Israel is the name given to
Jacob during his encounter with the Angel of God at the river
Jabbok(Genesis 32:28). His older twin brother's name is
Esau, his parents are
Isaac and
Rebekah (Genesis 25), and his grandparents are
Abraham and
Sarah. The nation of Israel came from four matriarchs—
Leah and her servant
Zilpah, Leah's sister
Rachel and her servant
Bilhah—and their twelve sons would become the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of the nation of Israel:
- Israel's first born son is Reuben (Genesis 29:32). His mother is Leah. Reuben forfeits his station of first-born son when he sleeps with Bilhah, the mother of his two half-brothers Dan andNaphtali (Genesis 35:22).
- Israel's second son is Simeon, also with Leah (Genesis 29:33). Simeon forfeits his prominence when he and his brother Levi revenge the rape of their sister Dinah by Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite (Genesis 34), by killing every male living in the city of Hamor.
- Israel's third son is Levi, also with Leah (29:34). He also forfeits his prominence, along with his brother Simeon.
- Israel's fourth son is Judah (29:35). Due to the crimes of his three older brothers, Judah rises to prominence. The land of Judah is central to Israel, and the capital of Israel, Jerusalem, was situated in Judah. King David was from Judah, and Joseph, the father-by-law of Jesus was from Judah as well. By the time of Jesus, the name Judah has been applied to the Roman province ofJudea, and the Israelites who made it out of the Babylonian exile became collectively known asJews, meaning those of Judea.
- The fifth son of Israel is Dan (30:6). His mother is Bilhah, the servant of Rachel (30:4).
- The sixth son of Israel is Naphtali, also with Bilhah (30:8).
- Israel's seventh son is Gad (30:11). Gad's mother is Zilpah, the servant of Leah (30:9).
- Israel's eighth son is Asher (30:13). Asher's mother is Zilpah as well.
- Israel's ninth son is Issachar, Leah's fifth son (30:18).
- Israel's tenth son is Zebulun, Leah's sixth son (30:20).
- Israel's eleventh child is a girl. Her name is Dinah and her mother is Leah (30:21).
- Israel's eleventh son is Joseph. His mother is Rachel (30:24). In time, the tribe of Joseph breaches in two sub-tribes, named after Joseph's two sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Their mother's name isAsenath (Genesis 41:50-52).
- Israel's twelfth son is Ben-oni or Benjamin (Genesis 35:18).
The name Israel appears also frequently in the New Testament, 68 times in 12 of the 27 books (all four Gospels, Acts, the
Pauline epistles and Revelation). In Greek Israel is spelled
Ισραηλ, and the ethnonym Israelite in Greek is spelled
Ισραηλιτης. The latter appears 9 times.
Etymology of the name Israel
The meaning of the name Israel is not clear, but yet it's huge. The meaning of Israel is not singular and distinct, but consists of many nuances and facets and bulges with theological significance.
Judging from Genesis 32:28, the form
ישראל (Israel) appears to be a compilation of two elements.
The first one is the noun אל (El), the common abbreviation of
Elohim, meaning God:
Abarim Publications Theological Dictionary
אל אלה
When translating names that contain the segment אל ('el), it usually refers to אלהים ('elohim), that is Elohim, or God, also known as אלה ('eloah).
In English, the words 'God' and 'god' are strictly reserved to refer to deity; the Oxford dictionary features a long list of words that start with 'god,' which all refer to divinity (with the exception of the nouns 'goddard' and 'godet,' which apparently are French-origin nouns meaning drinking cup, and 'godwottery,' which appears to mean messy). Even a search for 'god' as internal section of another word yields less than a mere half dozen words such as: ergodic, logodaedalist and oligodendrocyte.
In
Hebrew the words
אל (
'l) and
אלה (
'lh) are far more common. Consider these words:
אל
- אל ('al), which is the Hebrew transliteration of the Arabic article that survives in English in words like alcohol and algebra. There are some words in the Hebrew Bible that are transliterations of Arabic words, which contain this article.
- אל ('al), particle of negation; not, no, neither.
