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יִשְׂרָאֵל

𐤉𐤔𐤓𐤀𐤋

Yiserael

H3478 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׂרה, אל to contend, to strive, to persist; God (as divine name or epithet)

Definition

A personal name meaning 'El (God) perseveres' or 'El contends.' Primarily denotes the eponymous ancestor Jacob after his theophoric renaming (Gen 32:29), and, by extension, the collective group descended from him—the Israelite people. In broader contexts, it refers to the entire body politic of the Israelites, to their territory, or to the national entity in the historical periods up to and including the divided monarchy. In later texts, it may be used poetically or symbolically for the faithful segment of the people, or for the land associated with them.

Semantic Range

personal name (Jacob), eponym of the group descended from Jacob (Israelites), national collective identity, designation for the northern kingdom (post-division), symbolic designation of the people as a whole, poetic/metonymic for the land or territory of the Israelites

Root / Etymology

Compound of the roots שׂרה (sarah, to strive, contend, persist) and אל (El, God). The name likely means 'El contends' or 'God perseveres.' The traditional folk etymology in Genesis 32:29 interprets the name as 'one who strives with God,' reflecting a narrative re-interpretation rather than a strictly linguistic derivation.

Historical & Contextual Notes

יִשְׂרָאֵל was introduced as the new personal name for Jacob after his struggle at the river Jabbok (Genesis 32:28–29), and subsequently becomes the collective term for his descendants. Occurs hundreds of times throughout the Hebrew Bible as both a personal and collective ethnonym. In pre-exilic texts, it refers to the entire confederation of tribes descended from Jacob; after the division of the monarchy (10th century BCE), it mainly denotes the northern kingdom (as opposed to Judah/Judahites). In exilic and post-exilic writings, 'Israel' is employed variously: sometimes restoring the idea of a pan-tribal people, sometimes referencing the faithful remnant, or functioning as a poetic designation for the entire people and land. The English 'Israel' imports later associations (religious, national, or political) which can obscure ancient uses. Related terms include 'Yisre'elim' (Israelites), בני־ישראל (Children of Israel), and 'Yehudah' (Judah). 'Jew' is not synonymous with 'Israel' in biblical texts; that term arises much later. The rendering 'he will rule as God' found in older lexicons (including Strong) reflects interpretative traditions and not strict philological analysis.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שָׂרָה and אֵל; he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity; Israel.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׂרה, אל (ś-r-h; ʾ-l) — to contend, to strive, to persist; God

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3479 יִשְׂרָאֵל to El-Contends

Word Forms

10 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3478-10 יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל yiserael HNp Israel El-Contends 2260
H3478-01 בְּ/יִשְׂרָאֵֽל beyiserael HR/Np in Israel in Yisraʾel 111
H3478-03 לְ/יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ leyiserael HR/Np to Israel to El-Contends 50
H3478-08 בְ/יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל veyiserael HR/Np and Israel El contends 41
H3478-04 מִ/יִּשְׂרָאֵ֔ל miyiserael HR/Np from Israel from Israel 32
H3478-05 וּ/לְ/יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל uleyiserael HC/R/Np and to Israel and to El-Contends 6
H3478-07 וּ/בְ/יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל uveyiserael HC/R/Np and in Israel and in El-Contends 3
H3478-06 וּ/מִ/יִּשְׂרָאֵ֑ל umiyiserael HC/R/Np and-from-Israel and from El-Contends 2
H3478-02 כְּ/יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל keyiserael HR/Np like Israel as El-contends 1
H3478-09 ב/ישראל vyshrl HR/Np of Israel in El-Contends 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2507 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3478-10 Genesis 32:29 יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל yiserael HNp Israel El-Contends
H3478-10 Genesis 32:33 יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל yiserael HNp Israel El-Contends
H3478-10 Genesis 33:20 יִשְׂרָאֵֽל yiserael HNp Israel El-Contends
H3478-08 Genesis 34:7 בְ/יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל veyiserael HR/Np in Israel El contends
H3478-10 Genesis 35:10 יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ yiserael HNp Israel El-Contends
H3478-10 Genesis 35:10 יִשְׂרָאֵֽל yiserael-2 HNp Israel El-Contends
H3478-10 Genesis 35:21 יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל yiserael HNp Israel El-Contends
H3478-10 Genesis 35:22 יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ yiserael HNp Israel El-Contends
H3478-10 Genesis 35:22 יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל yiserael-2 HNp Israel El-Contends
H3478-10 Genesis 36:31 יִשְׂרָאֵֽל yiserael HNp Israel El-Contends
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