The term “Hebrew” can refer to a number of ancient people, therefore, it is essential that we specify “Hebrew Israelite” as the focus of the efforts of this organization.

 

When we use the term “Hebrew Israelite”, we are using it in its Biblical historical sense, as opposed to any anthropological/scientific one. This is an important distinction, because in some cases there are differences in what the Bible contains and says and what is acceptable within the scientific community. We are not trying to verify the scientific validity of the Bible, merely using the information contained therein as the framework for our efforts.

 

The existence of the nation of Israel today in the region of the world that fits the Biblical description, should serve as validation for this position, since the name “Israel” originates in the Bible. This land was mandated by the United Nations to be shared between the Palestinian people and the Jewish people, who clearly trace their history back through the Bible, and we view this as further strengthening this position. 

 

The term “Hebrew Israelite”, is composed of two words; Hebrew and Israelite. Biblically, the ancestry of the Hebrews traces back to the eldest son of Noah, Shem.

 

“21 And unto Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, to him also were children born.”

 

          Genesis 10:21

 

“The modern word "Hebrew" is derived from the word "Ibri" (plural "Ibrim"), one of several names for the Jewish people. It is traditionally understood to be an adjective based on the name of Abraham's supposed ancestor, Eber ("Ebr" עבר in Hebrew), mentioned in Genesis 10:21.”

 

       Wikipedia – Hebrew Language

 

“10 These are the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old, and begot Arpachshad two years after the flood.

12 And Arpachshad lived five and thirty years, and begot Shelah.

14 And Shelah lived thirty years, and begot Eber (עבר)

16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begot Peleg.

18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu.

20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begot Serug.

22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor.

24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begot Terah.

26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.”

 

         Genesis 11:10, 12, 14,16,18,20,22,24,26

 

If a person had only read thru the 10th chapter of Genesis, they would assume from what is written that Shem was perhaps the father of Eber (עבר), and would be wrong! He was actually the great-grandfather of Eber (עבר), so why are Eber’s children linked directly to him? If one was to check the life-spans of the listed patriarchs born after the flood, they would discover that Eber (עבר) lived the longest of them all, a total of 464 years! And yet, he receives no recognition, no acknowledgement, except, as in the Wikipedia quote above, in an off-handed manner.

 

The genealogy listed above shows a direct line from Eber (עבר) to the son of Terah known as “Abram”. Who was this person?

 

“31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.

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1 Now YHWH said unto Abram: 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee.

 

2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing.

 

4 So Abram went, as YHWH had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him; and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

 

18 In that day YHWH made a covenant with Abram, saying: 'Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates;”

 

Genesis 11:31, 12:1, 2, 4, 15:18

 

The first promises were given by YHWH to Abram, the son of Terah, inclusive of making his name, Abram, great. So, where did the name “Abraham” come from?

 

1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, YHWH appeared to Abram, and said unto him: 'I am God Almighty; walk before Me, and be thou wholehearted.

2 And I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.'

3 And Abram fell on his face; and God talked with him, saying:

4 'As for Me, behold, My covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be the father of a multitude of nations.

5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made thee.”

 

Genesis 17:1-5

 

Clearly, the Abram, who was directly in the line of Eber (עבר), is the same Abram whose name was changed to “Abraham” by YHWH, the God of Israel. There is no ambiguity here; Eber was, according to the Bible, the ancestor of Abram/Abraham.

 

Further proof of this is found in the following;

 

“12 And they took Lot, Abram's brother's son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.

13 And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew (העברי)--now he dwelt by the terebinths of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were confederate with Abram.”

 

          Genesis 14:12, 13

 

Here, Abram is referred to as “the Hebrew”, which would not change because 3 chapters later he is given a new name. We can thus unequivocally conclude that Abraham was a Hebrew, he was recognized as being of the seed of Eber (עבר)! He is not the father of the Hebrews; as is stated in chapter 10, that honor belongs to Shem, but he is the progenitor of a multitude of nations of Hebrews, among them the Israelites and the Ishmaelites, from whom comes the Prophet, Mohammad.