- אל ('el) preposition that expresses motion towards someone or something; unto, into, besides, in reference to.
- אל ('el), which is a truncated form of אלה ('eleh), meaning these (see below).
אלה
- אלה ('elleh), these. Follow the link to read our article on this and the next three words
- אלה ('ala), to swear; derivative אלה ('ala) means oath.
- אלה ('ala), to wail.
- אלה ('alla), oak, from the assumed and unused root אלל ('ll). Follow the link to read more on these and the next words
- אלה ('ela), terebinth, from the root אול ('wl).
The second part of our name appears to be related to the verb שרה I (sara I):
Abarim Publications Theological Dictionary
שרה שרר
The forms שרה (srh) and שרר (srr) are part of an enormous cluster of words, some of which are obviously related. Note that the difference between שׂ (sin; dot to the left, probably pronounced similar to our letter s) and שׁ (shin; dot to the right, probably pronounced as sh) is an interpretation made more than a thousand years after the text of the Bible was written. The Biblical authors used only the letter ש (s; no dot; pronunciation probably somewhere in between s and sh):
שׂרר
The basic meaning of the root שׂרר (srr) is unclear but a similar root-verb in Assyrian, sararumeans to rise in splendor (of the sun, for instance). BDB Theological Dictionary, however, deems to connection dubious. The Bible reflects this root in two closely related nouns and a denominative verb:
- The masculine noun שׂר (sar), meaning chief or ruler. This common noun mostly denotes a social structure's sub-chief, like a clan head (Numbers 21:18) or regional ruler (Judges 9:30). In a few occasions the שׂר (sar) is an angelic captain (Joshua 5:14, Daniel 10:13).
- The feminine equivalent שׂרה (sara), denoting a princess or noble lady (Judges 5:29, Isaiah 49:23).
- The denominative verb שׂרר (sarar), meaning to be or act as a שׂר (sar), or in short: to rule or exercise dominion (Isaiah 32:1, Esther 1:22).
שׁרר
The root שׁרר (srr) appears to be related to words in cognate languages that have to do with firmness and hardness and even to be substantial and truthful. Perhaps it's a coincidence but these qualities are obviously those of a righteous ruler. The usages of this root in the Bible reveal this root's secondary charge of centrality, also a characteristic of a king or ruler:
- The masculine noun שׁר (shor) meaning umbilical cord (Proverbs 3:8, Ezekiel 16:4).
- The feminine noun שׁרה (shera), meaning bracelet (Genesis 24:22, Isaiah 3:19).
- The masculine noun שׁריר (sharir), apparently denoting a sinew or muscle (Job 40:16 only).
- The feminine noun שׁרירות (sherirut) or שׁררות (sherirut), meaning firmness in a negative sense: stubbornness. This noun is used always in a context with the noun לב (leb), meaning heart, the central-most organ and the Biblical seat of the mind.
שׂרה I
The meaning of the verb שׂרה (sara I) is uncertain and explained in many ways, chiefly because it is limited to contexts which discuss the struggle of Jacob with the Angel of YHWH (Genesis 32:29 and Hosea 12:4 only), insinuating that where our language uses the common verb 'struggle,' the Hebrew uses a word that is specifically reserved for a certain action: the action of struggling with God.
BDB Theological Dictionary reports for
שרה (
sara) the
Arabic cognate of to persist, persevere and interprets our verb as such. HAW Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament believes our verb to mean to contend or have power.
Perhaps a
Hebrew audience would have viewed this enigmatic verb as having to do with the previous roots (containing words that have to do with royalty), possibly concluding that Jacob didn't simply stand up to a celestial bully, but rather that the angel saw in Jacob a worthy national ruler. The struggle of Jacob with the angel was not so much a bout between two hulks, but rather an international power struggle that resulted in an earth-heaven federation.
שׂרה II
Linguists insist that the form
שׂרה (
srh) must be split into two separate roots, but why is not very clear. In the Bible the assumed root
שׂרה II (
srh) is only reflected in the masculine noun
משׂרה (
misra), which only occurs in the famous
Messianic passage of Isaiah 9:6: "...and the
government will be upon His shoulders." This is obviously not very far removed from the roots
שרר (
srr).
