A people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants ; figuratively, a flock
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עַם (ʿam) is a high-frequency Hebrew noun for a people, kinspeople, community, nation, congregation, or body of troops. Genesis 11:6 describes Babel's builders as one people with one language, and Genesis 17:14 speaks of a person cut off from kinspeople.
Reader summary
Full entry for עַם (H5971) · Open the biblical lexicon
עַם (ʿam) is a high-frequency Hebrew noun for a people, kinspeople, community, nation, congregation, or body of troops. Genesis 11:6 describes Babel's builders as one people with one language, and Genesis 17:14 speaks of a person cut off from kinspeople.
The BSB source-word alignment has 1,868 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include the people (395), people (179), my people (96), . . . (74), of the people (67).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 11:6. Its strongest book concentrations include Exodus (175), Jeremiah (165), Isaiah (130), Psalms (120).
עַם (ʿam) is a high-frequency Hebrew noun for a people, kinspeople, community, nation, congregation, or body of troops. Genesis 11:6 describes Babel's builders as one people with one language, and Genesis 17:14 speaks of a person cut off from kinspeople. The word treats persons collectively but does not define a people by biology alone. Shared ancestry, land, rule, worship, covenant, history, or circumstance can shape the group in a given passage.
Exodus turns people-language into a contested identity. Pharaoh calls Israel a numerous and powerful people in Exodus 1:9 as he prepares oppression. God calls them “my people” in Exodus 3:7, and Exodus 6:7 promises, “I will take you as my people, and I will be your God.” At Sinai, Israel is chosen from among all peoples for covenant vocation. This belonging is gracious and demanding: the golden-calf narrative can immediately describe the people as corrupted, and Torah commands truth, justice, holiness, and care within the community. Election is not proof of ethnic superiority or exemption from judgment.
Poetry and prophecy keep Israel's identity in relation to the peoples. Psalm 67 calls all peoples to praise God, while Psalm 100 names the worshipers God's people and sheep. Hosea 1:9 announces “not my people” as covenant judgment, and Hosea 2:23 promises renewed “my people” language. Isaiah 40:1 speaks comfort to “my people,” and Isaiah 51:16 renews the covenant declaration. Later Jewish and Christian readers receive these texts in complex discussions of Israel and the nations; H5971 alone does not authorize replacement theology, racial nationalism, or the erasure of Israel's historical covenant identity.
ʿAm describes collective human identity in kinship, civic, covenantal, worshiping, and military settings. Israel is God's people by covenant, other peoples remain within God's concern, and the title can be affirmed, judged, withdrawn, and restored.
Pharaoh frames Israel as a dangerous numerous people and uses collective fear to justify oppression.
God calls the oppressed Israelites “my people,” says he has seen their affliction, and acts for deliverance.
God promises to take Israel as his people and be their God so they will know the deliverer from Egypt.
Israel is called a holy people chosen as a treasured possession from among all peoples.
In the request for a king, God says the people have rejected divine kingship, showing covenant people can resist their king.
David is commissioned to shepherd God's people Israel and become ruler, joining kingship to pastoral accountability.
The psalm calls all peoples to praise God and rejoice under just divine rule.
The restoration section opens with the repeated command to comfort God's people after judgment.
God reverses the covenant judgment by saying to Not My People, “You are my people,” and receiving the answer, “My God.”
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Hebrew word. Collective body unified by kinship or covenant; Israel's foundational term for God's chosen people as organic whole.
Collective body unified by kinship or covenant; Israel's foundational term for God's chosen people as organic whole.
a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flock BDB: kinsman Usage: folk, men, nation, people.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 1,870 lexical occurrence verses.
עַם is built from this root:
The proverb applies both to individuals and to entire communities. Isaiah 51:9-16
Affirms restored covenant relationship. Proverbs 11:14
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
ʿAm lets a congregation examine how “a people” is named and governed. Pharaoh uses collective identity to manufacture fear and authorize oppression; God uses “my people” while seeing suffering and acting to free. Election therefore produces gratitude, holiness, justice, and responsibility rather than supremacy. David is told to shepherd the people, a standard that judges leaders who treat communities as assets or threats.
Psalm 67 expands worship toward all peoples, and Hosea shows that covenant identity can face judgment and merciful restoration. Churches can receive New Testament people-of-God language without erasing Israel, baptizing nationalism, denying ethnic histories, or turning spiritual unity into cultural uniformity.
Exod.6.7
H5971 is a collective noun with kinship, communal, political, covenantal, and military senses. Nation translations can overlap with H1471, but the two identities should not be treated as interchangeable in every passage.
Romans, First Peter, Ephesians, and Revelation use Israel's people-language in relation to the Messiah, Jews, Gentiles, and a multiethnic worshiping community. Those developments require direct exegesis and should not be reduced to a claim that the church simply replaces Israel.
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