__________________________________________________________________
THE EARTHLY INHERITANCE SERIES of BIBLE SUBJECTS
__________________________________________________________________
Various Bible study guides in subjects pertaining to
New Earth prophecy, as taught by Paul Phelps.
For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD,
they shall inherit the earth. Psalm 37:9
__________________________________________________________________
SEMITIC / HEBREW / ISRAELI / JEWISH
__________________________________________________________
This writing defines four of the terms
in Biblical study pertaining to Israel.
A Bible-topic essay by Paul Phelps.
After several years of study this writing was completed in 2004.
__________________________________________________________________
Bible readers ought to know about the terms Semitic, Hebrew,
Israeli, and
Jewish. These terms are similar but there are differences.
Hebrew is the first
of these terms used. In a broad sense it is an ethnic term for the Hebrew race,
”the
children of Eber” (Gen.
10:21,24-30). The Hebrews
(the
children of Eber)
were the main group of Semitic peoples (descendants of Shem; Gen. 10:21-31).
Thus all Hebrew people are also Semites or
Semitic (from Shem). In western
countries the term Semite or Semitic has traditionally referred only to Jews but
the larger reality is that most Asians are also Semites.
Abraham
was called an ‘Hebrew’ when living
in Canaan (Genesis 14:13) and
Joseph was called an ‘Hebrew’ when living in Egypt (Genesis 39:14,17; 41:12).
Dwelling among foreigners, Abraham’s descendants were known as Hebrews.
While in Egypt Jacob's descendants
including Moses were all called
Hebrews;
(Genesis 43:32; Exodus
1:15,16,19; 2:6,7,11,13,18).
Hebrew
was the
nationality
term for Old Testament times; (Gen. 40:15; Exodus 5:3; 7:16; 9:1,13; 10:3; 21:2;
Deut.
15:12; 1 Sam. 4:6,9; 13:3,7,19;
14:11,21; 29:3; Jeremiah 34:9,14; Jonah 1:9).
New Testament references are in Acts 6:1; 2 Corinthians 11:22;
Philippians 3:5.
The
Jewish language is thought to have been at first
Canaanite (Isaiah 19:18).
It was
later known as
Judean or
Jewish (2 Kg. 18:26,28; 2
Chr.
32:18; Neh. 13:24;
Esther 8:9; Isaiah
36:11,13). And after the Greek and Roman Empire times the
Jewish language was called Hebrew (Luke 23:38; John 19:13,17,20;
Acts 21:40;
22:2; 26:14; etc). But even if
word usage changes with time we may not expect
God to change the meaning of his given word, we must use the original word
meanings for Bible study. In Biblical usage Hebrew refers to
Hebrew people,
(all
the
children
of Eber)—a wide term
that includes many Semitic
Asian nations.
Israel
or Israeli is a purely national term. In the past all twelve
tribes were
part of Israel but now there is confusion about that. When the kingdom divided
the northern nation kept the name Israel and was called “The House of Israel.”
It was headed by Joseph’s tribe, sometimes also called “Ephraim” (the largest
portion of Joseph’s tribe). But this kingdom was taken into a different
captivity
from the southern kingdom and no proof exists that any of them ever returned.
All of Israel’s northern tribes are commonly regarded as lost, and many history
teachers say that the Jews are the only
survivors of ancient Israel.
Biblically as a nation the name
Israel pertains to Jacob’s descendants, and it
prophetically involves
God’s
world-wide kingdom
during the Messianic
age.
In the Kingdom perspective Israel is all of the tribes regathered and
complete,
and ultimately it shall also include all of the nations that are joined
with Israel.
The term
Jew or Jewish at first referred only to persons of the
tribe of Judah
and their tribal land portion Judea. But in later time the name took on broader
meaning. When the nation divided into two kingdoms Judah was the dominant
tribe
of the southern kingdom. It was decided the
southern kingdom would be
called Judah, so all people of the southern kingdom were called Judeans (Jews)
even if their tribe was not Judah. And after this two-kingdom division the ‘Jews’
are mentioned often.
The
southern Judean kingdom was called “The House of Judah.” This House
mainly
consisted of the tribes Judah, Levi and
Benjamin, but it also
included the
tribe of Simeon and people that joined from other tribes. Thus all further
Bible
narrative events relate to
Jews
that returned to the land of Canaan. That is why
the
Israelis of the New Testament
are
called Jews and so it has been ever
since.
All the
Israelis taken by Roman captivity to Europe were Jews, which is why
the
term
‘Jew’
has become the most commonly
used
term
for the Israeli
people.
As representing the southern kingdom, Jewish identity was at first secular, but
that changed. Living as an oppressed minority under the Romans, and later in
Europe,
the
Jews increasingly became dependent on the
religious power of the
Synagogue for survival. That is how the term ‘Jew’ has become
identified with
the Synagogue. But it need not be so in future. Bible prophecy does not teach
that Jews will always have Synagogue-style religion. Prophecy texts that refer
to Jews (such as Zech. 8:23) is not for the present but for the future
national and
cultural identity in the New Earth.