DAY 18: Why All Jews Are Hebrew But Not All Hebrews Are Jews

“A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshkoland Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram.”-Genesis 14:13

Did you know the first time we encounter the word “Hebrew” is in Genesis 14:13 (copied above)?

In this verse the word “Hebrew” is used in reference to Abraham.

Before this usage in the book of Genesis, there is no other ancient source that uses the word “Hebrew” to refer to a specific people group.

To this day, scholars still debate the word’s origin and meaning.

Theories abound.

Some scholars tells us that “Hebrew” is a term referring to a new culture that Abraham founded.

Other scholars will say the word is used to refer to the world’s first monotheistic (belief in one God) religion.

Other folks will say that “Hebrew” is related to the Sumerian word “Hapiru” which means a wanderer, outcast or one who has zero ethnic or regional ties. 

When the word is pronounced in ancient Semitic, it is uncannily similar to Ipuru.

In terms of modern Hebrew scholarship, most everyone agrees that “Hebrew” really means “one who crossed over”.

This is referring to how Abraham physically crossed over the Euphrates River in order to travel south to the land of Canaan.

However, I would say the word also has a spiritual meaning.

Not only did Abraham physically cross over from his old pagan hometown into the land that would become Israel, but he also crossed over from worshipping false gods and being in rebellion to God to worshipping the Creator and obeying Him.

Essentially, all this debate about the real meaning of the word “Hebrew” is whether the word was originally used as a religious, racial, or cultural term.

I would say it was used in all three ways.

In addition, Judaism also has its own unique slant on the word “Hebrew”.

Judaism views “Hebrew” as term referring to the covenant promise God made to Abraham who then ratified the promise by leaving his hometown in Mesopotamia and moving south in to the promised land of inheritance.

While it is incorrect to call Abraham the first Jew, it is 100% correct to say the Hebrew line began with Abraham who passed the baton onto Isaac who then passed it on to Jacob.

And it was Jacob who after wrestling with the angel of the Lord was renamed Israel.

Finally, it was Jacob’s seed who gave birth to the 12 tribes of Israel including the Tribe of Judah whose line gave birth to the Messiah and the Jews as we know them today.

So understand that…

…the application of the word Hebrew begins with Abraham and continues on through Isaac to Jacob to the 12 Tribes of Israel to the Tribe of Judah from whom the modern Jews of today descended.

This was indeed a fulfillment of prophecy that through Abraham the whole world would be blessed.