Who named Israel?

Israel (officially the State of Israel), is a country in Asia (Western Asia). It is located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Israel is bordered by the countries of Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

Israel has a population of around nine million people, most of whom are Jewish. In fact, Israel is the world’s first Jewish state in over two thousand years. For people of the Jewish faith, the country is not only a place of safety and refuge but also a symbol of the restoration of their homeland, following the demise of the Herodian Kingdom. Therefore, it is no surprise that Israel has been a focal point for Jewish immigrants from around the world.

The name ‘Israel’ was adopted in 1948, and it was suggested by the Prime Minister of Israel, Ben-Gurion. Later, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Moshe Sharett declared that citizens of Israel would be called Israeli.

Origins and Meaning of Israel:

Israel (also romanized to Yisrael or Yisroel) is a word of Hebrew origin, which means ‘God Contended’, ‘Wrestles with God’, or ‘Triumphant with God’. It is a biblical name, tracing its origins to the Book of Genesis. In the Book of Genesis, Jacob was given the name Israel after he successfully fought the angel of the Lord, thus lending it its meaning of “to rule, contend, have power, prevail over”. Jacob’s twelve sons were named ‘the ancestors of the Israelites’, and were also called the ‘Twelve Tribes of Israel’ or ‘Children of Israel’.

Jacob and his family had been ancestral residents of Canaan till they, and their descendants, were forced to seek refuge for over 400 years in Egypt due to the famine. Post this period, Moses guided the Israelites back to their homeland of Canaan during the Exodus.

As such, the name also appears on the Merneptah Stele and refers to a group of foreigners. During Second Temple Judaism, Judeo-Christian texts from the Greco-Egyptian area explained the name to mean “a man seeing God”.

The descendants of Jacob were termed Israelites, which eventually lent the name to the tribes of Israel, the kingdom of Israel, and the present-day State of Israel.

Etymology of Israel:

During the British Mandate, the region was originally known as ‘Palestine’. 

Circa 1800 – 1900, Zionism, an organized religious and political, gained influence amongst the Jewish communities around the Globe, on a quest to establish a Jewish homeland in Palestine. In this movement, Jewish people immigrated to Palestine enmasse. Between 1882 and 1903, about 35,000 Jews, and between 1904 – 1914, 40,000 Jews relocated to Palestine.

This refugee movement fueled the Nazi rule over Europe, and post World War 2 and the Holocaust, the members of the Zionist movement set their sights on the establishment of an independent Jewish country.

In the last few days of British rule over Palestine, on May 14, 1948, the Jewish leaders of Palestine held a meeting in Tel Aviv. This meeting was presided over by David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s future prime minister, and name-giver. The leaders decided they would declare a sovereign, independent Jewish state.

The country then adopted the name ‘Israel’, or officially, ‘the State of Israel’. The name was chosen out of other similar religious names, such as Zion, Even, and Judea. The suggestion, made by Ben-Gurion himself, passed by a majority vote (a vote of seven for and three against). Later, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Moshe Sharett declared that citizens of Israel would be called Israeli.