s interest to [tolerate them and] let them stay here.

A copy of the edict to be decreed as law in every province was published to all the peoples, so that they would be ready for this day.

A copy of the edict was to be issued as a law in every province and as a proclamation to all peoples, so that the Jews would be ready on that day, to avenge themselves on their enemies.

In each and every province and in each and every city, wherever the king’s command and his decree arrived, the Jews celebrated with gladness and joy, a feast and a holiday. And many among the peoples of the land became Jews, for the fear of the Jews [and their God] had fallen on them.

The Jews assembled in their cities throughout the provinces of King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) to apprehend those who wanted to do them harm; and no one could stand before them, for the fear of them [and their God] had fallen on all the peoples.

“Do not long for the night,When people vanish from their places.

“For by these [mighty acts] He judges the peoples;He gives food in abundance.

Let the assembly of the nations be gathered around You,And return on high over them.

And He will judge the world in righteousness;He will execute judgment for the nations with fairness (equity).

Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion;Declare among the peoples His [great and wondrous] deeds.

The God who avenges me,And subdues peoples (nations) under me.

The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations;He makes the thoughts and plans of the people ineffective.

You drove out the [pagan] nations with Your own hand;Then you planted and established them (Israel);[It was by Your power that] You uprooted the [pagan] peoples,Then You spread them abroad.

Your arrows are sharp;The peoples (nations) fall under You;Your arrows pierce the hearts of the King’s enemies.

O clap your hands, all you people;Shout to God with the voice of triumph and songs of joy.

He subdues peoples under usAnd nations under our feet.

The princes of the people have gathered together as the people of the God of Abraham,For the shields of the earth belong to God;He is highly exalted.

Hear this, all peoples;Listen carefully, all inhabitants of the world,

Cast them out because of their wickedness.In anger bring down the peoples, O God!

I will praise and give thanks to You, O Lord, among the people;I will sing praises to You among the nations.

Who stills the roaring of the seas,The roaring of their waves,And the tumult of the peoples,

Bless our God, O peoples,And make the sound of His praise be heard abroad,

Let the peoples praise You, O God;Let all the peoples praise You.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,For You will judge the people fairlyAnd guide the nations on earth. Selah.

Let the peoples praise You, O God;Let all the peoples praise You.

Rebuke the beasts [living] among the reeds [in Egypt],The herd of bulls (the leaders) with the calves of the peoples;Trampling underfoot the pieces of silver;He has scattered the peoples who delight in war.

You are the [awesome] God who works [powerful] wonders;You have demonstrated Your power among the people.

The Lord will count, when He registers the peoples,“This one was born there.” Selah.

Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Your servants [scorned, insulted, and disgraced];How I bear in my heart the reproach of all the many peoples,

Declare His glory among the nations,His marvelous works and wonderful deeds among all the peoples.

Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the peoples,Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Before the Lord, for He is coming,For He is coming to judge the earth.He will judge the world with righteousnessAnd the peoples in His faithfulness.

The heavens declare His righteousness,And all the peoples see His glory and brilliance.

Before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth;He will judge the world with righteousnessAnd the peoples with fairness.

The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble [with submissive wonder]!He sits enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!

The Lord is great in Zion,And He is exalted and magnified above all the peoples.

When the peoples are gathered together,And the kingdoms, to serve the Lord.

O give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;Make known His deeds among the people.

The king sent and released him,The ruler of the peoples [of Egypt], and set him free.

He gave them the lands of the nations [of Canaan],So that they would possess the fruits of those peoples’ labor,

I will praise and give thanks to You, O Lord, among the people;And I will sing praises to You among the nations.

Kings of the earth and all people;Princes and all judges of the earth;