Who Are the People of the Bible?
Let's talk about vocabulary today and what it can show us about who we are in Jesus Christ / Yeshua Messiah. Here are some different terms that are used to describe Yehovah's people throughout the scriptures: Hebrew Israel Ephraim Judah Jew Church Let's begin with Abraham. Believe it or not, Abraham was not a Jew. He grew up in Ur of the Chaldeans (Gen 11:31). That means Abraham was from the area we know today as Iraq. The word Hebrew in the language of Hebrew means "crosses over." Abraham crossed over the desert to Canaan physically, and he crossed over from pagan worship to the worship of the One True God as well. Abraham was a Hebrew. Jacob, Abraham's grandson, struggled with God and with men...and overcame (Gen 32:29). Yehovah gave Jacob a new name: Israel. Israel is defined in this scripture as meaning "one who struggles with God." Jacob/Israel had 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel. These 12 tribes wer