Hananya Naftali
Nov 7, 2026
Meaning of the Name
The Short Answer
The name Israel comes from the Bible. After Jacob wrestled through the night with a mysterious stranger, he was told: “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed” (Genesis 32:28). Israel is usually understood to mean one who struggles with God, or God prevails.
A Person, a People and a Land
Jacob's twelve sons became the twelve tribes, known as the Children of Israel. Over time the name came to describe the Jewish people, the Land of Israel and, since 1948, the modern State of Israel.
The name is ancient. The Merneptah Stele, an Egyptian inscription from more than three thousand years ago, mentions a people called Israel, making it the oldest record of the name outside the Bible.
Why the Name Matters
Critics who claim Israel is a modern invention ignore that the name is older than Rome, older than Islam and older than almost every nation on earth. A people that has carried its name for thousands of years has not invented its history.
Key Facts
Jacob received the name Israel in Genesis 32.
The name is understood to mean one who struggles with God.
The Merneptah Stele mentions Israel over three thousand years ago.
The modern State of Israel took the name in 1948.