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Abraham’s sons, Ishmael and Isaac, were the progenitors of the Ishmaelite and Israelite peoples. Ishmael had 12 sons, princes of their nations, while Isaac, like his father, had two sons, Esau and Jacob. Jacob, the younger of the two, convinces his older brother to give up the birthright of the elder son. He later has a spiritual experience which further changes the course of his life.

 

“10 And Jacob said: 'O God of my father Abraham, and God of my father Isaac, YHWH, who saidst unto me: Return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will do thee good;

11 I am not worthy of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which Thou hast shown unto Thy servant; for with my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two camps.

12 Deliver me, I pray Thee, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother with the children.

25 And Yaacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

26 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was strained, as he wrestled with him.

28 And he said unto him: 'What is thy name?' And he said: 'Jacob.'

29 And he said: 'Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel; for thou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed.'

 

         Genesis 32:10-12, 25, 26, 28, 29

 

Jacob, like his grandfather, Abram/Abraham, has his name changed as an indication of a transformation in his character. He has overcome his apprehension over the unavoidable confrontation with his brother and is ready to trust in the God of his fathers and return to the land they had been promised. His struggle with the Angel is the source of our Amutah’s Hebraic name, עליית השחר, which we translate as “A New Day”, and which is translated in the verses as “the break of day”. It was after this incident that a new day dawned for Jacob/Israel, and he entered it a new man.

 

“9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him.

10 And God said unto him: 'Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name'; and He called his name Israel.

11 And God said unto him: 'I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;

12 and the land which I gave unto Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.'”

 

     Genesis 35:9-12

 

Jacob/Israel left Canaan with little more than the shirt on his back, but he returned with not only an abundance of material goods and servants, but four wives and 13 children; 12 sons and a daughter. These 12 sons are the progenitors of the 12 tribes that Moses later leads out of Egypt, and were as follows;

 

Born to Leah – Reuben, Jacob's first-born, and Simeon, and Levi, and Judah, and Issachar, and Zebulun

 

 The sons of Zilpah, Leah's handmaid: Gad and Asher

 

The sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin

 

The sons of Bilhah, Rachel's handmaid: Dan and Naphtali

 

“The story of the twelve tribes begins when Jacob and his family went down to Egypt as "70 souls“. In Egypt "the Yisraelites were fertile and prolific; they multiplied and increased very greatly," and there they became the "Yisraelite people." Following the death of Yoseph - one of Yaacob's sons who had become viceroy of Egypt - Pharaoh oppressed the Yisraelites by placing upon them burdensome labor.”

 

     Wikipedia – Hebrews

 

“2 And Pharaoh said: 'Who is YHWH that I should hearken unto His voice to let Israel go? I know not YHWH, and moreover I will not let Israel go.'

3 And they said: 'The God of the Hebrews hath met with us. Let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice unto YHWH our God; lest He fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.'

15 Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand.

16 And thou shalt say unto him: YHWH, the God of the Hebrews, hath sent me unto thee, saying: Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness; and, behold, hitherto thou hast not hearkened;”

 

    Exodus 5:2, 3, 7:15, 16

 

Thus, we see that, by the time of Moses, the sons of Jacob were known as the “Israelites”, or the “Children of Israel”, whose God referred to Himself as “the God of the Hebrews”. They were by this time clearly, Hebrew Israelites in their own eyes as well as the other nations. This is clearly seen in the first book of Samuel.

 

And both of them disclosed themselves unto the garrison of the Philistines; and the Philistines said: 'Behold Hebrews coming forth out of the holes where they hid themselves.'

Now the Hebrews that were with the Philistines as before time, and that went up with them into the camp round about; even they also turned to be with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan.

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1 Samuel 14:11, 21

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Nothing happened to impact on this reality until the Israelites asked to be given a king like onto the other nations after returning to the land promised to their forefathers. This request was granted by the God of Israel and led to the establishment of the Davidic line of kingship. This prophetically significant event set the stage for the apostasy of King Solomon, David’s son, which provoked YHWH into dividing the nation into two monarchies: the kingdom of Ephraim/Israel and the kingdom of Judah.

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For further information follow this link: http://www.scripturessay.com/are-the-jews-a-race-or-religion-define-jew-hebrew-israelites/