The Merneptah Stele. While alternative translations exist, the majority of biblical archeologists translate a set of hieroglyphs as “Israel”, representing the first instance of the name Israel in the historical record.
The name ‘Israel’ first appears in the Hebrew Bible as the name given to Patriarch Jacob (the grandson of Abraham) by God (Gen 32: 28). Jacob was renamed “Israel” and it was a name used over 2,400 times in the whole Bible. Israel is at the center of the story of redemption of humanity.
In his weakness, the night before he arrived at the meeting point with Esau, Jacob called out in faith for God’s blessing. Jacob was visited by a mysterious or a shadowy figure surprising him at night. This mysterious figure wrestled with Jacob all night until daybreak. When this figure saw that it was not easy to overcome Jacob, he struck Jacob’s hip socket and permanently injured Jacob (hip was dislocated). The figure succeeded in dislocating Jacob’s thigh point. The figure said, “Let me go, because it is daybreak.” But, Jacob in his weakness did not give up until his attacker gave him a blessing. Jacob was merely asking something of the “supernatural power” of the shadowy figure. Was this figure a person, a pagan god, or a messenger of the one God that Jacob believed? Eventually, Jacob in this mysterious figure saw God face to face. It was a mysterious encounter with God.
The earlier encounters of Jacob with God had occurred through the medium of dreams (Gen 28; 12-13; 31:11). Then, in his second dream, Jacob encountered God in this mysterious figure. God touched Jacob (injuring his hip) and transformed him. For the rest of his life, Jacob walked with a limp that demonstrated his dependence on God. Although Jacob was a broken man, he was also a transformed person with a new name. From then on Jacob was renamed ‘Israel’ because he had shown his strength to both God and humanity.
This name, “Israel” is a combination of the Hebrew words for “wrestle “and “God.” That meant ‘one who struggles with God’ (Gen 32: 24-32) or ‘one who strives with God’ (Hos. 12: 4). When Jacob returned to Canaan, God asked him to settle in Bethel. In Bethel God appeared to Jacob again and reconfirmed that his name was no longer Jacob, rather “Israel.” This confirmation of the renaming of Jacob was followed by God confirming His covenant with Jacob(Gen 35: 9-12).
Later, Israel was the name given to the descendant of Jacob. His offspring became known as the “Israelites” or “Children of Israel” and the name, “Israel” was given to the nation that they eventually formed. The 12 sons of Israel (Jacob) who formed the 12 tribes developed into the Jewish nation. That way the actions of God of forming a people centered in Himself is not doomed to failure because its human leaders are weak or immoral. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob triumphed in spite of the weakness of Jacob and formed Israel (Gen 32: 23-32). The renaming or receiving a new name indicated a new destiny. This is an indication of a real spiritual transformation that happened in the life Jacob.
The naming of Jesus of His twelve Apostles suggests a new Israel (Rev 12: 12-14; Mt 19: 28). This revelation can still give destiny, purpose, and hope to us; the modern family of Abraham when we too struggle and get confused with many issues in life. We are the people of God who are chosen for a purpose and a mission.
— Fr. Niranjan Rodrigo, Ph.D.
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