The information in your post is why I have always put the term "Jew" in quotations. There are so many definitions and refinements of God's chosen people that any one single term does not work. Hebrews doesn't work, nor does Israelite.
According to scripture, someone can be a Hebrew without being either an Israelite or a Jew, and Abram/Abraham is a classic example of this truth.
Gen 14:13
And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.
The word which was translated into English here as Hebrew is ʿiḇrî, and this is a patronymic (which means derived from a paternal ancestor) word which directly relates to the word ʿēḇer.
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h5680/kjv/wlc/0-1/
In other words, seeing how Abram/Abraham was a natural descendant of Eber (Gen. 11:16-26), he was called a Hebrew. Although Abram/Abraham was a Hebrew, he was neither an Israelite nor a Jew. In fact, he could not possibly have been either because neither classification of people existed until after Abram/Abraham was dead. We know that Abram/Abraham died when he was 175 years old.
Gen 25:7
And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years.
Gen 25:8
Then Abraham gave up the ghost, and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people.
We also know that Isaac was born when Abram/Abraham was 100 years old.
Gen 21:5
And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.
This, of course, means that Abram/Abraham only had 75 years remaining in his life when Isaac was born. We know that Isaac was 60 years old when Jacob was born.
Gen 25:24
And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
Gen 25:25
And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.
Gen 25:26
And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.
Of course, this means that Abram/Abraham was not only 160 years old when Jacob was born, but that he also only had 15 years remaining in his life when Jacob was born. Although the Bible does not tell us how old Jacob was when he fled to live with Laban, we do know that he served Laban for twenty years.
Gen 31:38
This twenty years have I been with thee; thy ewes and thy she goats have not cast their young, and the rams of thy flock have I not eaten.
Gen 31:39
That which was torn of beasts I brought not unto thee; I bare the loss of it; of my hand didst thou require it, whether stolen by day, or stolen by night.
Gen 31:40
Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.
Gen 31:41
Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters, and six years for thy cattle: and thou hast changed my wages ten times.
We also know that God did not change Jacob's name to Israel until after these twenty years of service to Laban had been completed.
Gen 32:27
And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
Gen 32:28
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
Furthermore, we know that Jacob/Israel went on to have twelve sons, and his twelve sons became known as the twelve tribes of Israel.
Gen 49:28
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel: and this is it that their father spake unto them, and blessed them; every one according to his blessing he blessed them.
Seeing how Abram/Abraham only lived to be 175 years old, and seeing how he was 160 years old with only 15 years remaining in his life when Jacob was born to Isaac, and seeing how Jacob served Laban for twenty years before God changed his name to Israel and before his twelve sons became known as the twelve tribes of Israel, we can know, of a certainty, that Abram/Abraham was not an Israelite because there was no such thing as an Israelite upon the face of this earth until after Abram/Abraham was dead.
Furthermore, seeing how the word Jew is directly derived from Judah, who was Jacob's/Israel's fourth son (Gen. 35:23), we can also know, of a certainty, that Abram/Abraham was not a Jew either because none existed during his lifetime. With these truths in mind, according to scripture, someone can be a Hebrew without being either an Israelite or a Jew.
Also, someone can be an Israelite, or a descendant from Jacob/Israel, without being a Jew. In other words, originally, only Judah and his descendants were known to be Jews, but as DavyP has properly explained already, when the kingdom in Israel was split after Solomon's reign, the 10 northern tribes became known as Israel, with Samaria as its capital, and the two southern tribes, Judah and Benjamin, became known as Judah, with Jerusalem as its capital. Furthermore, as DavyP also rightly explained, the Levites who served in the temple in the southern kingdom of Judah were also called Jews. Nowadays, people normally use the term Jew to describe any of Jacob's/Israel's descendants, but, technically speaking, this is not true.
I ran out of space, so please keep reading in my next post.
- 1
- 1
- Show all