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/ˈɪzreɪəl/ or /ˈɪzriːəl/
Hebrew: [jisʁaˈʔel] 'God Contended', 'Wrestles with God', 'Triumphant with God' |
Israel is a Biblical given name. The patriarch Jacob was given the name Israel (Hebrew: יִשְׂרָאֵל, Yisraʾel Yiśrāʾēl; "Triumphant with God", "who prevails with God") after he wrestled with a "man" (Genesis 32:28 and 35:10). The name already occurs in Eblaite and Ugaritic texts as a common name. Commentators differ on the original literal meaning. Some say the name comes from the verb śarar ("to rule, be strong, have authority over"), thereby making the name mean "God rules" or "God judges". Other possible meanings include "the prince of God" (from the King James Version) or "El fights/struggles". "The Jewish Study Bible" of Oxford University Press says on page 68 "The scientific etymology of Israel is uncertain, a good guess being '[The God] El rules.'" Jacob's descendants came to be known as the Israelites, eventually forming the tribes of Israel and ultimately the kingdom of Israel, whence came the name of modern-day State of Israel.
In Israel, the name "Israel Israeli" is sometimes used to mean someone whose name is unknown or unspecified.
Israel was a common name among Chaldeans till recent times. A famous Chaldean author is Bishop Israel Audo, famous for authoring a book about the Chaldean Genocide.
In Nazi Germany, male Jews who did not have "typically Jewish" given names were forced to add "Israel" as of January 1939. This decree was revoked by the allies in 1945.
Israel (Bishop of Caucasian Albania), 7th century CE
Israel Alter (also: Yisraʾel Alter, 1901-1979), Jewish composer and last chief cantor in Hanover, Germany
Israel Asper (1932–2003), Canadian media magnate
Israel of Axum, Emperor of Ethiopia in the 6th century CE
Israel Baline (1888–1989), the birth name of American composer Irving Berlin
Israel Cruz (born 1983), Australian singer
Israel Dagg (born 1988), New Zealand rugby player
Israel ben Eliezer (1698–1760), Jewish mystical rabbi
Israel Folau (born 1989), Australian rugby player
Israel Gelfand (1913–2009), Russian mathematician
Israel Gigato (born 1987), Spanish football player
Israel the Grammarian, 10th century European scholar
Israel Hands, 18th Century pirate
Israel Houghton (born 1971), American singer and Christian worship leader
Israel Idonije (born 1980), Nigeria-born Canadian player of American football
Israel Kamakawiwoʻole (1959–1997), Hawaiian singer and spiritual leader
Israel Kirzner (born 1930), American economist
Israel of Krems, 14th-15th century Austrian rabbi
Israel "Izzy" Lang, American football running back
Israel Machado (born 1960), Brazilian basketball player
Israel Ochoa (born 1964), Colombian cyclist
Israel Putnam (1718–1790), American general
Israel Raybon (born 1973), American football player
Israel Regardie (1907–1985), British occultist
Israel B. Richardson (1815–1862), Union major general in the American Civil War
Israel Ruiz, Jr. (born 1943), New York politician
Israel Shahak (1933–2001), Israeli author
Israel Shamir (born 1947), Swedish anti-Zionist writer
Israel Vázquez (born 1977), Mexican boxer
Yisrael Meir Lau (born 1937), Orthodox Ashkenazi
Al Israel, American actor
Dan Israel, American musician
Edward Israel (1859–1884), American astronomer and polar explorer
Elizabeth Israel (1875–2003), Dominican supercentenarian
Jonathan Israel (born 1946), British historian
Märt Israel (born 1983), Estonian discus thrower
Menasseh ben Israel (1604–1657), Portuguese rabbi and scholar
Rinus Israël (born 1942), Dutch football player and manager
Robert Decatur Israel, San Diego pioneer, keeper of the Old Point Loma lighthouse
Steve Israel (born 1958), American politician
Steve Israel (American football) (born 1969), American football player
Yuri Izrael (1930–2014), Russian scientist and vice-chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
Israel (name) Wikipedia (Text) CC BY-SA