Israelites

Origin and Identity

The Israelites descend from Jacob, grandson of Abraham, whom God renamed 'Israel' after wrestling with him (Genesis 32:24-28). His twelve sons became the ancestors of Israel's twelve tribes, and the whole nation is repeatedly called simply 'the children of Israel' throughout the Old Testament. Their identity rests on God's covenant promises to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:18-21), renewed at Sinai through Moses (Exodus 19-24) and centered on the conviction that the LORD alone is God and Israel alone, among the nations, is his chosen covenant people (Deuteronomy 7:6-8).

The Israelites in the New Testament

Jesus himself was born an Israelite, 'of the house and family of David' (Luke 2:4), and his early ministry was directed first to 'the lost sheep of the house of Israel' (Matthew 15:24) before the gospel's later expansion to the Gentiles. Paul, himself 'an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham' (Romans 11:1), wrestles at length in Romans 9-11 with Israel's place in God's plan after so many rejected their own Messiah, insisting God has not finally cast off his people and anticipating their future restoration (Romans 11:25-29). The apostle Peter applies Israel's own covenant language — 'a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation' (drawn from Exodus 19:6) — to the church, understood as sharing, through Christ, in Israel's covenant blessings rather than replacing Israel's own ongoing significance.

Scripture references

• Genesis 32:24-28 — Jacob renamed Israel
• Exodus 19:5-6 — Israel called to be God's 'treasured possession... a holy nation'
• Matthew 15:24 — Jesus sent first 'to the lost sheep of the house of Israel'
• Romans 11:1-29 — Paul on Israel's ongoing place in God's plan

Further reading

• Encyclopaedia Britannica: Israelite