Why Israel was named Israel?

Why was the name Israel chosen for the state of Israel? Who was Israel and what is its relation of the names Zion and Judah in the context of the state of Israel?

Over the past three thousand years, the name "Israel" has meant in common and religious usage both the Land of Israel and the entire Jewish nation. According to the Bible, Jacob is renamed Israel after successfully wrestling with an angel of God.

The earliest archaeological artifact to mention "Israel" (other than as a personal name) is the Merneptah Stele of ancient Egypt (dated the late 13th century BCE) which refers to a people of that name. The modern country was named the State of Israel, after other proposed names, including "Eretz Ysrael" ("the Land of Israel"), Zion, and Judea, were rejected. In the early weeks of independence, the government chose the term "Israeli" to denote a citizen of Israel, with the formal announcement made by Minister of Foreign Affairs Moshe Sharett.

E-H Dictionary

English	How pronounced	Hebrew
Name	Shem	שם
Usage	Shimush	שימוש
Wrestling	He’avkut	היאבקות
Reject	Lidkhot	לדחות
Success	Hatzlaha	הצלחה
Country	Eratz	ארץ
Artifact	Parit	פריט

One Response to Why Israel was named Israel?

Valerie says:

January 1, 2010 at 8:59 pm

Excellent but several points here. 1. Women are very important in the story of Yeshuas Birth. Elizabeth, his mothers cousin was from the line of Aaron, her husband a Levite who lost the power of speech for 9 months for not accepting what Gavriel said. Christmas is simply a prophetic celebration of Jesus coming, conceived at Hanukah and born at Shelters..space of 9 months! Santa Niclaus was a Christian of the 4th Century who looked after poor children and paid for the liberation of 3 vulnerable princesses…meanwhile St Augustine of Hippo who is lauded for his Holy Life, was wept over by his Mother Monica, and turning from his temptations became a misogynist, hardly surprising that ministry petered out, destroyed by misogynistic muslims. It was customary in the 50′s for men of God to walk on their knees in humility as they approached the church of the Holy Sepulchre to worship, not to walk in pridefully. God still works thru those of humble and contrite hearts today and uses the weak and foolish things to confound the wisdom of the worldly wise. Shabbat Shalom and Sameach faith filled 2010. Amen