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• chosen people
  chosen people

  noun

  Often Chosen People (in the Bible) the Israelites.
• Chosen People
  Chosen People

  A term applied to the Jews (see also Jews). According to the Old Testament, God chose the descendants of Abraham through the line of Isaac and Jacob — the ancestors of today's Jews — as the people through whom he would reveal himself to the world. God therefore freed them from slavery in Egypt (see also Egypt) and led them into the Promised Land.

chosen people

American  

noun

1. Often Chosen People (in the Bible) the Israelites.

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chosen people British  

plural noun

1. any of various peoples believing themselves to be chosen by God, esp the Jews

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Chosen People Cultural  

1. A term applied to the Jews (see also Jews). According to the Old Testament, God chose the descendants of Abraham through the line of Isaac and Jacob — the ancestors of today's Jews — as the people through whom he would reveal himself to the world. God therefore freed them from slavery in Egypt (see also Egypt) and led them into the Promised Land.

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Etymology

Origin of chosen people

First recorded in 1525–35

Example Sentences

God said to his chosen people: “You cannot see my face, for no one can see me and live.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 13, 2025

Some Christians support Israel due to Old Testament writings that Jews are God’s chosen people and that Israel is their rightful homeland.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 24, 2023

The ONS ran a regular survey through the pandemic: testing randomly chosen people in order to estimate the number of people who had the virus.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2023

"I think the danger is not belonging — it's not being one of the chosen people."

From Salon • May 25, 2023

He emphasized the historical achievements of Africa and Africans, and noted how foolish it was for whites to see themselves as a chosen people and an intrinsically superior race.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela