On the hair net

The term am haaretz (Hebrew "people of the earth, of the country") has denoted the simple uneducated part of the people since rabbinic Judaism . It was applied to both the Gentiles (see Goyim ) and the Israelites .

From the perspective of the non-Israelites, that on the Haaretz is the settled residents in contrast to the Israelites who have not yet settled, for example Gen 23.12  EU .

From an Israelite perspective, referred to as am haaretz

• pre-exilic : the people in contrast to the political and religious leaders (kings, priests, etc.)
• post-exilic : partly as before, but with Ezra and Nehemiah the non-Jewish people
• rabbinical : all who do not know or keep the law.