Hebrews

Overview

“Hebrews” translates Hebrew עִבְרִים and Greek Ἑβραῖοι, terms used in the Bible for Abraham and his descendants, especially when they are viewed from the standpoint of outsiders, foreigners, or intercultural contact. Abram is first called “the Hebrew” in Genesis 14:13; Joseph is identified as a Hebrew in Egypt; the enslaved Israelites are called Hebrews in Exodus; Philistines use the term for Israelites in 1 Samuel; Jonah calls himself “a Hebrew” before non-Israelite sailors; and the New Testament uses “Hebrews” for Jews marked by Semitic language and custom, as in Acts 6:1 and Philippians 3:5. Biblical genealogy connects the name with Eber, a descendant of Shem and ancestor of Abraham, while modern scholarship also discusses whether the term is related to the wider ancient Near Eastern social designation ḫabiru or ʿapiru.

Biblical shape

Ethnic, cultural, and sometimes linguistic designation for Abraham’s descendants, especially in settings involving non-Israelites or internal Jewish linguistic distinction. Genealogical origin in Eber: Genesis locates Eber among the descendants of Shem and makes him an ancestor of Abraham. Abram called the Hebrew: Abram is identified as “Abram the Hebrew” in the account of the rescue of Lot. The phrase occurs in an international setting involving Canaanite and Mesopotamian kings, fitting the broader pattern in which “Hebrew” is often used when…. Joseph identified as a Hebrew in Egypt: In the Joseph narrative, Egyptians and Joseph himself use “Hebrew” as an ethnic marker. The Hebrews enslaved in Egypt: Exodus frequently calls the enslaved Israelites “Hebrews,” especially in speech involving Pharaoh, Egyptian officials, Moses, Aaron, and the God of the Hebrews. Hebrew slaves in Israelite law: Legal texts use “Hebrew” for Israelite debt-servants whose service is limited by covenantal law.

Key passages

• Gen 10:21-25
• Gen 11:14-26
• Gen 14:13
• Gen 39:14, 17
• Gen 40:15
• Gen 41:12
• Gen 43:32
• Exod 1:15-19
• Exod 2:6-13
• Exod 3:18

Theological significance

In the Hebrew Bible, “Hebrew” (ʿibrî) appears chiefly in contexts where Abraham’s descendants are named from the viewpoint of outsiders or in situations of foreign contact: Abram is “the Hebrew” in Gen 14:13; Joseph is called a Hebrew in Egypt; the enslaved Israelites are termed Hebrews in Exodus; and Jonah identifies himself as a Hebrew before Gentile sailors. Second Temple writers preserved this ethnic memory while broadening its setting: Sirach praises the ancestors of the “holy covenant,” Josephus regularly speaks of the Hebrews as the ancient people of Israel, and Philo treats the term as a marker of sacred lineage and language. Patristic authors generally read the Hebrews as the biblical people of promise; Origen and Jerome used the name in allegorical and philological discussions, while Augustine in City of God connected their history with the providential unfolding of Israel. Ecumenical Consensus: Jewish and Christian interpreters have generally understood the Hebrews as the people descended from Abraham and, more broadly, as the ancestors or early form of Israel and the Jewish people.

Related Atlas concepts

• eucharistic-sacrifice-debate
• new-covenant-theology
• priestly-holiness-and-purity
• sabbath-rest-typology