Rediscovering the Name of Israel

Few words in the Bible are as famous as Israel. The name Israel refers to a people as well as a land. But originally, it referred to a single person: The patriarch Jacob. According to the Bible, an angel changed Jacob’s name to Israel after he “struggled with God and prevailed” (Gen.32:28). So the name Israel actually means “he struggles with God.” This special name is mentioned over 2000 times in Scripture and holds a deeper secret in Hebrew.

Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

Gen. 32:28

 

The Secret

The name Israel contains the names of all the Biblical patriarchs and matriarchs. This fascinating secret makes the name Israel a multidimensional name. It can refer to the people of Israel or the land of Israel and when studied deeper can review a hidden surprise – It’s an actual acronym. 

 

What’s an Acronym?

An acronym is an abbreviation word formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word.

For example: 

IBOPE: Instituto Brasileiro de Opinião e Estatística

SUDENE: Superintendência do Desenvolvimento do Nordeste

Banco Bradesco: Banco Brasileiro de Descontos S.A.

 

The mystery of the Israel 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 letter Yod (י), the first letter of “Israel” in Hebrew.

		Hebrew	English	Português
YI	י	יצחק – Yitzhak יעקב – Yaakov	Isaac Jacob	Isaac Jacó
S	ש	שרה – Sara	Sarah	Sara
RA	ר	רבקה – Rivkah רחל – Rakhel	Rebecca Rachel	Rebeca Raquel
E	א	אברהם – Avraham	Abraham	Abraão
L	ל	לאה – Le’a	Leah	Lea

 

Conclusion

Understanding this non-coincidence will allow you to rediscover the Scriptures as you read and develop your own relationship with the LORD of lords. Break the chains of translation and discover more of the One True Infinite Adonai.

 

Shalom!

Rabbi Douglas