Who first named Jewish people Jewish?

Answer 1

I think it was Moses ,but I'm not sure

(It might have been tough, if he was the first one, for him to lead somewhere between

600,000 and 3 million of them out of slavery in Egypt ...)

Another thought:

There are several different terms used when referring to this lineage of people, including "Jews", "Israelites" and "Hebrews". The terms, though coming from different origins, came to mean the same thing over time, and basically showed a specific family line from Noah.

Noah's son, Shem(Genesis 5:32)(Genesis 6:10)(Genesis 7:13 /9:18)

to Arpachshad(Genesis 10:22)Shelah, Eber, Peleg(Genesis 10:24-25)Rue, Serug, Nahor, Terah + Abram(Abraham) (Genesis 11:18-27)

**Abraham was called a 'Hebrew' (Genesis 14:13) and it is believed by many that this term came from his descent from "Eber" (that great grandson of Noah (Genesis 11:10-27), and through Abraham came the promise(Genesis 22:15-18)

**Jacob, Abraham's grandson, who's name was changed to Israel, had twelve sons, who's descendants became the 'Nation of Israel' or the 'Israelites'. (One of these sons was Judah(Genesis 35:23), and it is believed his descendants were termed"Jews"), but eventually this term became synonymous with the Israelites in general, and the whole nation was often referred to as 'the Jews'.(Mordecai (Esther 2:5) was one of the first people to be termed "Jew" in The Bible, though he was actually a Benjaminite.)

Jewish Answer

Before discussing who the first Jew was, the word 'Jew' is the Anglicised form of the Hebrew word 'Yehud' with the plural being 'Yehudim'. There is some debate as to who may be referred to as the first Jew in the Tanach (Bible).

Some say it was Abraham as he instinctively followed the Torah before HaShem (The Creator) revealed it to us as a nation. Others, looking at the question more literally, say the first Jews were the people who belonged specifically to the tribe of Yehuda which was established in the Sinai with no one person being the 'first' Jew. Others, using the modern definition of the word Jew, state that the whole of the Israelites (and the other groups who joined them in the exodus from Egypt) became Jews the moment they received the Torah from HaShem.

Answer 2

The word 'jew'is a contraction of the word 'Judah' , who was one of the 12 sons of Jacob/Israel; Judah's Grandfather was Isaac and Abraham was his Great-grandfather. Although Judah was the founder of the tribe of judah after whom jews are named, the first jew mentioned in the Bible is the prophesied Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Genesis 3

14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, ...

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

Answer 3

Abraham.

According to tradition, Abraham founded Judaism, and Moses later received the Torah from God.

Abraham, tenth generation descendant of Noah, of Hebrew lineage, was the son of Terah, uncle of Lot, father of Isaac, grandfather of Jacob, and ancestor of the Israelites. His story is in Genesis ch.11 (end), through ch.25. Jewish tradition states that he was the first to teach belief in One God; and it is in his merit that Jews continue to exist (Genesis 18:19, and ch.17).

Abraham (18th century BCE) came from ancestry that had been God-fearing a couple of centuries earlier but had afterwards slipped into idolatry (Joshua 24:2). Nimrod, the idolatrous tyrant, had brought Abraham's father (Terah) from the Semitic ancestral seat near the conjunction of the Balikh and the Euphrates, and instated him in a position of power in his army in the royal Babylonian city of Ur, where Abraham was born. Nimrod persecuted any who would question his idolatrous cult.

The Kuzari (Rabbi Judah HaLevi, 1075-1141) states that Abraham was gifted with high intelligence; and, as Maimonides (1135-1204) describes, Abraham didn't blindly accept the ubiquitous idolatry. The whole populace had been duped, but the young Abraham contemplated the matter relentlessly, finally arriving at the conclusion that there is One God and that this should be taught to others as well. This is what is meant by his "calling out in the name of the Lord" (Genesis ch.12). As a young man, he remonstrated with passersby in public, demonstrating to them the falsehood of their idols; and our tradition tells how he was threatened and endangered by Nimrod.

Subsequently, Terah relocated to Harran; and it is here that Abraham began to develop a circle of disciples (Rashi commentary, on Genesis 12:5).

Later, God told Abraham in prophecy to move to the Holy Land, which is where Abraham raised his family.

He continued his contemplations, eventually arriving at the attitudes and forms of behavior which God later incorporated into the Torah given to Moses. Abraham taught disciples (Talmud, Yoma 28b), gave tithes (Genesis ch.14), strove to raise a family (Genesis ch.15, 17, and 24) which would serve God (Genesis 18:19), made a covenant with God (Genesis ch.15 and 17), welcomed guests into his home (Genesis ch.18) unlike the inhospitable Sodomites (Genesis ch.19), prayed for people (Genesis ch.18), rebuked others when necessary (Genesis ch.20), eulogized and buried the deceased (Genesis ch.23), and fulfilled God's will unquestioningly (Genesis ch.22). He became renowned as a prince of God (Genesis 23:6).

All of these forms of behavior were based upon the ways of God, which Abraham comprehended through his contemplations. These, and similar personality traits, were the teachings of Abraham and his descendants.

It is therefore clear why God expresses His love for Abraham (Isaiah 41:8) and calls Himself the God of Abraham (Genesis 26:24), and says that Abraham obeyed Him fully (Genesis 26:5). And this is why, according to our tradition, Abraham is credited with having begun the religion which became known as Judaism. However, Abraham and his descendants observed their traditions voluntarily, until the Giving of the Torah to Moses 3325 years ago, when God made it obligatory.

Answer 4

Abraham, son of Terah

Answer 5

Isaac.