Israelite

Ancient Promised Land dweller

An Israelite is a member of the ancient Hebrew nation descended from the patriarch Jacob (also called Israel), or one of the twelve tribes traditionally traced to his sons.

The term appears throughout the Hebrew Bible and refers to the people of Israel before the establishment of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.

In modern usage, Israelite sometimes appears in religious contexts or as a deliberate archaism: The Israelites wandered forty years in the wilderness.

Distinguished from Israeli, which refers to citizens of the modern state of Israel.

ancient

Hebrew

Semitic language of Israel

  • CanaanAncient Palestinian region
  • EgyptNortheastern African nation
  • PharaohEgyptian royal title

Bronze Age · Iron Age · Near East · Mesopotamia · Assyria · Babylon · captivity · exile · chariot · shepherd

biblical

Moses

Hebrew prophet, liberator

tabernacle · covenant · ark · manna · prophet · patriarch · Joshua · Judges · Samson · David

tribal

twelve tribes

Hebrew ancestral divisions

  • JudahPatriarch and namesake tribe
  • BenjaminHebrew-origin masculine name
  • LeviHebrew name, "attached"

Ephraim · Manasseh · Dan · Asher · Reuben · Simeon · clan · kinship · elder · chieftain

heritage

ancestry

Family line of descent

bloodline · tribe · progenitor · forefather · descendant · diaspora · identity · tradition · legacy · roots

religious

Levite

Priestly tribe member

  • kohenJewish priestly descendant
  • priestOne who performs sacraments
  • templeSacred worship structure

sacrifice · altar · offering · Torah · monotheism · Sabbath · circumcision · Passover · unleavened bread · atonement

Categories
Opposites
ancient near eastern ethnic/national identity

IsraeliteEgyptian

Relating to the pharaohs' land

Canaanite · Philistine · Pharaoh · pagan · idolater

Phrases
Family

Israeli, Israelites

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G