שׁרה
The following cluster of roots that are all spelled שׁרה (shrh) appear to reflect attributes of the royal office:
שׁרה I
The verb שׁרה I (shara I) means to release or let loose. It's used two times in the Bible. In Job 37:3, YHWH releases thunder and lightening from the heavens, in a passionate report that celebrates the Lord as the ruler of the earth. In Jeremiah 15:11, the Lord is portrayed as a military leader who promises to release Jeremiah from the enemy.
שׁרה II
The root-verb שׁרה II (shrh II) doesn't occur in the Bible but in cognate languages it exists with the meaning of to be moist. In the Bible only one derivative exists, namely the feminine nounמשׁרה (mishra), denoting the juice of grapes. This noun occurs only once, in Numbers 6:3, where the juice of grapes is distinguished from fresh grapes or dried grapes.
שׁרה III
The root שׁרה III (shrh III) also doesn't occur in the Bible. Its sole derivative is the feminine noun שׁריה (shirya), which denotes some kind of weapon, most likely a ballistic one; perhaps a lance or javelin. It occurs only once, in Job 41:26.
שׁרה IV
Root שׁרה III (shrh IV) is also not used, and only one derivative remains: the masculine nounשׁריון (shiryon) or שׁרין (shiryan), meaning body armor (1 Samuel 17:5, 1 Kings 22:34).
Associated Biblical names
However, even though Genesis 32:28 uses the enigmatic verb שרה—which is assumed to mean to struggle but which might something else entirely—it's by no means certain that this verb is etymologically linked to our name Israel. When we say, "we named him Bob because that seemed like a good idea," we certainly don't mean to say that the name Bob means "good idea."
The first part of the name Israel looks a lot like the verb שרה that explains this name, but this apparent link is possibly a mere case of word-play. In fact, the name Israel may have more to do with the verbישר (yashar), meaning to be upright. Note that the difference between the letter שׂ (sin) as found in the name ישׂראל (Israel) and the letter שׁ (shin) as found in the verb ישׁר (yashar) didn't exist in Biblical times and as it was invented more than a thousand years after the Bible was written:
Abarim Publications Theological Dictionary
אשר ישר
The form אשר ('sr) occurs in two different ways: There's the verbal root אשר ('ashar), which indicates progression, and there's the particle אשר ('asher) that indicates relation. Whether the two are etymologically related isn't clear, although there seems to be an obvious intuitive connection. And then there is the verb ישר (yashar), which appears to be etymologically related and certainly is so in meaning:
אשר
The root-verb אשר ('ashar) generally indicates a decisive progression (Proverbs 4:14, Proverbs 9:6) or a setting right (Isaiah 1:17). On occasion it's used in the negative (literally: Isaiah 3:12; leading someone "straight astray"), but most often it's positive. So positive even that this verb's secondary meaning is that of being or being made happy (Psalm 41:2, Proverbs 3:18), or even being deemed or called happy (Genesis 30:13, Job 29:11, Psalm 72:16).
The derivatives of this verb are:
- The masculine nouns אשר ('esher) and אשר ('ashar), meaning happiness or blessedness (1 Kings 10:8, Psalm 32:1, Isaiah 30:18).
- The masculine noun אשר ('osher), meaning happiness as well, and only used in Genesis 30:13, in the construct באשרי (b'asheray), meaning in my happiness.
- The feminine noun אשור (ashur), meaning a step or a walk; a going (Job 23:11, Psalm 17:4).
- The feminine noun אשר (ashur), also meaning a step or going (Job 31:7, Psalm 17:11 only).
- The feminine noun תאשור (te'ashur), denoting a kind of tree, namely the box-tree, which appears to be distinguished by the upward direction of its branches; a happy-tree, or perhaps a straight-up tree (Ezekiel 27:6 only).
