The first time the word “Hebrew” (Heb. Ibri’;
Greek Hebraios) occurs in scripture,
it is applied to Abram (Genesis 14:13). It is then employed as a designation
for his descendants through Isaac and Jacob (Genesis 40:15) and also for their language
(2 Kings 18:26). This term is most often used to distinguish the Israelite
people from other nations (Exodus 1:19; 2:11; 1 Samuel 4:9; etc.), and also applies
to the Jews of Palestine in contrast to Greek-speaking Jews (Acts 6:1).1
The origin of the name is uncertain. It
may have been derived from one of Abraham’s ancestors, Eber (Genesis 11:16). Those
who came to be known as the Hebrews descended from Shem, who is called “the
father of all the children of Eber” (Genesis 10:21). Another possibility is
that Ibri’ is linked to a similar
noun meaning “the region or country beyond,” referring to Abraham’s former
homeland beyond the Euphrates (Joshua 24:2-3). It has also been suggested that
the word is derived from a verb meaning “passing through” and came to describe
Abraham and his descendants as sojourners (cf. Hebrews 11:13).
The name “Israel” (Heb. Yisraêl’; Greek Israêl)
means “Prince of God” and was first given to Jacob (Genesis 32:28; 35:10),
then later used to designate Jacob’s descendants (Joshua 3:17). When the nation
divided, the northern kingdom was called Israel in contrast to the southern
kingdom of Judah (1 Kings 15:9). After the Babylonian exile, the united kingdom
again carried the name Israel (Ezra 6:16). The word “Jew” (Heb. Yehudi’; Greek Ioudaios) is a form of the name Judah and was first applied to
those of the separate kingdom of Judah (2 Kings 16:6; 25:25 KJV). During the Babylonian captivity and onward the
name was extended to all the Israelites (cf. Esther 2:5; 3:4; 5:13; Ezra 4:12;
etc.).
While the ancient Jews adopted the
Phoenician script in writing the Hebrew language, around the time of King David
it developed into Paleo-Hebrew and was eventually replaced with the Aramaic
script from which the modern Hebrew alphabet is derived. The Old Testament (also
known as the Hebrew Bible) was originally written in Hebrew, except the Aramaic
sections of Ezra (4:8–6:18; 7:12-26) and Daniel (2:4b–7:28). Following the
Babylonian exile, Aramaic had replaced Hebrew as the everyday vernacular of the
Palestinian Jews.2
The earliest recorded words of God are in
the Hebrew tongue. The LORD employed this language to
communicate to Moses and the ancient prophets, who in turn used it to proclaim
the divine message both orally and in written form. Jesus read and understood
Hebrew (Luke 4:16-21); it was the sacred language of the synagogues where he regularly
worshiped and taught (Matthew 4:23; 9:35; cf. Acts 15:21). In fact, the
smallest stroke of the smallest letter of the Hebrew scriptures was important
to him (Matthew 5:18).3
Not everyone has to master the Hebrew language
to understand the Old Testament, but somebody does! Let us be thankful for the
scholars, the tools, the translations, and the resources that enable us to gain
insight into the word of God in every language through which it has been
conveyed.
-- Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 The designation “Hellenist” (Greek
Hellênistês) is similar to the words Hellênos (“Greek person”) and Hellênikos (“Greek language”), and
generally refers to a Jew who settled in another country and adopted the Greek
language and culture (cf. Acts 6:1; 9:29). It is sometimes rendered “Grecian”
(KJV).
2 See Aramaic. Of the ancient Semitic languages, both Hebrew and Aramaic would be included among the Northwest Semitic languages, along with Amorite, Syriac, Canaanite, Ugaritic, Moabite, Ammonite, and Edomite. The East Semitic languages would include Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian. Arabic would be a South Semitic language. See Eugene H. Merrill, "Biblical Hebrew and the Semitic Languages," JETS 62.2 (2019): 251-67.
3 After the Jewish temple was
destroyed by the Romans in AD 70, Hebrew was only used for religious literature
and ceremonies until it was revived in the mid-nineteenth century as a
colloquial language. Today over seven million people, mostly in Israel, speak
Hebrew.
Related Posts: Aramaic, Greek NT Translated
Related articles: Dave Miller's Hebrew Vowels
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