references to 'people' in the singular are distributed throughout the

ministry of Peter (Acts 1 to 12 and 15) which account for thirty of these

occurrences, leaving the second section of the Acts, which deals with Paul's

ministry, to account for the remaining eighteen.

As we found in the Gospels, most of the occurrences were obviously

referring to the people then present.  The only prophetic reference is Acts

3:23, but it is most evident that 'the people' here are the same as 'your

brethren' (verse 22) and 'the children of the prophets and of the covenant'

of verse 25.  The only place in Peter's ministry where the word 'people'

refers to Gentiles, is in Acts 15, after the call and commission of Paul,

where James, referring to the incident of Acts 10, says:

'Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to

take out of them a people for His name.  And to this agree the words of

the prophets' (Acts 15:14,15).

The prophets quoted by James refer to the fulfilment of the promise to

Abraham, and to the Divine purpose in the call of Israel, namely that through

them 'all families of the earth' should be blessed.  Paul's great ministry

commences with the separation of himself and Barnabas by the Holy Ghost as

recorded in Acts 13.  In the opening ministry at Antioch, Paul makes several

references to the 'people'.  He being invited to speak to the 'people' (Acts

13:15) uses the word for the first time when he said, 'The God of this people

of Israel' (Acts 13:17) a title used again by him in verse 24.  The five

occurrences of laos in this thirteenth chapter have no other people than

Israel in view.  In 18:10, 'much people in this city' refers to those both of

Jew and Gentile in Corinth who should believe, but with this exception, the

remaining references, twelve in number, are all limited to Israel.  These we

will tabulate:

'John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the

people ...' (Acts 19:4).

'Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every

where against the people, and the law ...' (Acts 21:28).

'The people ran together'.  'The multitude of the people followed

after, crying, Away with him' (Acts 21:30,36).

'Paul said ... suffer me to speak unto the people ... (he) beckoned

with the hand unto the people' (Acts 21:39,40).

The high priest is called 'the ruler of thy people' (Acts 23:5); Paul

was delivered both from 'the people, and from the Gentiles' (Acts 26:17) to

which people the prophet had declared that Christ should show light as well

as unto the Gentiles (Acts 26:23).

Only three references remain to be noted.  They are found in Acts

28:17, 26, and 27, and have pointed reference to one people only, namely the

people of Israel.

We now turn to the epistles.  Peter in his epistles speaks of the

people in three passages, but always with reference to Israel:

'An holy nation, a peculiar people' (1 Pet. 2:9).

'Which in time past were not a people' (1 Pet. 2:10).