The term "folk" generally refers to people or a group of people, often emphasizing common cultural or social characteristics. In the context of the Bible, the concept of "folk" can be understood through various terms and narratives that describe groups of people, their interactions, and their relationships with God.

Biblical Usage and Context

1. Nations and Peoples: The Bible frequently refers to different groups of people, often using terms like "nations," "tribes," and "peoples." In Genesis 10, the Table of Nations outlines the descendants of Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their spread across the earth. This passage highlights the diversity of human folk and their origins.

2. Israel as a Chosen People: The Israelites are often depicted as a distinct folk chosen by God. In Deuteronomy 7:6 , it is stated, "For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His prized possession, above all peoples on the face of the earth." This selection underscores the special relationship between God and the Israelites, setting them apart from other nations.

3. Unity and Diversity in the Church: The New Testament expands the concept of God's people to include all believers, regardless of ethnic or cultural background. In Galatians 3:28 , Paul writes, "There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus." This verse emphasizes the unity of believers as one folk under Christ, transcending traditional social divisions.

4. The Great Commission: Jesus' command to His disciples to spread the Gospel to all nations (Matthew 28:19) reflects the inclusive nature of the Christian message. "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." This directive highlights the call to reach all folk with the message of salvation.

5. Cultural Practices and Traditions: Throughout the Bible, various cultural practices and traditions of different folk are mentioned. These include marriage customs, dietary laws, and religious rituals. For example, the Passover (Exodus 12) is a significant tradition for the Jewish people, commemorating their deliverance from Egypt.

6. Prophetic Visions of Unity: The prophets often spoke of a future where diverse folk would come together to worship the one true God. Isaiah 2:2 envisions, "In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it." This prophecy points to a time of unity and peace among all peoples.

Theological Implications

The concept of "folk" in the Bible underscores the themes of diversity, unity, and God's sovereign plan for humanity. While the Bible acknowledges the existence of different groups and cultures, it also emphasizes the overarching unity of all people under God's creation and redemption plan. The narrative of Scripture moves from the particular (Israel) to the universal (the Church), reflecting God's desire for all folk to know Him and be reconciled to Him through Jesus Christ.(n. collect. & pl.) Alt. of Folks.FOLK

fok:

The translation of `am, `am "a people or nation" (Genesis 33:15, "some of the folk that are with me"; Proverbs 30:26, "The conies are but a feeble folk"); of le'om, with the same meaning (Jeremiah 51:58, "the folk in the fire," the Revised Version (British and American) "the nations for the fire"); "sick folk" is the translation of arrhostos, "not strong" (Mark 6:5); of ton asthenounton, participle of astheneo, "to be without strength," "weak," "sick" (John 5:3, the Revised Version (British and American) "them that were sick"); "sick folks," of astheneis plural of asthenes, "without strength," the Revised Version (British and American) "sick folk" (Acts 5:16).

W. L. Walker

770. astheneo -- to be weak, feeble
... be diseased, impotent, sick, weak. From asthenes; to be feeble (in any sense) --
be diseased, impotent folk (man), (be) sick, (be, be made) weak. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/770.htm - 8k

732. arrostos -- not strong, ie feeble, sickly
... feeble, sickly. From a (as a negative particle) and a presumed derivative of rhonnumi;
infirm -- sick (folk, -ly). see GREEK a. see GREEK rhonnumi. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/732.htm - 7k

5971. am -- people
... 5970, 5971. am. 5971a . people. Transliteration: am Phonetic Spelling:
(am) Short Definition: folk. folk, men, nation, people From ...
/hebrew/5971.htm - 5k

Again in John v. 2, Etc. , on the Five Porches, Where Lay a Great ...
... Sermon LXXV. Again in John v. 2, etc., on the five porches, where lay a great multitude
of impotent folk, and of the pool of Siloa. [CXXV. Ben.] ...
/.../sermons on selected lessons of the new testament/sermon lxxv again in john.htm

John Chapter iv. 18-Jan
... He entered a place where lay a great multitude of sick folk"of blind, lame, withered;
and being the physician both of souls and bodies, and having come to ...
/.../augustine/homilies on the gospel of john/tractate xvii john chapter iv.htm

Grundtvig's Later Years
... The lonely Defender of the Bible became a respected sage and the acknowledged leader
of a fast growing religious and folk movement, both in Denmark and the ...
/.../hymns and hymnwriters of denmark/chapter sixteen grundtvigs later years.htm

Jehovah --Jesus.
... And with the deep glow of his heart gleaming up out of his eyes, he picks
up a freshly-sharpened quill to tell folk about Jesus. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks about jesus/jehovahjesus.htm

Christ's Sheep
... the people in Jerusalem, and in the great towns, something: but they seem, from
all the gospels, to have cared little or nothing for the poor folk out in the ...
/.../kingsley/town and country sermons/sermon v christs sheep.htm

Science and the Savages
... A permanent disadvantage of the study of folk-lore and kindred subjects is that
the man of science can hardly be in the nature of things very frequently a man ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chesterton/heretics/xi science and the savages.htm

The Races --A Letter
... Not that I have set foot on one for thirty years; but at railway stations, and
elsewhere, one cannot help seeing what manner of folk, beside mere holiday folk ...
//christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/at last/chapter xv the racesa letter.htm

"Something"
... Something. I will make bricks; folk cannot do without them, so I shall at least
do Something.". ... importance. "He had plenty of brains," folk said. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/wells/bible stories and religious classics/something.htm

The Story of St. Ursula
... each his child. So the will of Ursula was done; and that King, and all his
folk, were baptized into the Holy Faith. And AEther, with ...
//christianbookshelf.org/ruskin/saint ursula/i the story of st.htm

Of the Men who Practise a False Vacancy
... Behold, such folk, by means of a onefold simplification and a natural tendency,
are turned in upon the bareness of their own being; and therefore they think ...
/.../john/the adornment of the spritual marriage/chapter iv of the men.htm

Folk (9 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (n. collect. & pl.) Alt. of Folks. Int. Standard
Bible Encyclopedia. FOLK. fok: The translation of `am, `am ...
/f/folk.htm - 10k

Proverb (24 Occurrences)
... prov'-erb (mashal, chidhah; parabole (Luke 4:23), paroimia (John 16:25, 29)): I.
FOLK MEANING AND USE 1. The Primitive Sense 2. The Communal Origin 3. Animus ...
/p/proverb.htm - 29k

Impotent (5 Occurrences)
... The impotent folk referred to in the Epistle of Jeremy (Baruch 6:28) were those
weak and feeble from age and want; compare "impotent and snail-paced beggary ...
/i/impotent.htm - 9k

Fable
... in knowledge was needed to put an end to this mode of thought, but the form of
story-telling developed by it persisted and is found in the folk-tales of all ...
/f/fable.htm - 12k

Foliage (14 Occurrences)

/f/foliage.htm - 11k

Needeth (7 Occurrences)
... (KJV ASV WBS). Genesis 33:15 And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some
of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? ...
/n/needeth.htm - 8k

Josephus
... Surrounded by enemies among his own folk, who even attempted to assassinate him,
he encountered several dangerous experiences, and, at length, flying from the ...
/j/josephus.htm - 13k

Withered (46 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV ASV WBS NAS RSV NIV). John 5:3 In these lay a great multitude of impotent
folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. ...
/w/withered.htm - 22k

Flavius
... Surrounded by enemies among his own folk, who even attempted to assassinate him,
he encountered several dangerous experiences, and, at length, flying from the ...
/f/flavius.htm - 13k

Folks (1 Occurrence)

/f/folks.htm - 7k

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