Lexical Summary
leom: People, nation
Original Word:לְאֹם
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:lom
Pronunciation:leh-ome
Phonetic Spelling:(leh-ome')
KJV: nation, people
NASB:peoples, nations, people, nation, other, peoples'
Word Origin:[from an unused root meaning to gather]
1. a community
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
nation, people
Or l owm {leh-ome'}; from an unused root meaning to gather; a community -- nation, people.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom an unused word
Definitionpeople
NASB Translationnation (1), nations (11), other (1), people (4), peoples (17), peoples' (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
,
Genesis 25:23 , in poetry and chiefly late; — absolute
Genesis 25:23 (twice in verse);
Proverbs 14:28,
Proverbs 11:26; suffix
Isaiah 51:4; plural
Genesis 25:23 28t.;
Isaiah 55:4; —
people, both of Israel and of Edom,
Genesis 25:23 (3 t. in verse) (J; Jacob and Esau; "" ); elsewhere of Israel only
Isaiah 51:4 (singular "" ); usually plural of other peoples: —
Isaiah 17:12 ("" , compare
Isaiah 17:13; ""
Isaiah 34:1;
Isaiah 43:9;
Psalm 2:1;
Psalm 44:3;
Psalm 44:15;
Psalm 105:44;
Psalm 149:7, compare
Isaiah 55:4 (twice in verse) ( in
Isaiah 55:5); ""
Genesis 27:29 (J),
Habakkuk 2:13;
Jeremiah 51:58;
Psalm 47:4;
Psalm 57:10;
Psalm 67:5 (twice in verse);
Psalm 108:4;
Proverbs 24:24; further
Isaiah 41:1;
Isaiah 49:1 (both "" ),
Isaiah 43:4 (""
Isaiah 60:2 ("" ),
Psalm 9:9 ("" ),
Psalm 148:11 ("" , etc.);
Psalm 7:8,
Psalm 65:8; of any and all
peoplesProverbs 14:34; singular indefinite =
people in General, as making public opinion,
Proverbs 11:26 (collective, with plural verb); =
population, as subjects of prince
Proverbs 14:28 ("" ).
Topical Lexicon
Overview of UsageStrong’s 3816 designates a “people” or “nation” viewed as a distinct, self-contained community. The term appears about thirty-six times, spread across the Pentateuch, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, Psalms and Prophets. It is applied both to Israel and to Gentile peoples, and it often stands beside other national terms (ʿam, gôy) to deepen the picture of God’s dealings with the family groups of the earth.
Patriarchal Promises and Covenantal Foundations
•Genesis 25:23 records the prophecy over Esau and Jacob: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples will be separated from within you”. Here the word signals the emergence of distinct national destinies under God’s providence.
• In the blessing of Isaac upon Jacob, “May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you” (Genesis 27:29), 3816 underlines the comprehensive scope of dominion promised to the chosen heir.
• Subsequent confirmations—Genesis 28:3; 35:11; 48:4—show that the multiplication of “peoples” is an integral strand in the covenant, anticipating both the twelve-tribe nation and the wider multitude of Jacob’s descendants scattered among the nations (cf.Romans 11:25-26).
National Identity in Israel’s Formation
Numbers 25:15, 18 identifies Cozbi as “the daughter of a leader of a people of Midian.” The word highlights how Israel’s sin at Baal Peor involved formal alliance with another nation and invites reflection on Israel’s distinct calling to avoid the idolatry of surrounding peoples.
Royal and Davidic Psalms
The Davidic victory hymn (2 Samuel 22:44-45;Psalm 18:43-44) proclaims, “You have made me head of the nations; a people I had not known shall serve me.” 3816 testifies that David’s kingship foreshadows Messiah’s worldwide reign.
Praise psalms extend the same vision. “I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing praises to You among the peoples” (Psalm 57:9; 108:3). The parallelism unites Israel’s worship with the calling of every leʾōm, anticipating the ingathering of Gentiles.