אשר
The relative particle
אשר (
asher), generally meaning who or which, looks like it came straight from the above root, but apparently, that's not so. None of the sources even hints at it, although BDB Theological Dictionary declares its "origin dubious". Our particle occurs in
Moabitic with identical meanings but (as HAW Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament notes) it has been found only once in the vast collection of Ugaritic texts that has been unearthed. Since
Hebrew and Ugaritic are closely related, this absence of our particle in Ugaritic seems to disarm BDB's objection against one of two plausible theories of its origin:
- This one theory suggests that our word אשר (asher) originated in a word that in Arabicmeans footstep or mark (which brings it very close to the previous root indeed), then went on to serve as a marker of locality (a place), then acquired the meaning of there and where, and evolved on to become the relative mark we know it as. BDB states that "the chief objection to this explanation is that it would isolate Hebrew from the other Semitic languages, in which pronouns are formed regularly from demonstrative roots."
- The other theory BDB lists involves an unlikely exchange of the letter ל (lamed) of an assumed construction אשל ('sl) for the ר (resh) of our particle אשר (asher). BDB admits that, despite the objection, the previous theory remains most plausible.
The particle אשר (asher) occurs all over the Old Testament (instead of simply submitting a number, HAW Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament excitedly reports that Mandelkern's concordance lists "twenty pages, small print, four columns to each page" of occurrences of אשר (asher).
Our word primarily expresses relation: this which that, or he who such and such. In some cases it may express result: so that if a man could number the dust... (Genesis 13:16), or purpose: in order to find favor (Ruth 2:2), or causality: because of their sister (Genesis 34:27), or concession: although you made me see trouble (Psalm 71:20).
Our word very often comes with its own preposition, creating even more nuance and meaning:
- With ב (be), meaning in it forms the word באשר (b'sr), which means in which, or in that (Genesis 39:9, Isaiah 56:4).
- With מ (me), meaning from, it forms מאשר (m'sr), which means from that which (Genesis 39:1, Joshua 10:11).
- With the comparative particle כ (ke), meaning like, it forms כאשר (k'sr), which means according as, or simply as (Genesis 34:12, Exodus 10:10, Isaiah 9:2), or it means in so far as or since (Genesis 26:29, Numbers 27:14), or when (Genesis 18:33, 1 Samuel 6:6).
ישר
The verb ישר (yashar), generally means to be level or straight. It's used in four distinct ways:
- Literally, of a road being straight (1 Samuel 6:12), or smooth (Isaiah 40:3).
- Ethically; of a just or virtuous life style; blameless (Proverbs 11:5), or discerning (Psalm 119:128).
- To be right in the eyes of someone, which means to obtain this person's approval (Judges 14:3).
- Tranquility or harmony: of a soul being at peace (Habakkuk 2:4)
The derivatives of this verb are:
- The adjective ישר (yashar), meaning right or upright (Isaiah 26:7, Exodus 15:26).
- The masculine noun ישר (yosher), meaning uprightness (Proverbs 2:13, Job 6:25).
- The feminine noun ישרה (yeshara), also meaning uprightness (1 Kings 3:6 only).
- The noun מישר (meshar), means uprightness, straightness, mostly in an ethical sense (Isaiah 26:7, Proverbs 8:6).
- The noun מישור (mishor) means a level place or uprightness mostly in a geographical sense (1 Kings 20:23, Psalm 26:12).
An obvious demonstration of the kinship of these two verbs can be found in the two names Asharelah and Jesharelah, which are applied to the same person.
Associated Biblical names
Israel meaning
For a meaning of the name Israel, NOBSE Study Bible Name List, BDB Theological Dictionary and Alfred Jones (Dictionary of Old Testament Proper Names) unanimously go with the verb שרה of which the meaning is unsure. Undeterred, NOBSE reads God Strives, and BDB proposes El Persisteth or El Persevereth.
Alfred Jones figures that the mysterious verb שרה might very well mean "to be princely," and assumes that the name Israel consists of a future form of this verb, which hence would mean to become princely. And so Jones interprets the name Israel with He Will Be Prince With God.
Here at
Abarim Publications, our contention is that the mystery verb
שרה doesn't mean struggle at all, but rather reflects a worthiness to govern a nation. At the Jabbok, Jacob became the world's first godly king and his nation was Israel;
God's (Vicarious) Governor.