Hebrews, Jews, and Israel

Who are the Hebrews? And are the Jews the same as Israel?

Guest Post By Mondo Gonzales
Ever since the October 7, 2023, terrorist attack against Israel and their justified war to eradicate Hamas, the increase of antisemitism worldwide has skyrocketed. Now, I have believed that there will always be a certain level of antisemitism in our cultures until Jesus returns. Yet I was surprised to see how the latest murderous rampage of Hamas has allowed a far more pervasive antisemitism than believed to be exposed. There have been dozens of well attended pro-Hamas rallies around the world espousing the genocidal rant “From river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”

Think of it… this chant is being picked up by people of all types which of course is rooted in blatant hypocrisy. These crowds believe that Israel is an apartheid state committing genocide against the Palestinians. These are ridiculous claims for many reasons, but they are unable to see that the exact crimes they accuse Israel of perpetuating, their mantra is publicly endorsing. I read the entire Hamas charter last week and it is crystal clear what they want. The hate filled rant undeniably has its roots in the Hamas charter. They are fully committed to removing ALL Jews from the promised land. From the Jordan river in the east all the way west to the Mediterranean Sea.

I watched a public forum question and answer last week at Oxford that featured Ben Shapiro answering questions from a hostile crowd. Over and over, he asked each antagonist, “How much of the land of Israel do you consider occupied territory?” Each one of them answered, “All of it.” He responded with the only logical conclusion to the questioners, “Thank you for being honest. Then you are definitely not for a Two state solution and most likely for genocide of all Jews living in the land of Israel.”

Many brought up the idea that Israel is an apartheid state. Yet he responded and reminded them that there are almost 2 million Arabs who have FULL Israeli citizenship living within the borders of Israel and then asked them how many Jews are allowed to live in Gaza. The answer is ZERO. And when it comes to many areas in Judea and Samaria (a.k.a. the West Bank), there are signs which I have seen personally which warn that any Jews which cross over into these areas put their own lives at risk. Wouldn’t that be the definition of apartheid? Yet the people raging against Ben Shapiro were unable or unwilling to acknowledge that the true apartheid and hypocritical actions are clearly being perpetrated by the various Palestinian leadership groups.

Unfortunately, the modern evangelical church has done a poor job of defending the Biblical promises of God granting the land of Israel to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob forever. This often is the result of creative hermeneutics and neglecting to interpret the Bible in a normal, literal, grammatical, historical method. It also is the fruit of replacement (a.k.a. fulfillment) theology which espouses that all the OT promises have been fulfilled in Jesus and therefore, there is nothing more expected in relation to the future of national Israel among other end time prophetic events.

This brings up the assertions that come in various forms that the modern state of Israel has nothing to do with biblical Israel. In addition, others try to say that biblical Israel is not the same as the Jews. Therefore, the Jews of today are not biblical Israel. These are fair questions when they are brought up in an attitude of humility wondering how to correlate the various biblical nuances of who is a Hebrew, Israelite, and Jew. When dealing with the increasing antisemitism foisting itself upon our society, it would be helpful to speak with a greater level of precision in these important matters. There are a lot of opinions, but if we simply go back to the biblical evidence, we can see that all three terms refer to the same group of people. In short, the Hebrew, Jew, and Israelite terms all refer to all the ethnic descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

This article will examine all the evidence in the Old and New Testament Scriptures.

Who is a Hebrew?
If you really want to go deep into the various names, I encourage you to check out the articles found in the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament. It is a 15-volume lexical dictionary that covers thoroughly every major Hebrew word.

The first place that the word Hebrew (in the Hebrew language it is transliterated ivriy) appears is in Genesis and reads, “Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, who was living by the oaks of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and of Aner. These were allies of Abram” (Gen 14:13).

Early on Abram is designated a Hebrew. There are various theories as to the origination (etymology) of the word Hebrew, but there isn’t a complete consensus. Exactly how or where it came from is actually irrelevant when examining the biblical data. Clearly Abram is called a Hebrew which is a good start for understanding how this designation is passed on to his specific descendants.

