Children of Israel
Origin of the Name
The designation "Children of Israel" traces directly to the dramatic event at the Jabbok River, where Jacob wrestled with a mysterious figure through the night. At dawn, the figure said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed" (Genesis 32:28). From that point forward, Jacob's descendants could be identified by his new name — they were the children (Hebrew: bene) of Israel.
The first use of the phrase in Scripture is connected to this very event: "Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the tendon attached to the socket of the hip, because the socket of Jacob's hip was touched near the tendon" (Genesis 32:32). Even this dietary custom was tied to the identity-defining encounter that gave the nation its name.
The Term in the Old Testament
The phrase "Children of Israel" (or "sons of Israel") appears hundreds of times throughout the Old Testament. It was the standard way of referring to the Israelites as a people group descended from a common ancestor. This followed the ancient Near Eastern convention of identifying tribal groups by their founding father — just as the twelve tribes were named after the sons of Jacob (Numbers 1:20-43) and clans were identified by their patriarchal heads (Ezra 2:3-61).
The term appears in virtually every narrative context: the Children of Israel multiplied in Egypt (Exodus 1:7), cried out to God in slavery (Exodus 2:23), crossed the Red Sea (Exodus 14:22), received the law at Sinai (Exodus 19:1), wandered in the wilderness (Numbers 14:33), entered the Promised Land (Joshua 3:17), demanded a king (1 Samuel 8:4-5), and were eventually carried into exile (2 Kings 17:7-23).
In 2 Kings 17:34, they are also called "the children of Jacob," intentionally connecting them with the patriarch before his name change and emphasizing God's favor toward their ancestor.
Theological Significance of the Name
The name "Israel" itself carries theological weight that transfers to the designation "Children of Israel." It likely means "he strives with God" or "God strives," and it memorializes not just a historical event but a relationship. The Children of Israel are not merely an ethnic group — they are a people defined by encounter with God.
This is why the phrase functions as more than a genealogical label. To call the people "Children of Israel" is to invoke their entire story: the promise to Abraham, the covenant at Sinai, the gift of the land, and the ongoing relationship between God and His people. The prophets could appeal to this identity when calling the nation to repentance — they were not just any people, they were the children of the one who wrestled with God.
From Tribal Identity to National Designation
Over time, "Children of Israel" evolved from a description of literal descent into a broader national and political designation. During the period of the judges and the monarchy, it referred to the collective nation. After the kingdom divided, it sometimes referred specifically to the northern ten tribes (as opposed to Judah), though it could also encompass the entire people.
After the Babylonian exile, the returning community increasingly used the term "Jews" (from the tribe of Judah) rather than "Children of Israel." Yet the older designation never disappeared entirely and retained its power as a reminder of national origin and divine election.
The New Testament and Spiritual Israel
In the New Testament, the phrase "children of Israel" (or "Israelites") continues to appear, though the theological landscape shifts. Jesus ministers to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24). Paul identifies himself as "an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin" (Romans 11:1).
However, New Testament writers also expand the concept. Paul argues that "not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel" (Romans 9:6) and that true children of Abraham are those who share his faith, whether Jew or Gentile (Galatians 3:7, 29). Jesus' contemporaries claimed Abraham as their father (John 8:39), but Jesus challenged them to demonstrate Abraham's faith, not merely claim his bloodline.
This development does not replace the historical Children of Israel but adds a spiritual dimension: belonging to God's people is ultimately defined by faith and covenant relationship, not ethnicity alone.
Biblical Context
The term 'Children of Israel' appears throughout the Pentateuch, historical books, prophets, and psalms as the primary designation for God's covenant people. It originates in Jacob's renaming at the Jabbok (Genesis 32:28) and is used for the nation from the patriarchal period through the exile and beyond. In the New Testament, Paul both affirms his Israelite identity (Romans 11:1) and redefines the boundaries of Israel around faith (Romans 9:6-8; Galatians 3:7, 29). The phrase connects every generation of God's people to their foundational story.
Theological Significance
The designation 'Children of Israel' is fundamentally a covenant identity marker. It reminds every generation that they belong to a people defined by God's initiative — His encounter with Jacob, His promises to Abraham, and His redemption from Egypt. The New Testament's expansion of this identity to include Gentile believers through faith does not nullify the original designation but fulfills its deepest intention: that through Abraham's seed, all nations would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). The tension between ethnic and spiritual Israel remains one of the central theological questions of Scripture.
Historical Background
The practice of identifying peoples by their ancestral patriarch was standard in the ancient Near East. Egyptian, Mesopotamian, and Canaanite texts similarly name tribal groups by their founders. The earliest extra-biblical reference to Israel as a people is the Merneptah Stele (circa 1208 BC), an Egyptian inscription that mentions 'Israel' as a people group in Canaan — confirming that the name was in use before the monarchy. The designation 'Children of Israel' persisted through the Second Temple period and into rabbinic literature, where it carried liturgical and legal significance alongside the more common term 'Jews.'