Israel
English

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Alternative forms
- Isr. (abbreviation)
Etymology
From Middle English Israel, from Old English, borrowed from Latin Israel, from Ancient Greek Ἰσραήλ (Israḗl), from Hebrew יִשְׂרָאֵל (yisra'él, “Israel”).[1][2] In the Bible, it is said to be from the name יִשְׂרֶה אֵל (yisré 'él) given to Jacob in Genesis 32:29, after which his descendants came to be known as Israelites and their land as the "kingdom/land of Israel". The personal name, already attested in Eblaite 𒅖𒊏𒅋 (iš-ra-il) and Ugaritic 𐎊𐎌𐎗𐎛𐎍 (yšrỉl),[3] has been variously translated as "he wrestles with God", "he prevails with God",[4] or "God rules" (possibly from the same root ש־ר־ה/ש־ר־ר as שָׂרָה (“Sarah”)).[5]
Line 27 of the Merneptah Stele (from about 1200 BCE) is thought to contain the earliest attestation of the name Israel in any language, Egyptian ysrjꜣr (although alternative readings have been proposed, such as Jezreel):
Pronunciation
- enPR: ĭzʹrāəl, ĭzʹrēəl; IPA(key): /ˈɪzɹeɪəl/, /ˈɪzɹi.əl/.
- (In singing also) enPR: ĭzʹrīĕl; IPA(key): /ˈɪzɹaɪɛl/
Audio (US) (file)
Proper noun
Israel
- The State of Israel, a modern country in the Middle East, at the eastern shore of the Mediterranean.
- The Land of Israel, a region that is roughly coextensive with the State of Israel.
- (historical) An ancient kingdom that occupied roughly the same area in ancient times.
- (historical) An ancient kingdom that occupied the northern part of this area, as distinct from Judah.
- The Jews, taken collectively.
- A male given name, notably borne by Jacob (after Genesis 32:28).
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), imprinted at London: By Robert Barker, […], OCLC 964384981, Genesis 32:28:
- And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
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Usage notes
- (region): The use of Israel to refer to the region between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea has been, since the latter half of the 20th century, sometimes seen as politically or emotionally charged; indeed, this is true of all terms for this region.
Synonyms
- (State of Israel): the State of Israel (official name), Jewsrael (derogatory), Zionistan (derogatory)
- (Land of Israel): the Land of Israel, Palestine, the Holy Land, Canaan
- (the Jews): the Children of Israel, the Israelites, Zion
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
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See also
References
- “Israel” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
- “Israel” in Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary.
- Michael G. Hasel, Domination and Resistance: Egyptian Military Activity in the Southern Levant (Brill, 1998)
- James P. Boyd, Bible dictionary (Ottenheimer Publishers, 1958)
- Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis: Chapters 18–50 (NICOT, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995)
Catalan
Finnish
Declension
Inflection of Israel (Kotus type 5/risti, no gradation) | |||
---|---|---|---|
nominative | Israel | — | |
genitive | Israelin | — | |
partitive | Israelia | — | |
illative | Israeliin | — | |
singular | plural | ||
nominative | Israel | — | |
accusative | nom. | Israel | — |
gen. | Israelin | ||
genitive | Israelin | — | |
partitive | Israelia | — | |
inessive | Israelissa | — | |
elative | Israelista | — | |
illative | Israeliin | — | |
adessive | Israelilla | — | |
ablative | Israelilta | — | |
allative | Israelille | — | |
essive | Israelina | — | |
translative | Israeliksi | — | |
instructive | — | — | |
abessive | Israelitta | — | |
comitative | — | — |
Derived terms
German
Alternative forms
- Israël (obsolete)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈɪsʀaeːl/
Audio (file)
Proper noun
Israel n (genitive Israels)
Synonyms
- (State of Israel): Staat Israel (official name)
Derived terms
- israelisch
- Israeli
- israelisieren
- israelfeindlich
- israelfreundlich
- israelkritisch
- antiisraelisch
- proisraelisch
Latin
Proper noun
Isrāēl m (indeclinable)
Isrāēl m (genitive Isrāēlis); third declension
- Israel, another name of the patriarch Jacob
- Nova Vulgata, Genesis 32, 29:
- At ille: “ Nequaquam, inquit, Iacob amplius appellabitur nomen tuum, sed Israel: quoniam certasti cum Deo et cum hominibus et praevaluisti! ”.
- Nova Vulgata, Genesis 32, 29:
- (New Latin) Israel, a country in the Middle East
Inflection
Third declension.
Case | Singular |
---|---|
Nominative | Isrāēl |
Genitive | Isrāēlis |
Dative | Isrāēlī |
Accusative | Isrāēlem |
Ablative | Isrāēle |
Vocative | Isrāēl |
Derived terms
- Isrāēlīta, Isrāēlītēs
- isrāēlīticus, Isrāēlīticus
References
- Israel in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
Norwegian Bokmål
Norwegian Nynorsk
Portuguese
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin Israel, from Ancient Greek Ἰσραήλ (Israḗl), from Hebrew יִשְׂרָאֵל (yisra'él, “Israel”). Displaced Old Portuguese Irrael.
Pronunciation
Proper noun
Israel m
- Israel (a historical region in the southern Levant)
- Israel (a country in the Middle East, Asia, Asia)
- A male given name, equivalent to English Israel
Romanian
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /is.ra.ˈel/
Declension
singular | ||
---|---|---|
n gender | indefinite articulation | definite articulation |
nominative/accusative | (un) Israel | Israelul |
genitive/dative | (unui) Israel | Israelului |
vocative | Israelule |
Spanish
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /isɾaˈel/, [izɾaˈel]
Proper noun
Israel m
- Israel
- Jacob
- 1602, Casiodoro de Reina, La Santa Biblia, rev., Genesis 32:28
- Y él dijo: No se dirá más tu nombre Jacob, sino Israel: porque has peleado con Dios y con los hombres, y has vencido.
- 1602, Casiodoro de Reina, La Santa Biblia, rev., Genesis 32:28
- A male given name, equivalent to English Israel