The next time we see the word is 5 times in connection with the story of Joseph being in Egypt and resisting the advances of Potiphar’s wife. We read, “…she called to the men of her household and said to them, ‘See, he has brought among us a Hebrew to laugh at us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice’” (Gen 39:14; see also 39:17; 40:15; 41:12). What we gain from these verses is that Joseph, a son of Jacob, grandson of Isaac and great grandson of Abraham is called a Hebrew. In addition, we observe that the entire family group of Jacob’s sons are called Hebrews as distinct from the Egyptians. The biblical text affirms, “They served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians” (Gen 43:32).

The next 13 occurrences all are contained within the Exodus story and concern the Hebrew midwives, Moses watching an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, and Moses describing Yahweh as the God of the Hebrews to Pharoah (Exodus 1:15, 16, 19; 2:6, 7, 11, 13; 3:18; 5:3; 7:16; 9:1, 13; 10:3).

An important connection is made between the designation Hebrew and the people called Israel. Notice, “And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God’” (Exodus 3:18). This passage connects that the “Hebrews” and “people of Israel” names are synonymous with no distinctions.

The last two instances in the Pentateuch/Torah appear as parallel texts and describe that once again the people of Israel are called Hebrews by God, “”If your brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you, he shall serve you six years, and in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you” (Deuteronomy 15:12; Ex 21:2).

The book of 1 Samuel has much to say about the connection between the terms Hebrew and Israelite. Notice the quote of the Philistines, “And when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel shouted so loudly that the earth shook. Now when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, “What does the sound of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?” Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp” (1 Samuel 4:5-6).

Two more examples will suffice to show that not only in the time of Joseph and the Exodus, but in the time of the judges, Israel and Hebrews as names were synonymous. “And Jonathan attacked the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, “Let the Hebrews hear!” Now all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal” (1 Sam 13:3-4).

“Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make swords or spears. But all the Israelites would go down to the Philistines to sharpen each man’s plowshare, his mattock, his ax, and his sickle” (1 Sam. 13:19-20; see also 14:11, 21; 29:3).

Over 500-600 years later from the time of the Judges, we get another helpful piece of information in the biblical text referencing the designation Hebrew, but this time it is with the word Jew (the Hebrew word Yehudi). Jeremiah writes, “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them, that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother” (Jer 34:8-9).

In summary, the OT clearly associates the Hebrews, the Israelites, and the Jews as synonymous terms and speaking of the ethnic descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When we come to the New Testament it is confirmed again. We will discuss more specific details about the term Israel or Israelite in the next section, but notice what Paul says, “Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I” (2 Corinthians 11:22).

It is interesting that Paul does not buy into the concept that Israel could not be called Israel simply because much (not all) of the 10 tribes of the northern kingdom were exiled by the Assyrians in 722 BC. The so called “lost tribes of Israel” theory. The idea of Israel still being a conglomerate of all the various tribes was still maintained in the 1st century. We see that Anna knew she was from the tribe of Asher (Luke 2:36). More on this in the next section.

Paul once again uses the term Hebrew in connection with the name and people of Israel. He writes about his ancestry, “though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee” (Philippians 3:4-5).

When it comes to understanding the use of the word Hebrew in the entire Bible, we see quite clearly that whether in the Old or New Testaments, the word is connected synonymously with Israel and Jew. This makes perfect sense in that anyone who has the genetics of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob could be called a Hebrew, Israelite, or Jew.

Who is an Israelite?
The word Israel appears over 2500 times in the Old Testament and so we obviously cannot cover all the occurrences. However, it will be good to share a few examples of how the name is used in various ways. The first place in the Bible where it appears is when Jacob wrestles the angel and his name gets changed from Jacob to Israel. We read, “Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed” (Gen 32:28; also 35:10). So, the first way in which Israel is used is in reference to the person of Jacob, son of Isaac.

After this and the children are born to Jacob/Israel, his sons become known as the twelve tribes of Israel as we read, “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel. This is what their father said to them as he blessed them, blessing each with the blessing suitable to him” (Gen 49:28). This refers to ethnic descendants of Jacob and those that continue to grow into a nation during their time living in the land of Egypt. We observe this newer language in the Exodus story (Exodus 4:22) where we have God describing Himself as the “God of Israel” as a designation for the people group. Often times, we have the phrase “sons of Israel” or “children of Israel” depending on English translations. These refer to the 12 tribes of Israel and all their clans.

