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יִשְׂרָאֵל

𐤉𐤔𐤓𐤀𐤋

Yiserael

H3479 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

The proper name Yisra'el, denoting: (1) the patriarch Jacob following the divine bestowal of this name; (2) the ethnic group descended from Jacob—i.e., the people collectively known as the Israelites; (3) at times, the northern kingdom of Israel after the division of the united monarchy; and (4) less commonly, as a designation for the land or polity associated with the Israelites. The term's semantic range includes individual (Jacob), group (Israelite tribes), political entity (kingdom), and land/territory.

Semantic Range

name of the patriarch Jacob after divine naming, collective term for the ethnic people descended from Jacob (Israelites), name for the northern kingdom of Israel, designation for the territory inhabited by the people of Israel

Root / Etymology

From the root verb שָׂרָה (sarah, 'to strive, contend, persist') and אֵל (El, 'God'). The traditional etymological understanding reads the name as 'God strives', 'one who strives with God', or 'God prevails', reflecting the narrative in Genesis 32:29. The Aramaic form (יִשְׂרָאֵל) occurs in some exilic or later biblical texts but shares the same derivational basis as the Hebrew.

Historical & Contextual Notes

יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisra'el) is primarily used in three main senses: (1) as the personal name of the patriarch Jacob after he is renamed following his struggle at Peniel (Genesis 32:29; 35:10); (2) as a collective ethnonym for his descendants, i.e., 'the sons/children of Israel,' who become recognized as the Israelite people; (3) as the name of the northern kingdom following the division from the southern kingdom of Judah after Solomon (see 1 Kings 12), distinguishing between 'Israel' (north) and 'Judah' (south). In post-exilic texts, and particularly in Aramaic passages (such as portions of Daniel and Ezra), the name continues in use, reflecting both ethnic and sometimes religious identities. The term 'Israel' covers a broader identity than 'Judahite' or 'Judean,' which refer more specifically to the southern tribe/kingdom or geographic region. In English Bible translations, 'Israel' is often used as both a personal name and a collective people, but translations may obscure distinctions between the Israelite confederation, the later northern kingdom, and the post-exilic community. It is not accurate in the biblical context to equate 'Israel' with the later English term 'Jew'; the two have distinct historical and semantic import.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) corresponding to יִשְׂרָאֵל; {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

Root שׂרה to strive, to contend, to persist
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3478 יִשְׂרָאֵל in Yisraʾel

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H3479-02 יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל yiserael ANp of Israel El-Contends Yiserael 7
H3479-01 לְ/יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ leyiserael AR/Np of Israel to El-Contends to Yiserael 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H3479-02 Ezra 5:1 יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל yiserael ANp of Israel El-Contends Yiserael
H3479-01 Ezra 5:11 לְ/יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ leyiserael AR/Np of Israel to El-Contends to Yiserael
H3479-02 Ezra 6:14 יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל yiserael ANp of Israel El-Contends Yiserael
H3479-02 Ezra 6:16 יִ֠שְׂרָאֵל yiserael ANp Israel El-Contends Yiserael
H3479-02 Ezra 6:17 יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ yiserael ANp Israel El-Contends Yiserael
H3479-02 Ezra 6:17 יִשְׂרָאֵֽל yiserael-2 ANp of Israel El-Contends Yiserael
H3479-02 Ezra 7:13 יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל yiserael ANp Israel El-Contends Yiserael
H3479-02 Ezra 7:15 יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל yiserael ANp of Israel El-Contends Yiserael
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