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The Distinction Between Biblical Israel and Modern Israel
The Distinction Between Biblical Israel and Modern Israel
Throughout history, words shift, identities are reshaped, and names are borrowed. Yet when it comes to “Israel” and “Jew,” the difference between the ancient meaning and the modern usage could not be more important to understand.
Israel: A Man, NOT a Modern Nation
Israel: A Man, NOT a Modern Nation
In Genesis 32:28, Jacob wrestled with the angel and was given a new name: Israel. From his twelve sons came the tribes of Israel. Thus, when the Bible says, “children of Israel,” it is not speaking of a country on a map, but of Jacob’s descendants—his household, his family line.
Later, when the kingdom split, there were two entities:
The Northern Kingdom (Israel), composed of ten tribes.
The Southern Kingdom (Judah), composed mainly of Judah, Benjamin, and the Levites.
It was only those of Judah that came to be called “Jews.” Originally, being a Jew did not mean simply practicing a religion. It meant being a member of a bloodline—the tribe of Judah, descended directly from Jacob.
Biblical Israel vs. Modern Israel
Biblical Israel vs. Modern Israel
Israel in the Bible = Jacob, renamed “Israel” (Genesis 32:28). His sons became the tribes. When scripture says, “children of Israel,” it literally means his descendants.
Judah/Jews = A subset of Israel (the tribe of Judah + Benjamin + Levites around Jerusalem). Over time, “Jew” became shorthand for all Israelites, but originally it was narrower.
Modern State of Israel = A 20th-century political creation (Balfour Declaration 1917, British Mandate, 1948 establishment).
👉 Biblical Israel was a people, not a political state.
The Covenant Lineage
The Covenant Lineage
The Bible emphasizes this covenantal lineage:
Genesis 49 lists the blessings of each tribe.
2 Kings 16:6 distinguishes between Israel and Judah.
The post-exile books of Ezra and Nehemiah reveal that it was primarily the house of Judah that returned from Babylon.
Thus, to the biblical writers, Israel = people of Jacob, and Jew = a member of Judah’s tribe. Not a religion, not a passport, not a politic
The Rise of Modern Judaism
The Rise of Modern Judaism
Fast-forward to the last two millennia:
After Rome destroyed Jerusalem in 70 CE, Jewish communities scattered across the world.
Converts joined these communities, and entire new identities formed.
Ashkenazi Jews (Central and Eastern Europe), Sephardic Jews (Spain, Portugal, North Africa), and Mizrahi Jews (Middle East and Persia) became the three major cultural groups.
While they all identify as Jews, their ancestry is diverse. The Ashkenazi, who later became the majority of world Jewry, trace much of their development to Western and Eastern Europe—not to ancient Judah.
Who are the Modern Jews?
Ashkenazi Jews → Originated in Central/Eastern Europe (Germany, Poland, Russia). Many scholars trace their ancestry to converts and diaspora communities.
Sephardic Jews → From Spain, Portugal, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Mizrahi Jews → Long-standing Jewish communities in Iraq, Yemen, Persia, etc.
👉These groups are very diverse, and while many identify as descendants of Israel, the direct biblical lineage is complicated, mixed, and highly debated.
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