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Israel

Both TestamentsPatriarchsMaleSonFather

Israel, also named Jacob, was the son of Isaac, the father of the twelve tribes of Israel, and a key patriarch of the Jewish people.

Israel illustration
Israel

Biography

Israel is the name given to the patriarch Jacob after his mysterious night-long wrestling encounter with God at Peniel (Genesis 32:28), signifying a decisive transformation in his identity and calling. Born the second twin to Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob spent much of his early life characterized by cunning and self-reliance, supplanting his brother Esau, deceiving his father Isaac, and laboring under his uncle Laban. Yet God pursued him relentlessly, renewing the Abrahamic covenant with him at Bethel (Genesis 28; 35) and reshaping his character through decades of hardship. As Israel, he fathered the twelve sons whose descendants became the twelve tribes of the nation bearing his name, a nation through whom God's covenant promises would be channeled to all humanity.

Significance

The figure of Israel stands at the pivotal center of biblical history, bridging the individual promises of the patriarchal era and the national covenant community of Israel. His life embodies the theological reality that God accomplishes his purposes not through human perfection but through flawed individuals who encounter divine grace. The name Israel, meaning roughly "he who strives with God", became the identity marker for an entire people and ultimately for the Messiah himself (cf. Hosea 11:1; Matthew 2:15). In both Testaments, the story of Israel the man undergirds Israel the nation, and through that nation, the redemption of the world.

Verse Appearances (208)

Genesis

Genesis 25:26Genesis 2:2Genesis 2:32Genesis 2:33Genesis 2:34Genesis 2:3Genesis 4:46Genesis 5:2Genesis 5:4Genesis 5:6Genesis 5:9Genesis 5:12Genesis 6:2Genesis 6:23Genesis 6:27Genesis 7:2Genesis 7:84Genesis 7:8Genesis 7:9Genesis 10:4Genesis 10:12Genesis 10:28Genesis 10:29Genesis 10:36Genesis 11:4Genesis 11:16Genesis 11:30Genesis 13:2Genesis 13:3Genesis 13:24Genesis 13:26Genesis 13:32Genesis 14:2Genesis 14:5Genesis 14:7Genesis 14:10Genesis 14:27Genesis 14:39Genesis 15:2Genesis 15:18Genesis 15:25Genesis 15:26Genesis 15:29Genesis 15:32Genesis 15:38Genesis 15:16Genesis 17:2Genesis 17:5Genesis 17:6Genesis 17:9Genesis 17:12Genesis 17:18Genesis 19:2Genesis 19:9Genesis 19:10Genesis 19:13Genesis 19:20Genesis 19:21Genesis 22:1Genesis 22:2Genesis 22:3Genesis 23:7Genesis 23:10Genesis 23:21Genesis 23:23Genesis 24:1Genesis 24:2Genesis 24:5Genesis 24:17Genesis 24:18Genesis 24:25Genesis 24:26Genesis 27:8Genesis 27:11Genesis 27:12Genesis 27:20Genesis 27:21Genesis 28:2Genesis 29:40Genesis 30:1Genesis 30:31Genesis 30:32Genesis 33:1Genesis 33:3Genesis 33:5Genesis 33:38Genesis 33:40Genesis 33:51Genesis 34:2Genesis 34:13Genesis 34:29Genesis 35:2Genesis 35:8Genesis 35:10Genesis 35:15Genesis 35:34Genesis 35:36Genesis 36:31

Proverbs

Ecclesiastes

Song of Solomon

1 Chronicles

Nehemiah

References

  1. Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
  2. Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
  3. Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

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