Who is a Jew?

Who is a Jew?

Have you ever wondered where the term Jew comes from?

In order to answer this question, I would like to give a little background information. Abraham, known as the first Hebrew, had a son named Isaac. Isaac had two sons named Jacob and Esau, GOD changed Jacob's name to Israel, and he had 12 sons, known as the 12 tribes of Israel.

Many years later the 12 tribes prospered under the leadership of King David in the land of Israel. King David was succeeded by his son Solomon.

When King Solomon died his son Rehoboam became king. Rehoboam treated the people roughly. 10 of the 12 tribes rebelled against him, splitting the nation in two. This group became known as the 10 northern tribes of Israel. As time went on these 10 tribes drew further and further away from the true worship of GOD, and eventually they had separated themselves so much from GOD that when the king of Assyria invaded them GOD was not able to protect them. They where taken captive and have become known as the 10 lost tribes of Israel.

The tribes that remained faithful to the throne of David were the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and the Levites. Jerusalem remained their capital. Since the tribe of Judah was the largest, these remaining tribes together were referred to as the kingdom Judah. It is from this name, Judah, that the term Jew is derived from. It is interesting to note that king David was from the tribe of Judah as well as both the parents of the MESSIAH.

 

Picture: Rosh Hashana greeting card from the early 1900s. Public Domain.

Related Articles

More From Articles

Power to Change

Power to Change

We all have habits, both good and bad. It's a fact of life. The question is how we can change…
Power to Change

Traded for Taste

“Now Jacob cooked a stew; and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. And Esau said to…
Traded for Taste
Gideon

Gideon

The Angel of the Lord appeared to a Jewish man named Gideon. At first Gideon did not realize…
Gideon

Building God's Temple

When Israel returned from exile they rebuilt the temple, but there were mixed feeling about it…
Building God's Temple

Who is Really Israel?

Do you have to be born from the literal ancestry of Abraham to be considered a part of Israel?…
Who is Really Israel?

Why the Need for the Tree

“Adonai, God, took the person and put him in the garden of Eden to cultivate and care for it.
Why the Need for the Tree

Who Causes Evil?

One of the greatest objections to the belief in God is the existence of evil.
Who Causes Evil?

Torah: Where is the Good?

In the Torah we read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…Then God saw…
Torah: Where is the Good?

The Dead Closest

“If anyone is found slain, lying in the field in the land which the Lord your God is giving you…
The Dead Closest

Jehoshaphat

King Jehoshaphat was the 5th King after King David.
Jehoshaphat

Torah-Cursed Blessings

The Jewish Bible gives us a serious warning, "'And now, O priests, this commandment is for you.…
Torah-Cursed Blessings

Technically....I'm Still Wrong

“And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed…
Technically....I'm Still Wrong

Torah Lessons

It is sad to see that people seem to be increasingly considering it inappropriate for anyone to…
Torah Lessons

Sabbath Rest and Eternal Rest

The introduction to the Ten Commandments starts out like this, “Then God said all these words:…
Sabbath Rest and Eternal Rest
Moses - Dealing with Rejection

Moses - Dealing with Rejection

Moses went from being self-centered, to non-centered, to God-centered. That is a transition…
Moses - Dealing with Rejection

Publish the Menu module to "offcanvas" position. Here you can publish other modules as well.
Learn More.


donation