Why did God change Jacob's name to Israel?

Answer 1

24 Finally Jacob was left by himself. Then a man began to grapple with him until the dawn ascended. 25 When he got to see that he had not prevailed over him, then he touched the socket of his thigh joint; and the socket of Jacob's thigh joint got out of place during his grappling with him. 26 After that he said: "Let me go, for the dawn has ascended." To this he said: "I am not going to let you go until you first bless me." 27 So he said to him: "What is your name?" to which he said: "Jacob." 28 Then he said: "Your name will no longer be called Jacob but Israel, for you have contended with God and with men so that you at last prevailed." 29 In turn Jacob inquired and said: "Tell me, please, your name." However, he said: "Why is it that you inquire for my name?" With that he blessed him there. 30 Hence Jacob called the name of the place Pe·ni´el, because, to quote him, "I have seen God face to face and yet my soul was delivered." -Genisis 32:24-30

Answer 2

A:Jacob's name seems to have been changed to Israel on two different occasions and for two different reasons.

In an ancient tradition inserted into the life story of Jacob at Genesis 32:24ff, he was left alone and wrestled with a man all night until the break of day. Even though his leg was dislocated, Jacob refused to let his opponent go unless he blessed Jacob. If the man who wrestled with Jacob was a god, then Jacob was also a god in the very early tradition behind this account, as demonstrated by the fact that he was such an even match for his opponent. And the 'man' was a god as amply demonstrated - Jacob asked for his blessing, and he had the prerogative of changing Jacob's name. The new name he gave Jacob was Israel, which is generally assumed to mean 'wrestled with God', thus explaining why his name was changed. Jacob called the place Peniel ('the face of God') because he had seen God face to face.

Much later, God appeared to Jacob at Bethel and again Jacob was renamed "Israel" (Genesis 35:10-12: "Thy name is Jacob; thy name shall not be called anymore Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name"; and He called his name Israel. And God said unto him, "I am God Almighty [El Shaddai]. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; and the land which I gave unto Abraham and Isaac, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed after thee I will give the land." The use here of the divine name 'El Shaddai'tells us that this passage was written by the Priestly Source, who may have objected to the paganism of the older account, but was ultimately unable to have that passage removed.

Answer 3

The name "Israel" first appears in the Bible as the name given by God to the patriarch Jacob after his struggle with the angel

Israel means Struggler of/with God

Afterwards Jacob's descendants are know as Bnei Yisrael - The Children of Israel

and the Land as Eretz Yisrael - The land of Israel

The Children of Israel (Bnei Yisrael) were divided into twelve tribes descended from the 12 sons of Jacob.

For several hundred years the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael) was organized into a confederacy of twelve tribes ruled by a series of Judges.

In 1000 BCE, a monarchy was established under Saul, and continued under King David and his son, Solomon. Upon Solomon's death the nation split into two kingdom, Israel (Mamlechet Yisrael)in the north, and Judah (Mamlechet Yehuda) in the south.

The Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Assyrian ruler Shalmaneser V in the 8th century BCE. There is no commonly accepted historical record of the fate of those ten tribes, which are sometimes referred to as the Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.

The Kingdom of Judah was conquered by the Babylonian army in 587 BCE

After a few generations and with the conquest of Babylonia by the Persian Empire some of the exiles returned to their homeland. Under the Persians then under the Greeks, Jewish coins were minted as Yehud - Aramaic for Judah - coinage.

A revolt eventually led to the formation of an independent Jewish kingdom, known as the Hasmonaean Dynasty, which lasted from 165 BCE to 63BCE.

The Hasmonean Dynasty eventually disintegrated as a result of civil war. The people, who did not want to be governed by a king but by theocratic clergy, made appeals in this spirit to the Roman authorities. A Roman campaign of conquest and annexation, led by Pompey, soon followed in 63BCE.

Later, Herod the Great was appointed "King of the Jews" by the Roman Senate, supplanting the Hasmonean dynasty. Some of his offspring held various positions after him, known as the Herodian dynasty.

After the Census of Quirinius in 6CE, the Roman province of Judea was formed as a satellite of Roman Syria under the rule of a prefect until 41CE, then procurators after 44CE.

In 66CE, the Jews began to revolt against the Romanrulers of Judea. The revolt was defeated by the future Roman emperors Vespasian and Titus.

Jews continued to live in their land in significant numbers, the Kitos War of 115-117CE notwithstanding, until Julius Severus ravaged Judea while putting down the Bar Kochba revolt of 132-136CE. 985 villages were destroyed and most of the Jewish population of central Judea was essentially wiped out, killed, sold into slavery, or forced to flee.

In spite of the failure of the Bar Kochba revolt, Jews remained in the Land of Israel in significant numbers. The Jews who remained there went through numerous experiences and armed conflicts against consecutive occupiers of the Land.

The Modern State of Israel (Medinat Yisrael) was established in and named after the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael)

So we see:

Yisrael = Israel

Yehuda = Judah

Yehuda = Yehud = Judea

Yehudi = Jew

Answer 4

God sent a mysterious messenger to wrestle with Jacob one night (Genesis 32:25). Tradition states that it was an angel in human form; the guardian angel of Esau (Rashi commentary, quoting the Midrash). The angel's task was to attempt to spiritually blind Jacob (K'li Yakar commentary, ibid), but Jacob prevailed (Genesis 32:26-29), and because of that, he was renamed Israel. At first the angel conferred the new name (Genesis 32:29), and later, God also did (Genesis 35:9-12).

Answer 5

God sent a mysterious messenger to wrestle with Jacob one night (Genesis 32:25). Tradition states that it was an angel in human form; the guardian angel of Esau (Rashi commentary, quoting the Midrash). The angel's task was to attempt to spiritually blind Jacob (K'li Yakar commentary, ibid), but Jacob prevailed (Genesis 32:26-29), and because of that, he was renamed Israel. At first the angel conferred the new name (Genesis 32:29), and later, God also did (Genesis 35:9-12). See also the Related Link.

Link: A biography of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

Answer 6

Jacob was re-named Isral by God, he had 12 kids and they all had kids, and a long time along the line they became a great nation, so he was the acctual father, or great greandfather etc.