The answer in brief
In the Bible, "Israel" is first a person: Jacob, grandson of Abraham, renamed after wrestling with God at Peniel (Genesis 32:28). From him the name passes to his descendants—the people of Israel—and then to the nation they built in the land. After the kingdom split in 931 BC, "Israel" also became the name of the northern kingdom specifically, as distinct from Judah in the south. Which meaning is intended depends on the passage.
The man: Jacob becomes Israel
The story is told in Genesis 32:22–32. Biblical text Jacob, returning home after years in exile, spends a night wrestling with a mysterious figure at the Jabbok river. At dawn he receives a new name: "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed." The name is commonly understood as "he strives with God" or "God strives."
God later confirms the name directly (Genesis 35:9–12), repeating the promise first made to Abraham: a nation, kings, and a land (Genesis 12:1–3). From this point on, the man's name becomes the people's name.
The people: twelve tribes, one covenant
Jacob's twelve sons give their names to the twelve tribes (Genesis 35:23–26; 49). The exodus from Egypt under Moses (Exodus 1–14) is the founding story of Israel as a people, and the covenant at Sinai defines its calling. Deuteronomy 7:6–8 states the reason plainly: Israel was chosen not because it was large, but because of God's love and His oath to the fathers. Biblical text
In the later division of the land, the tribe of Levi received no territory and Joseph's sons Ephraim and Manasseh each received one—so the count stays at twelve.
Outside the Bible, the name "Israel" is attested remarkably early: an Egyptian victory inscription of Pharaoh Merneptah (c. 1208 BC) lists "Israel" among the peoples of Canaan — the oldest known mention of the name in any ancient record.Ancient record1
The nation: united kingdom, then two kingdoms
Under Saul, David and Solomon the tribes formed a single kingdom. God's covenant with David (2 Samuel 7)—a throne established forever—became the root of later messianic hope. Biblical text After Solomon's death, traditionally dated 931 BC—a date reconstructed from the reign lengths in Kings and checked against Assyrian records—the kingdom split (1 Kings 12): the northern kingdom kept the name Israel with its capital at Samaria; the southern kingdom was called Judah, with Jerusalem.
Ancient inscriptions confirm that these kingdoms and their rulers existed: the Tel Dan Stele names the "House of David," Ancient record2 and the Mesha Stele, set up by a king of Moab, names Omri, king of Israel.Ancient record3
Assyria destroyed the northern kingdom in 722 BC and deported much of its population (2 Kings 17); the annals of the Assyrian king Sargon II record the campaign against Samaria. Ancient record4 A generation later, Sennacherib's own account of his 701 BC campaign says he trapped King Hezekiah of Judah in Jerusalem "like a bird in a cage"—while leaving unmentioned that the city did not fall, exactly as the Bible reports. Ancient record5 Babylon destroyed Judah and Jerusalem in 586 BC: the Babylonian Chronicles record the capture of Jerusalem in 597 BC, and excavated burn layers in the city attest the destruction of 586 BC. Ancient record6
Israel in the New Testament
The New Testament uses "Israel" for the Jewish people and nation. Paul's most extended treatment is Romans 9–11, where he grieves over Israel's unbelief yet insists that "the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Romans 11:29) and holds out hope for Israel's future. Biblical text
Other passages are debated among Christians. Galatians 3:29 calls those who belong to Christ "Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise," and Galatians 6:16 blesses "the Israel of God." Interpretation Some read these as the church inheriting Israel's calling; others as language that leaves Israel's distinct calling intact. Both readings have long histories, and this page does not settle between them.
Biblical Israel and the modern state
The modern state of Israel, founded in 1948,7 Documented history takes its name from the ancient people and land. Jewish continuity in the land across the centuries is well documented historically. Whether the modern state fulfils biblical prophecy is a theological question on which Christians sincerely differ Interpretation — some see direct fulfilment, others see a secular state bearing a biblical name. GOD News reports the history as history and labels the interpretations as interpretations.
Faith reflection
A name that means wrestling
It is striking that the people of God carry a name born in a struggle. Israel means, at its root, striving with God—and the biblical story that follows is exactly that: a people who wrestle, resist, return and are held. Jeremiah's promise of a new covenant "with the house of Israel and the house of Judah" (Jeremiah 31:31–34) is spoken to that wrestling people, not to a flawless one.
For Christians, Paul's words in Romans 11:29 guard against contempt: "the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable." Whatever one's reading of prophecy, the name Israel in Scripture is bound up with a God who keeps His word to those He has called.
Editorial distinction: the sections above report what the biblical text says and what is historically attested. This reflection is faith commentary. GOD News keeps the two visibly apart, here and in every article.
Key Bible passages
Open any reference to read the passage in your preferred Bible translation.
- Genesis 12:1–3
God's call to Abram: the promise of a great nation, a land, and blessing for all families of the earth through him.
- Genesis 32:22–32
Jacob wrestles at Peniel and is renamed Israel—the origin of the name.