Psalm 117:1—“Praise the LORD, all you nations; extol Him, all you peoples”—is later cited inRomans 15:11, authoritatively tying the Old Testament’s leʾōm theme to New-Testament mission.
Wisdom Literature and Social Ethics
Proverbs uses 3816 to expose the conscience of society:
•Proverbs 11:26—hoarding grain provokes the “curse of the people,” while generosity brings blessing.
•Proverbs 14:28—“In a multitude of people is a king’s glory, but without a people a prince is ruined,” reminding rulers that national strength rests on the well-being of the populace.
•Proverbs 24:24-25—when leaders call evil good, “peoples will curse them,” proving that moral absolutes are recognized across cultures.
Prophetic Oracles Concerning the Nations
Isaiah employs the word repeatedly to portray both judgment and restoration:
•Isaiah 14:2, 6 pictures former oppressors becoming servants, showing Yahweh’s reversal of fortunes among nations.
•Isaiah 17:12-13 compares the tumult of “many peoples” to roaring seas, yet the LORD rebukes them and they flee—sovereignty asserted over every leʾōm.
•Isaiah 33:3; 34:1-2 extend judgment to all peoples, whileIsaiah 60:2-3 promises that thick darkness covering “the peoples” will be pierced by Zion’s rising light: “Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.”
Habakkuk 2:5-13 warns that imperial plunder stirs up “all peoples,” but the earth will ultimately “be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD” (2:14), showing the futility of human empires in contrast to God’s universal reign.
Eschatological Vision of Universal Worship
The prophetic promises culminate in a scene where every leʾōm is gathered to honor the Lord (Isaiah 66:18-23;Zechariah 14:16-19). Nations once rebuked are now redeemed; peoples once in darkness now walk in the light. This eschatological use of 3816 aligns seamlessly with Revelation’s picture of a “multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue” (Revelation 7:9), demonstrating the harmony between Testaments.
Implications for New Covenant Ministry
1. Mission: The repeated appearance of 3816 in contexts of praise and promise forms an Old-Testament foundation for the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19). God’s intention has always been global.
2. Gospel Humility: God raises up and disciplines nations; therefore believers view every culture through Scripture, not vice versa.
3. Worship: Corporate praise should reflect the multi-ethnic scope of redemption (Ephesians 2:11-22), anticipating the future assembly of “peoples.”
4. Social Justice: Proverbs’ use of the term calls the church to uphold equity and righteousness within and among nations as a testimony to the King who rules them all.
Thus Strong’s 3816 is far more than a lexical curiosity; it threads through Scripture to display God’s sovereign governance of history, His concern for every people group, and His unchanging purpose to unite them in the worship of His Son.
Forms and Transliterations
אֻמִּֽים׃ אמים׃ בַּל־ בל־ וּ֝לְאֻמִּ֗ים וּלְאֹם֙ וּלְאֻמִּ֓ים ׀ וּלְאֻמִּ֖ים וּלְאֻמִּ֥ים וּלְאוּמִּ֖י ולאומי ולאם ולאמים לְ֝אֹ֗ם לְ֝אֻמִּ֗ים לְ֭אֻמִּים לְא֑וֹם לְאֻ֫מִּ֥ים לְאֻמִּ֑ים לְאֻמִּ֔ים לְאֻמִּ֖ים לְאֻמִּ֗ים לְאֻמִּ֣ים לְאֻמִּֽים׃ לְאוּמִּ֖ים לאום לאומים לאם לאמים לאמים׃ מִלְאֹ֣ם מלאם ’um·mîm ’ummîm bal bal- lə’ōm lə’ōwm lə’ummîm lə’ūmmîm lə·’ō·wm lə·’ōm lə·’um·mîm lə·’ūm·mîm leom leumMim mil’ōm mil·’ōm milOm ū·lə·’ōm ū·lə·’ūm·mî ū·lə·’um·mîm ūlə’ōm ūlə’ūmmî ūlə’ummîm uleOm uleumMi uleumMim umMim
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