The fascinating secret within Israel
Few words in the Bible are as famous as Israel. It is mentioned over 2000 times in Scripture. It means “the one who strives with God” and was originally given to Jacob after he wrestled with an angel of the Lord (Gen. 32:28). But this mighty name is hardly one dimensional. It can refer to the people of Israel or the land of Israel, but it contains an exciting additional hidden surprise.
An elegant Hebrew acronym
In the original Hebrew, the word Israel - ישראל (YISRAEL) - contains the first letters of all seven Biblical patriarchs and matriarchs. For example the names Isaac and Jacob start with the later Yod (י), the first letter of “Israel” in Hebrew.
| Hebrew | English | ||
| YI | י | יצחק - Yitzhak יעקב - Yaakov |
Isaac Jacob |
| S | ש | שרה - Sara | Sarah |
| RA | ר | רבקה - Rivkah רחל - Rakhel |
Rebecca Rachel |
| E | א | אברהם - Avraham | Abraham |
| L | ל | לאה – Le’a | Leah |
Return to the source- Join our Biblical Hebrew course
If you read the Bible in translation, you are missing out on so much. How can you understand the true meaning of “Israel” unless you hear the sound of the words “sarita im El” (“you have striven with god”) in the original Hebrew? Now is your chance to strive and break the chains of translation. Enroll in our online live Biblical Hebrew course today!