It is not until we come to the time and book of 1 Samuel that we see a distinction between Israel (the 10 northern tribes) and the southern distinction of the tribe of Judah (often associated to also include the tribe of Benjamin). After Saul was dead, David (from Judah) ruled over the southern “kingdom” of Judah and then eventually became king over all Israel (10 northern tribes). We read, “At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years” (2 Sam 5:5).

After the united monarchy (Saul, David, Solomon) dissolved, we know from history that Assyria came and took most (not all) of the 10 northern tribes into exile in 722 B.C. (2 Kings 17-18). The southern kingdom of Judah remained faithful to the Lord until they were exiled in 586 B.C.

Now, this is super important to notice that even after most of the northern kingdom of Israel was exiled into Assyria, there were still some Israelites from the various 10 tribes living in the land of the northern kingdom (2 Chron 31:6). After most of the northern kingdom of Israel was exiled, Hezekiah decided to have a Passover feast in which he invited all of the southern kingdom of Judah and any of the remnant of northern Israel who had escaped exile.

We read, “So couriers went throughout all Israel and Judah with letters from the king and his princes, as the king had commanded, saying, ‘O people of Israel, return to the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, that he may turn again to the remnant of you who have escaped from the hand of the kings of Assyria’” (2 Chr. 30:6). Notice the progression of the narrative, “And the people of Israel who were present at Jerusalem kept the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with great gladness, and the Levites and the priests praised the LORD day by day, singing with all their might to the LORD” (2 Chr. 30:21, also 30:18). There were still people of the northern kingdom of Israel (10 tribes) living in the land of Judah. We observe, “The people of Israel and Judah who lived in the cities of Judah also brought in the tithe of cattle and sheep, and the tithe of the dedicated things that had been consecrated to the LORD their God, and laid them in heaps” (2 Chronicles 31:6).

Later, after the returning descendants of Jacob arrived in the land of Israel, this returning group of people are called Israel once again. “Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the LORD their God” (Nehemiah 9:1-3). Also, “As soon as the people heard the law, they separated from Israel all those of foreign descent” (Neh. 13:3 and 13:15-18). We have further evidence of the ways in which “Israel” is used to describe all the remaining tribes of Jacob after their return from Babylon. “These are the chiefs of the province who lived in Jerusalem; but in the towns of Judah everyone lived on his property in their towns: Israel, the priests, the Levites, the temple servants, and the descendants of Solomon’s servants” (Neh 11:3).

We can learn from these passages that even though many of the 10 northern tribes were exiled to Assyria, they have never been truly lost. Also, even after the Babylonian exiles returned, the 12 tribes were still called Israel and not simply “Judah.”

When we come to the New Testament, Jesus ministered only to the house of Israel (Matthew 10:6, 23; 15:24). All of the people living in the land of Israel were called Israel by Jesus. Even further, Peter preached to the leaders and called them Israel (Acts 2:22, 36; 3:12; 4:10; 5:31, 35). Paul referred to the leadership and people living in the land as Israel (Acts 13:16, 23, 24). We can see that the people living in the land who were descendants of Jacob were all called Israel. This becomes important as we move to the next section and examine the phraseology of the word Jew or Jews.

In summary, what we can conclude is that even though there are some specific nuances of the word Israel or Israelite, the overarching meaning is that anyone who is an ethnic descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is considered an Israelite or Israel. Jesus and the apostles affirm this is true and that is good enough for me. This is especially true as found in Romans 9 and 11.

Who is a Jew?
The first place that the word Jew appears in the canonical text of Scripture is found in the book of 2 Kings 25:25 in reference to those living in the land of Judah. Daniel, writing somewhere between 600 B.C. and 535 B.C. uses the Aramaic word “Jew” in reference to the exiled people living in Babylon (Daniel 3:8, 12).

The Aramaic word “Jew” (Yehuday) appears throughout the book of Ezra in reference to those living in the land of Israel after they left Babylon (approximately 458 B.C.). The word Jew appears often in the book of Esther 2:5 (approximately 475 B.C.)

Even though Mordecai is called a Jew in Esther 2:5, the word actually appears earlier historically in the book of Jeremiah. He writes this section around 575 B.C. and says, “The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to make a proclamation of liberty to them, that everyone should set free his Hebrew slaves, male and female, so that no one should enslave a Jew, his brother” (Jer. 34:8-9).

