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Israelites. "Hebrews" (Ivrim) means descendants of Eber (Ever). Ever was an ancestor of Abraham (Genesis ch.10-11) and the earliest Hebrews were Abraham's uncles and cousins for several generations back. They were among the Western Semites and lived in northern Mesopotamia, near the confluence of the Balikh and the Euphrates.
Abraham (18th century BCE) was called a Hebrew (Genesis ch.14) because of his wider family.
Poetically, however, Abraham himself is called Hebrew because that name (Ivri) also translates to "the other side." Abraham was figuratively on "the other side" since he was the only monotheist (Midrash Rabbah 42:8) until his teachings took root. His ancestors and cousins had slipped into idolatry well before his time, as is evident from Genesis 31:30, 31:53, and Joshua 24:2. For that reason, Jews do not bestow on them the honorific title of ancestors despite the genealogical connection.
We credit Abraham as our first ancestor despite knowing exactly who came before, since it was Abraham who founded our beliefs. Thus, "Hebrews" is often used to mean Abraham and his Israelite descendants, instead of his wider family. In this sense it can refer to the Jewish people.
The word "Hebrews" can continue to refer to Abraham's descendants until the lifetime of Jacob. After that, we prefer "Israelites," since Jacob was given that name by God (Genesis ch.35), and it is considered a national title; one of honor. "Israelites" refers to the people (Jacob's descendants) down to the Assyrian conquest (133 years before the destruction of the First Temple), some 2600 years ago.
"Jews" refers to the people from the end of First Temple times, up to this day, because after the Assyrian conquest the Israelites who remained in the land were (and are) mostly from the Israelite tribe of Judah, and the land was then called Judea. But all the above terms are occasionally interchanged.
In modern usage, we prefer to use the term "Hebrew" only to refer to the language.
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∙ 8y ago
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∙ 12y agoOne thought:
The Israelites were sometimes called "Jews", "Hebrews"(Genesis 14:13,Jeremiah 34:8+9, Deuteronomy 15:12), "the sons of Israel","the house of Israel", "the people of Israel","men of Israel", "the state of Israel" (Genesis 32:32; Matthew 10:6; Acts 4:10; 5:35; Ephesians 2:12)
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∙ 14y agoIsraelites , The Twelve Tribes of Israel, God's Chosen People
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∙ 9y agoThere are number of other names for Jews, but most of them are impolite or outright derisive. The acceptable ones include: Children of Israel, Modern Israelites, and the Chosen People.
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∙ 12y agoIn ancient times, they were called "Hebrews" and today they are called "Jews".
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∙ 14y agoYes, Jews and Hebrews are the same thing.
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∙ 13y agoIsraelites or Jews.
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∙ 13y agoHebrews
Yahmelachi Ben Yisra...
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∙ 10y agoIsraelites.
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Names for people who are not Jews?
Gentiles are people who are not Jews
What are three other names for God's Chosen people in the old testament?
Israelites Hebrews Children of God
What is another name for hebrews?
All of these names are synonyms for Hebrews (in no particular order):IsraelitesChildren of IsraelBnei Yisra'elYisra'elJudaeansYehudimJews
Why do Russian Jews have German names?
The language of the Jews throughout eastern Europe was Yiddish. Yiddish is in large part derived from an old form of German. When the Jews of eastern Europe were required by their local governments to take surnames during the early and middle 19th century, many of them were able to choose their own names. Often they used patronymics, nicknames, or other terms from their Yiddish language. The names of Russian Jews are often Yiddish in origin, but because Yiddish has much in common with German, the uninformed think they are German names.
Names of Nazis who regret what they did to Jews?
Melita Maschman
What two names were the jews called?
Israelites; Hebrews.
What did the Jews call the land?
"Ha'aretz" means "the land" and is often used to refer to "the Land of Israel" in shorthand. However, other lands have other names, such as Tzarfat for France, etc.
Why did jews have the names Sarah and israel?
The Nazis forced them to add these names to their current names, so that they would be easier to identify.
How did the German find out the names of the Danish Jews?
In Number of the Stars, the Germans found out the names of the Danish Jews by looking at the papers in the Temple they go to. They are going to take them somewhere else. This is all on page 35 of your book.
Was it Diaspora Saul Hebrews or Esther when many Jews moved to the other parts of the Persian Empire?
Diaspora. "Saul" "Hebrews" and "Esther" are names, not events.
How did Anthony Weiner get the name Anthony with 2 Jewish parents?
Because he had two Jewish parents who liked the name "Anthony."Answer:Orthodox Jews usually give Torah-based names to their children. Other Jews do not always do so.
How did the Green Police and Gestapo find the Jews that were hiding?
They had a list of the names of Jews and some people turned them in if they found out about them hiding.
