Israel Meaning: Jacob, a People and a Kingdom
Israel meaning depends on both a naming scene and the later use of the name. Israel is the name given to Jacob in Genesis 32.
Last updated October 15, 2026
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Israel meaning depends on both a naming scene and the later use of the name. Israel is the name given to Jacob in Genesis 32. The story links it to striving with God and men. Historical dictionaries offer prevails with God or prince readings; those are attributed glosses, not identical translations.
Israel as Jacob's name, his descendants, or a kingdom. The referent must be read from the passage. Genesis 32 explains the renaming within the wrestling scene. Jacob asks for a blessing, receives a new name and asks his opponent's name. The scene relates the new name to striving and prevailing. A dictionary's short formula should be read alongside that explicit narrative explanation.
Israel Meaning and dictionary readings
| Historical source | Entry wording | Source record |
|---|---|---|
| Hitchcock | who prevails with God | Hitchcock: ISRAEL |
| Easton | Israel The name conferred on Jacob after the great prayer-struggle at Peniel ( Gen. 32:28 ), because “as a prince he had power with God and prevailed.” […] | Easton: ISRAEL |
| Smith | ( the prince that prevails with God ). […] | Smith: ISRAEL |
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Bearers, aliases and passage context
Israel as Jacob's name, his descendants, or a kingdom. The referent must be read from the passage.
Genesis 32 explains the renaming within the wrestling scene. Jacob asks for a blessing, receives a new name and asks his opponent's name. The scene relates the new name to striving and prevailing. A dictionary's short formula should be read alongside that explicit narrative explanation.
Israel then becomes more than one man's name. Genesis 35 repeats the naming and promises descendants and kings. By 1 Kings 12, Israel can name the northern kingdom in contrast to Judah. The same English word can therefore refer to a person, a people or a political kingdom.
The context decides which sense is in use. If a sentence contrasts Israel with Judah, it is unsafe to assume that Israel means every tribe in the broadest sense. If the story says Jacob received the name, a modern state is not the immediate grammatical subject.
The historical glosses use prince, soldier, striving and prevailing language. Displaying the differences is more honest than selecting one as a universal scholarly verdict. None of these glosses alone settles later religious or political claims about who may use the name.
Selected passages in three editions
The panels quote a selection. Other references in the explanation identify related scenes; read their full context in the named biblical book.
Genesis 32:24-32
King James Version (eng-kjv2006, standard 1769 text)
24 ¶ And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
31 And as he passed over Penuel the sun rose upon him, and he halted upon his thigh.
32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not of the sinew which shrank, which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew that shrank.
World English Bible Classic (eng-web, US spelling)
24 Jacob was left alone, and wrestled with a man there until the breaking of the day.
25 When he saw that he didn’t prevail against him, the man touched the hollow of his thigh, and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was strained as he wrestled.
26 The man said, “Let me go, for the day breaks.” Jacob said, “I won’t let you go unless you bless me.”
27 He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob”.
28 He said, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have fought with God and with men, and have prevailed.”
29 Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” He said, “Why is it that you ask what my name is?” So he blessed him there.
30 Jacob called the name of the place Peniel; for he said, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”
31 The sun rose on him as he passed over Peniel, and he limped because of his thigh.
32 Therefore the children of Israel don’t eat the sinew of the hip, which is on the hollow of the thigh, to this day, because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.
American Standard Version (eng-asv)
24 And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.
25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh was strained, as he wrestled with him.
26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob.
28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for thou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed.
29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there.
30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for, said he, I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.
31 And the sun rose upon him as he passed over Penuel, and he limped upon his thigh.
32 Therefore the children of Israel eat not the sinew of the hip which is upon the hollow of the thigh, unto this day: because he touched the hollow of Jacob’s thigh in the sinew of the hip.
Before (WEB Classic): 22 He rose up that night, and took his two wives, and his two servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed over the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them, and sent them over the stream, and sent over that which he had.
Genesis 35:9-12
King James Version (eng-kjv2006, standard 1769 text)
9 ¶ And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came out of Padan-aram, and blessed him.
10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
12 And the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.
World English Bible Classic (eng-web, US spelling)
9 God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan Aram, and blessed him.
10 God said to him, “Your name is Jacob. Your name shall not be Jacob any more, but your name will be Israel.” He named him Israel.
11 God said to him, “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply. A nation and a company of nations will be from you, and kings will come out of your body.
12 The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and to your offspring after you I will give the land.”
American Standard Version (eng-asv)
9 And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him.
10 And God said unto him, Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and he called his name Israel.
11 And God said unto him, I am God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins;
12 and the land which I gave unto Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land.
Before (WEB Classic): 7 He built an altar there, and called the place El Beth El; because there God was revealed to him, when he fled from the face of his brother. 8 Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse, died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; and its name was called Allon Bacuth.
After (WEB Classic): 13 God went up from him in the place where he spoke with him. 14 Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he spoke with him, a pillar of stone. He poured out a drink offering on it, and poured oil on it.
FAQ
Does Israel always mean the same group?
No. Genesis can use it for Jacob and his descendants; Kings can use it for the northern kingdom. Read the passage's time and contrast terms before assigning a sense. The label by itself does not decide the boundaries of every group.
Related meanings
Biblical names and their meanings
How to study Israel
For each occurrence, ask whether Israel refers to Jacob, his descendants or a kingdom. Genesis 32 supplies the naming scene; Kings supplies a political contrast. Keep that distinction in a note beside the verse. The short name gloss cannot do the work of identifying the group.
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Verdict: Israel in the biblical passages
Israel meaning begins with Jacob's renaming and broadens with later use. The person, people and northern kingdom cannot be treated as interchangeable in every verse. Check the referent before drawing a conclusion.