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You are here: Experts > Religion/Spirituality > Theology > Christianity--Church History > Study on Jews, Hebrews and Israelites
Expert: Brenda Martin - 10/20/2009
Question
I want to know the origin of Hebrew, Jew and Israelites.
Answer
HI Agnes, I hope this answers your question :¬)
HEBREW
Origin and Significance of the Term.
The views as to the origin and significance of the term “Hebrew” generally can be resolved into the following:
1.One view holds that the name comes from the root word ‛a•var′, meaning “pass; pass by; pass over; cross.” The term would then apply to Abraham as the one whom God took “from the other side of the River [Euphrates].” (Jos 24:3) The translators of the Greek Septuagint so understood the term and thus at Genesis 14:13 referred to Abraham as “the passer” rather than “the Hebrew.” This theory is quite popular, yet not without problems. The ending for the term ‛Iv•ri′ (Hebrew) is the same as that used in other terms that are definitely patronymics, that is, names formed by the addition of a prefix or suffix indicating relationship to the name of one’s father or parental ancestor. Thus, Moh•’a•vi′ (Moabite) denotes primarily one descended from Moab (Moh•’av′) rather than one from a geographic region; so too with ‛Am•moh•ni′ (Ammonite), Da•ni′ (Danite), and many others.
Additionally, if “Hebrew” were to apply to Abraham solely on the basis of his having ‘crossed over’ the Euphrates, the term might seem to be a very general one, applicable to any person who did the same—and likely there were many such emigrants in the course of the centuries. With such an origin, the term could be distinctive only if Abraham’s crossing of the Euphrates was recognized as being by divine call. That this fact should be acknowledged by pagans using the term is a matter for question, but it cannot be deemed impossible.
2. a second view, endorsed by some scholars, is that the name denotes those who are sojourners, that is, ‘passing through,’ as distinguished from those who are residents or settlers. (Compare the use of ‛a•var′ at Ge 18:5; Ex 32:27; 2Ch 30:10.) While the Israelites did lead a nomadic life for a time, this was not the case after the conquest of Canaan. Yet, the name Hebrew continued to apply to them. Another objection to this concept may be that it is so broad that it would include all nomadic groups. Since Jehovah is Biblically identified as “the God of the Hebrews,” it is evident that this does not mean ‘all the nomads,’ inasmuch as many nomadic peoples were worshipers of false gods.—Ex 3:18; 5:3; 7:16; 9:1, 13; 10:3.
3. A third view that accords well with the Biblical evidence is that “Hebrew” (‛Iv•ri′) comes from the name Eber (‛E′ver), that of the great-grandson of Shem and an ancestor of Abraham. (Ge 11:10-26) It is true that nothing is known about Eber aside from his family relationship as a link in the chain of descent from Shem to Abraham. There is no outstanding act or other personal feature recorded that might form the basis for Eber’s name being used so prominently by his descendants. Nevertheless, it is to be noted that Eber is specifically singled out at Genesis 10:21, Shem there being spoken of as “the forefather of all the sons of Eber.” That the name Eber was applied centuries after his death to a certain people or region is evident from Balaam’s prophecy in the 15th century B.C.E. (Nu 24:24) The use of the name as a patronymic would also link the Israelites with a particular one of the “family descents” from Noah, as recorded at Genesis 10:1-32.
As with the other views already discussed, the question arises as to why “Hebrew,” if derived from the name Eber, should be applied so specifically and distinctively to the Israelites. Eber had other descendants, through his son Joktan, who were not in the line of descent to Abraham (and Israel). (Ge 10:25-30; 11:16-26) It would seem that the term ‛Iv•ri′ (Hebrew) would apply to all such descendants who could lay rightful claim to Eber as their ancestor.
Some scholars suggest that originally this may have been the case, but that, in course of time, the name came to be restricted to the Israelites as the most prominent of the Eberites, or Hebrews. This would not be without some parallel in the Bible record. Although there were many non-Israelite descendants of Abraham, including the Edomites, the Ishmaelites, and the descendants of Abraham through his wife Keturah, it is the Israelites who are distinctively called the “seed of Abraham.” (Ps 105:6; Isa 41:8; compare Mt 3:9; 2Co 11:22.)
Of course, this was because of God’s action toward them in connection with the Abrahamic covenant. But the very fact that God made them a nation and gave them the land of Canaan as an inheritance, as well as victories over many powerful enemies, would certainly distinguish the Israelites not only from other descendants of Abraham but also from all other descendants of Eber. There is the possibility, too, that many of such other descendants also lost their “Eberite” identity by intermarriage with other peoples.
It may well be, then, that Eber is singled out in the genealogical lists as a divine indication that the Noachian blessing pronounced upon Shem would find its fulfillment especially in the descendants of Eber, the subsequent facts showing the Israelites to be the prime recipients of that blessing. Such specific mention of Eber would also serve the purpose of indicating the line of descent of the promised Seed mentioned in Jehovah’s prophecy at Genesis 3:15, Eber thereby becoming a specific link between Shem and Abraham. Such a connection would also harmonize well with the designation of Jehovah as “the God of the Hebrews.”
JEW
A person belonging to the tribe of Judah.
The name is not used in the Bible account prior to the fall of the ten-tribe kingdom of Israel. The southern kingdom was called Judah, and the people were called sons of Judah or the tribe of the sons of Judah. The first one to use the name Jews was the writer of the books of Kings, doubtless Jeremiah, whose prophetic service began in 647 B.C.E. (See 2Ki 16:6; 25:25.) After the exile the name was applied to any Israelites returning (Ezr 4:12; 6:7; Ne 1:2; 5:17) and, finally, to all Hebrews throughout the world, to distinguish them from the Gentile nations. (Es 3:6; 9:20) Gentile men who accepted the Jewish faith and became circumcised proselytes also declared themselves Jews. (Es 8:17) However, in the Hebrew Scriptures the expression “alien resident” may refer to one who had adopted the religion of the Jews (Jer 22:3), and even in the Christian Greek Scriptures such are distinguished at times by the term “proselytes.” (Ac 2:10; 6:5; 13:43) The term “Jewess” is used at Acts 24:24.
ISRAELITE
A descendant of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel.
(2Sa 17:25; Joh 1:47; Ro 11:1; As determined by the context, in the plural the term refers to the following:
(1) Members of all the 12 tribes before the split in the kingdom (1Sa 2:14; 13:20; 29:1);
(2) Those of the 10-tribe northern kingdom (1Ki 12:19; 2Ki 3:24);
(3) Non-Levitical Jews returning from Babylonian exile (1Ch 9:1, 2);
(4) Jews of the first century C.E.—Ac 13:16; Ro 9:3, 4; 2Co 11:22.
All the best
Brenda
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