- Genesis 35:9–12
God confirms the new name and repeats the promise of nation, kings and land.
- Genesis 49
Jacob blesses his twelve sons, from whom the twelve tribes take their names.
- Exodus 1–14
Israel in Egypt, the exodus under Moses—the founding story of the people.
- Deuteronomy 7:6–8
Israel described as a people chosen not for size but because of God's love and oath to the fathers.
- 2 Samuel 7
God's covenant with David: a throne established forever—central to later messianic hope.
- 1 Kings 12
The kingdom splits: Israel in the north, Judah in the south.
- 2 Kings 17
The fall of the northern kingdom to Assyria, 722 BC, and the deportation of its people.
- Jeremiah 31:31–34
The new covenant promise made 'with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.'
- Romans 9–11
Paul on Israel's calling, unbelief and future: 'the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable' (11:29).
- Galatians 3:26–29
Those who belong to Christ are 'Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise'—a key text in the debate over Israel and the church.
Sources: evidence and interpretation
This page keeps two kinds of claim visibly apart. The historical claims below rest on archaeological finds and ancient records that can be checked independently of the Bible. The stories of the patriarchs, the exodus, the covenant texts and the meaning of these events come from Scripture and belong to faith and interpretation. The small inline labels on this page follow the same distinction: Ancient record, Biblical text, Documented history and Interpretation.
Ancient records and archaeology
- Merneptah Stele (Egypt, c. 1208 BC). The oldest known mention of the name "Israel" outside the Bible. Pharaoh Merneptah's victory hymn lists "Israel" as a people already living in Canaan.
- Tel Dan Stele (9th century BC). An Aramaic victory inscription in which an enemy king boasts of defeating the "House of David" — the earliest extra-biblical reference to David's dynasty.
- Mesha Stele, or Moabite Stone (c. 840 BC). King Mesha of Moab names Omri, king of Israel, and describes Israel's presence east of the Dead Sea.
- Annals of Sargon II (Assyria, late 8th century BC). Record the Assyrian campaign against Samaria and the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel (722/720 BC).
- Sennacherib's Taylor Prism (c. 691 BC). The Assyrian account of the 701 BC campaign against Judah: Sennacherib says he shut Hezekiah up in Jerusalem "like a bird in a cage" — and by its silence confirms that the city did not fall.
- Babylonian Chronicles (tablets held in the British Museum). Record Nebuchadnezzar II's capture of Jerusalem in 597 BC; excavated burn layers in the City of David attest the destruction of 586 BC.
- Israel's Declaration of Independence (Tel Aviv, 14 May 1948). The founding document of the modern state — documented modern history, not a matter of interpretation.
Where the Bible is the source: the Genesis narratives of Jacob, the exodus account, the covenant texts and the prophetic promises are attested in Scripture itself; archaeology can confirm settings, names and destructions, but not the theological claims. For the historical background, see Kenneth A. Kitchen, On the Reliability of the Old Testament (Eerdmans, 2003).
Questions readers ask
Who is Israel in the Bible?
Israel is first a man: the patriarch Jacob, renamed Israel after wrestling with God at Peniel (Genesis 32:28). The name then passes to his descendants—the twelve tribes—and later to the nation they formed. In the Bible, 'Israel' can mean the man, the people, the northern kingdom after the split in 931 BC, or the whole covenant nation, depending on context.
Why was Jacob renamed Israel?
Genesis 32:22–32 describes Jacob wrestling through the night with a mysterious figure at the Jabbok river. At dawn he is told: 'Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.' The name is commonly understood as 'he strives with God' or 'God strives.'
Who are the twelve tribes of Israel?
The twelve tribes descend from Jacob's twelve sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Joseph and Benjamin (Genesis 35:23–26; 49). In the later land allotment, Levi received no territory and Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, each received one—keeping the count at twelve.
What is the difference between Israel and Judah in the Bible?
After King Solomon's death (traditionally dated 931 BC), the united kingdom split. The northern kingdom kept the name Israel, with Samaria as its capital; the southern kingdom was called Judah, with Jerusalem. Assyria destroyed the northern kingdom in 722 BC; Babylon destroyed Judah and Jerusalem in 586 BC. These dates are among the best-attested in ancient Near Eastern history.
Is the modern state of Israel the same as biblical Israel?
Historically, the modern state founded in 1948 takes its name from the ancient people and land, and Jewish continuity in the land is well documented. Theologically, Christians differ: some see the modern state as a direct fulfilment of prophecy, others as a secular state with a biblical name. That is a question of interpretation, which this page labels as such rather than settling.
What does 'Israel' mean in the New Testament?
The New Testament uses 'Israel' for the Jewish people and nation (for example Romans 9–11, where Paul grieves over and hopes for Israel). Passages such as Galatians 6:16 ('the Israel of God') are debated: some read them as the church inheriting Israel's calling, others as a blessing on Jewish believers. Christians have read these texts differently for centuries.
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