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people of the land


A phrase that occurs frequently in the OT, especially in Jeremiah, Ezekiel, 2 Kings, and 2 Chronicles, where it probably designates the qualified male citizenry as opposed to the ruling class. In Ezra and Nehemiah (Ezra 10:2; Ezra 10:11; Neh 10:30) it becomes a derogatory term for those Jews who were viewed as “nonobservant” in their religion.

  • Powell, Mark Allan, ed. HarperCollins Bible Dictionary. Abridged Edition. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2009.