Israel

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A nation located in the Middle East along the eastern Mediterranean coast known for its historical and religious significance ; an ancient kingdom referenced in religious texts and history as the land of the Hebrew people
2. A sovereign state centered on the modern territory around Jerusalem, significant in geopolitics and culture ; a former kingdom documented in scriptures, regarded as the ancestral homeland of Jewish people
3. A contemporary Middle Eastern country established in 1948 characterized by diverse cultures and landscapes ; a historic biblical polity identified with the tribes of Jacob, often featured in religious traditions

Etymology: Israel is one of the rare country names that began as a personal name. In the Bible, it is given to Jacob after he wrestles with a mysterious figure at the river Jabbok, and his descendants came to be called Israelites and their land the kingdom of Israel. The name itself is far older than that story: it already appears in Eblaite and Ugaritic records, long before the Hebrew Bible was written. Its meaning has been translated as "he wrestles with God," "he prevails with God," or "God rules," and it may share a root with the name Sarah. The earliest known occurrence of the name in any language is on the Merneptah Stele, an Egyptian inscription from about 1200 BCE, where it appears as "ysrjꜣr." In English, the word came through Middle English and Old English from Latin, which had taken it from Ancient Greek "Israḗl," itself drawn from the Hebrew "yisra'él."