Hebrew word · Strong's H3478

יִשְׂרָאֵל

Yisrâʼêl · yis-raw-ale' · proper noun · “Israel”

In a sentence

Yisrael — Israel — was the new name God gave Jacob (“he strives with God”). It names both the man and the people descended from him, God’s covenant nation.

Yisrael is the name God gives Jacob after their nighttime struggle — “for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” The new name becomes the name of the people: the twelve tribes of Israel.

Through this people God’s saving plan moves forward — bringing the Messiah for the blessing of every nation. The New Testament also speaks of an “Israel of God” that includes everyone who shares Abraham’s faith.

Strong's reference

Definition: Jisrael, a symbolical name of Jacob; also (typically) of his posterity

KJV usage: Israel.

Reference gloss from Strong's Concordance (1890, public domain).

Key verses BSB · Public Domain (CC0)

Genesis 32:28 “Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”” Romans 9:4 “the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises.” Galatians 6:16 “Peace and mercy to all who walk by this rule, even to the Israel of God.”

Original BibleDawn word study. Original-language data and the public-domain Strong's (1890) gloss are referenced; see sources.