The Hebrew word for Jew is Yehudiy and is a reference to a person. The word Yehudah is a different word in reference to the land of Judah which is the area around Jerusalem or the tribe or original son of Jacob (Genesis 29:35). What we know is that the word “Jew” stems from the son of Jacob and the tribe of Judah. Eventually, because of the prominence of the tribe of Judah and the southern kingdom of Judah returning after the Babylonian exile, the people of Israel were often called Jews. However, as we saw in Jeremiah and 2 Kings, the people were called Jews even before the return of the people of Israel from the exile of Babylon.

Around 500 B.C., the prophet Zechariah uses the term “Jew” in reference to anyone descending from the 12 tribes of Israel. He writes concerning the future messianic kingdom, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, ‘Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you’” (Zech 8:23).

Later in Nehemiah’s time (approximately 446 B.C.), he uses the word Jews in reference to the returning group of people living in the land of Israel who have returned from Babylon. Once again, we know from previous passages in Chronicles that the southern kingdom of Judah which was exiled included people from all the 12 tribes of Israel. Therefore, the Jews (12 tribes) who were exiled to Babylon are the ones that came back to the land of Israel.

When we come to the New Testament we see the three words, Hebrew, Israel, and Jew come together to be used synonymously. Jesus was a descendant of Jacob (Israel) through Judah and David and Mary (Matthew 1), but allowed Himself to be called a Jew from the Samaritan woman (John 4:9). Additionally, Jesus told her that salvation was of the Jews and this clearly is in reference to the people living in the land of Israel whom He calls the “house of Israel” in Matthew 10.

The challenge we have in the New Testament is the general usage of the word “Jew” (Greek word is Ioudaios). This can either be in reference to the people living in the south (Judeans as opposed to those in Galilee to the north) or to Jews in the sense of the 12 tribes of the house of Israel. Context will determine which is the appropriate usage.

When studying the book of Acts, we see something immediate in that the word Jews is in reference to those who are of the tribes of Israel. In other words, ethnic descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We read, “Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5). Clearly, these were not simply Judeans, but ethnic Jews from various parts of the world who were living in Jerusalem.

Paul calls himself a Jew, “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people” (Acts 21:39, 22:3). He also writes that he was a Jew according to his ethnic genetics and birth, “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners” (Gal 2:15).

So, what can we summarize? A Jew began as one who was of the tribe of Judah, but eventually this word was associated with anyone who was a descendant of Jacob or an Israelite. Paul called himself a Jew, but also that he was an Israelite and a Hebrew.

“Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I” (2 Corinthians 11:22).

“For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh– though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee” (Phil. 3:3-5).

Additionally, Paul connects that the Jews living in the land of Israel during the 1st century are connected all the way back to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These were his physical ethnic brothers and Jesus was born from that heritage. The 1st century Jews are Israelites and Hebrews and are descendants of the patriarchs who received the covenants.

“I am speaking the truth in Christ– I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit– that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen” (Rom. 9:1-5).

Based on the full testimony of Scripture and especially the New Testament, we can see that Paul is the perfect example. He was a Jew, an Israelite, and a Hebrew according to his own testimony.

Conclusion
Today, people are claiming that a biblical Jew is different than a biblical Hebrew and even different than a biblical Israelite. What we have observed from the evidence of Scripture is that these claims are absolutely false.

When we examine the Jews living today, especially in the land of Israel, their genetics and DNA go back to the people living in the land of Israel from ancient times. On our Prophecy Watchers website under the articles tab in the menu, we have other documentation refuting the assertions that modern Jews living in the land of Israel are not real Jews. According to the Bible (as seen in this article) and also modern genetic data, it is clear that the Jews living in the modern state of Israel are some of the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Not all of Jacob’s descendants live in the modern state of Israel. Many live in the USA and Europe and other parts of the world. Needless to say, we need to do our best to speak loud and clear that the accusations and antisemitism against modern Israel should be refuted with facts and evidence.

We know that that God has brought the nation of Israel back into existence in 1948 in order to redeem them once they repent and receive Jesus as their Messiah (Matthew 23:37-39; Zech 12:10; Hosea 5:15). What a glorious day that will be for the entire world.

“Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it. I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this, for I want somehow to make the people of Israel jealous of what you Gentiles have, so I might save some of them. For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead!” (Rom. 11:12-15).

Let us continue to pray for their salvation through Jesus their Messiah as it will bring blessings to the entire world!