What is the difference between a Jew and a Hebrew?

Answer 1

Judaism is a religion. A Jew is a person that believes in Judaism.

You were correct. Judaism is the religion, a Jew is a person who follows Judaism.

Jew is a word for a Jewish person. Judaism is to Jews as Christianity is to Christians.

The other issue is that Judaism is not a typical religion in that the son of a religious Jew who is himself not religious at all (atheist for example) is still considered a Jew in an ethnic or nationalistic sense. The son of a Christian who is himself not religious at all (atheist for example) would not be considered a Christian in any sense. Other religions which are similar to Judaism in this manner are Druze and Yazidi.

Answer 2

The term 'Hebrews' is commonly used for the early Israelites and Judahites, from the time of the Patriarchs to the end of the monarchy. This term is neutral as to the origins of the people and avoids ambiguity regarding the northern kingdom of Israel.

The term 'Israelites' is most clearly used for the people of the kingdom of Israel. It is also used in The Bible to refer to the descendants of the legendary Israel, particularly prior to their settlement in Palestine. The term was similarly used frequently in the Old Testament to refer to the people of Judah after the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel, thus keeping a semantic link with that land.

Scholars use the term 'Judahites' for the people of the kingdom of Judah, up to around the time of the Babylonian Exile. The term 'Jews' is typically used for the people from the time of the Babylonian Exile, or perhaps the time of King Josiah, onwards.

The term 'Jews' is no longer necessarily a racial one, but refers to any member of the Jewish religion, whether or not of Hebrew origin.

Answer 3

There is no difference. Jewish is the derivative adjective while Jew is the noun. So Jewish people refers to people who are Jewish, i.e. Jews.

It is the same as: Spanish is the derivative adjective while Spaniard is the noun. So Spanish people refers to people who are Spanish, i.e. Spaniards.

Answer 4

"Hebrews" (Ivrim) actually 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.
In 1934-39, excavations were conducted at ancient Mari on the Euphrates River. They found that ancient towns were named after the ancestors of Abraham: The city of Nahor was found near the city of Harran which exists to this day. Equally clear signs of early Hebrew residence appear in the names of other towns nearby: Serug (Assyrian Sarugi), Terah (Til Turakhi, "Mound of Terah"), and Peleg (Paliga, on the Euphrates). All these names are found in Genesis ch.11.
Abraham himself was called a Hebrew (Genesis 14) because of his ancestors, not because he was the first one. That is the simple meaning of Genesis 14:13. Poetically, however, Abraham is called Ivri because the name also translates to "other side." Abraham was on "the other side" since he was the only monotheist (Midrash Rabbah 42:8) until his teachings spread.
However, "Hebrews" is often used to refer to Abraham's Israelite descendants. In this sense it can refer to the Jewish people.
"Israelites" refers to the people down to about the time of the destruction of the First Temple some 2500 years ago. "Jews" refers to the people from Second Temple times onward, because after the Assyrian conquest the remaining Israelites were (and are) mostly from the Israelite tribe of Judah.
In 2000, the analysis of a report by Nicholas Wade "provided genetic witness that Jewish communities have, to a remarkable extent, retained their biological identity separate from their host populations, showing relatively little intermarriage or conversion into Judaism over the centuries."

Answer 5

Nothing, other than timeframe.

In Modern usage, Hebrew refers to the ancient people prior to the lifetime of Jacob. Israelite Refers to the people from the time of Jacob until the time of the destruction of the Holy Temple in 586 BCE. Jew refers to the people after the return to Israel, up to this day. But all terms are occasionally interchanged.

In modern usage, the Term Hebrew generally only refers to the language.

Answer 6

Different historical periods, same people or their descendants.

"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.

(See: Abraham's biography)

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.

See: Jewish history timeline

Jewish ancestry

"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.

Answer 7

Nothing, other than timeframe. It could also depend on who you ask.

In traditional usage:

1. Hebrew (עברי) referred only to the ancient Hebrew people prior to the lifetime of Jacob or to the language of Israel.
   
2. Israelite (בני ישראל) Referred only to the Hebrews from the time of Jacob until the time of the destruction of the Holy Temple in 586 BCE
   
3. Jew (יהודי) referred only to the Hebrews of the tribe of Judah, who returned to Israel after the Babylonian captivity, given that most of the tribes had assimilated into Babylonian culture. Some people even call these early Jews "Judeans."
   

In Modern Usage:

All three have been used interchangeably. Referring to Jews as Hebrews was particularly common in Europe up until World War II. In Jewish prayers, Jews are called Yisra'el (which could be translated as Israelite). Abraham is called the first Jew even though he was not from the Tribe of Judah (which hadn't formed yet), because "Jew now means "one who follows Judaism."

NOTE: Traditionally, a strict distinction was made between all three terms, and there are still some who split hairs and require each term to be distinct, but in practical modern usage, all terms are occasionally interchanged.

Answer 8

"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.

• Link: Abraham's biography
  

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.

• Link: Jewish ancestry
  

"Jews" refers to the same 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.

Answer 9

Different historical periods, same people or their descendants.

Answer 10

Both intergrate into the same meaning,-member of ancient Semitic people claiming descent from Abraham,Isaac and Jacob