city
Polis denotes a populated urban place, and in some clauses the people of that place viewed collectively.
The term most often identifies an urban place as a destination, setting, place of residence, or place from which people enter or depart. In a smaller set of clauses, the same term designates the city's inhabitants collectively, such as a population divided or a whole city gathered.
Senses in use
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An urban place or locality · dominant
The term marks an urban setting in travel, residence, and public activity: in Acts 12:10 the APB renders the gate as leading “into the city,” and in Acts 14:20 it renders Paul as entering it. It also identifies a place associated with people or events, as in Acts 16:14, where Lydia is from Thyatira, and Hebrews 13:14, where a city is sought that is to come.
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The inhabitants considered together · occasional
In collective clauses, the term concerns the people belonging to the place rather than movement into or out of it. In Acts 14:4 the APB renders “The population of the city was then divided”; in Mark 1:33, “the whole city was gathered together at the door”; and in Acts 21:30, “The whole city was stirred up.”
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB usually presents the term with “city,” including clauses about entering, leaving, or activity within one. It also uses “towns” in Acts 5:16 and “town” in John 11:54; These English variations do not by themselves establish separate meanings.