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named Israel when Jacob was told: “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.” (Genesis 32:28) He struggled with the angel and prevailed. The re-naming is confirmed at Bethel in Gn. 35:10 , where God Almighty appears to Jacob and says, “Your name is Jacob; no longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name.” Henceforth, Israel appears throughout the Old Testament as an occasional synonym for Jacob; it is used most frequently when the Patriarch’s descendants are called “the children or people Israel”. The Hebrew language, in which most of the Old Testament was documented, dates as a living language from the twelfth to the second century BC. Although Aramaic became popular for many Jews, and many spoke the language of the countries where they settled, Hebrew was preserved as the language of ritual and sacred writing. To make a distinction and to use the past to illuminate the present, the Hebrew nation was chosen to serve God’s purpose, and that purpose was fulfilled. However, these past distinctions as revealed in scripture show a profound difference between the Jew and Gentile today. Israel is now a country, but the essence of the word Israel means the children or people Israel; latter called “chosen of God,” and those chosen today do not necessarily reside in a country named Israel. The Hebrews or Jews are now considered a race of peoples, originating from a country now called Israel. The definition of Israel as given in Strong’s Dictionary certainly conforms to the latter understanding. It is given as Yisra’el as, yis-raw-ale’: he will rule as God; Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also [typically] of his posterity — Israel. Those who were considered part of Israel, are now citizens of that country. In every other part of the world, they are called Jews, but are descended from the Hebrew race. Jews are not an ethnic group but rather a religion. The name Israel is a country where the religion descended from Judea and was called Judaism, as their ancestors are Hebrew. People who worshipped one God were considered Jews, and those who did not were called Gentiles, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds. Those who lived within Judea were called Jews, and became a religion; they were one Hebrew nation. However, the ethnic backgrounds varied to some extent. The connotation of “the chosen of God” extends beyond a nationality or race of people, but most importantly applies to the essence of the name Israel. A distinct

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