If you've read the story of the Hebrew Bible (or Old Testament, you know that it tells the story of God's interaction with one particular nation, Israel. The Hebrew Scriptures are full of language about Israel's special status as God's chosen nation.
In Genesis, God promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land of Canaan, so Canaan became known as The Promised Land. Modern Israel and Palestine encompass the majority of Canaan. Abraham's grandson was Jacob, whose name was changed to “Israel” by God.
In the view of some, Israel was chosen by God out of unmerited, unrequited love. As Rabbi Akibah put it: Beloved are Israel for they are called children of the All-present, as it is said, "You are children unto the Lord your God" (Deuteronomy 14:1).
chosen people, the Jewish people, as expressed in the idea that they have been chosen by God as his special people. The term implies that the Jewish people have been chosen by God to worship only him and to fulfill the mission of proclaiming his truth among all the nations of the world.
While the State of Israel was established on 15 May 1948 and admitted to the United Nations, a Palestinian State was not established. The remaining territories of pre-1948 Palestine, the West Bank - including East Jerusalem- and Gaza Strip, were administered from 1948 till 1967 by Jordan and Egypt, respectively.
Aramaic is best known as the language Jesus spoke. It is a Semitic language originating in the middle Euphrates. In 800-600 BC it spread from there to Syria and Mesopotamia. The oldest preserved inscriptions are from this period and written in Old Aramaic.
But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained ...
In the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament, the Israelites are referred to as "the people of God" in Judges 20:2 and 2 Samuel 14:13. The phrases "the people of the Lord" and "the people of the Lord your God" are also used. In those texts God is also represented as speaking of the Israelites as "my people".
He was born of a Jewish mother, in Galilee, a Jewish part of the world. All of his friends, associates, colleagues, disciples, all of them were Jews. He regularly worshipped in Jewish communal worship, what we call synagogues. He preached from Jewish text, from the Bible.
He created people out of love for the purpose of sharing love. People were created to love God and each other. Additionally, when God created people, he gave them good work to do so that they might experience God's goodness and reflect his image in the way they care for the world and for each other.
The House of Israel Are God's Covenant People
Because Jacob was faithful, the Lord gave him the special name of Israel, which means “one who prevails with God” or “let God prevail” (Bible Dictionary, “Israel,” 708).
The country has a strong economy, landmarks of significance to several religions and strained relationships with many of its Arab neighbors. The country is home to some of the world's most holy sites, including the Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque. Here are 10 things to know about Israel.
Another popular understanding of Israel as the Promised Land comes from Genesis 17, where God's covenant with Abraham and his offspring is affirmed, and God promises to be the God of Abraham's offspring and gift them the land of Canaan for “a perpetual holding.”
The land known as Canaan was situated in the territory of the southern Levant, which today encompasses Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, and the southern portions of Syria and Lebanon.
The location of Eden is described in the Book of Genesis as the source of four tributaries. Various suggestions have been made for its location: at the head of the Persian Gulf, in southern Mesopotamia where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers run into the sea; and in Armenia.
In response, God changed Jacob's name to Israel, meaning 'let God prevail. ' God then promised Israel that all the blessings that had been pronounced upon Abraham's head would also be his” (Russell M.
Israel as God's firstborn
In Exodus, Moses is instructed to say to Pharaoh "Thus saith the LORD, Israel is my son, my firstborn." The death of Pharaoh and the Egyptians' firstborn sons at the first Passover is direct recompense for God's identification of Israel as his own firstborn.
While most Israelis are Jewish, a growing share (currently about one-in-five adults) belong to other groups. Most non-Jewish residents of Israel are ethnically Arab and identify, religiously, as Muslims, Christians or Druze.
What does it mean that Abraham was “chosen before [he was] born”? (See Abraham 3:23. He was foreordained to be a prophet.)
In the Bible days, God Almighty made a choice among all the people He created and set them apart to execute the important purposes of His providence. That they were chosen to this high destiny was not on account of their extraordinary merits, but because God wanted to illustrate His glory to all mankind through them.
Though God chose David as king over his people, neither David nor any of his descendants fully realized all that God had guaranteed. No Davidic king has yet triumphed over all the nations that surround Israel, and no Davidic king has reigned over the entire world.
Jesus' name in Hebrew was “Yeshua” which translates to English as Joshua.
The Adamic language, according to Jewish tradition (as recorded in the midrashim) and some Christians, is the language spoken by Adam (and possibly Eve) in the Garden of Eden.
Sumerian can be considered the first language in the world, according to Mondly. The oldest proof of written Sumerian was found on the Kish tablet in today's Iraq, dating back to approximately 3500 BC.