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

Unai knew that Damian and his chosen people could breathe life into the atmosphere.

From BBC • Nov. 1, 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

Then he went through his painful presidency, a single term only, which made him even more bitter: "There is no special Providence for us. We are not a chosen people that I know of."

From Salon • Sep. 19, 2020

Those segments were then shown, with the sound turned off, to a group of randomly chosen people, who were asked to rate the facial expressions of each newscaster in each segment.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell