יִשְׂרָאֵל
Israel
BDB lists 3 entries for ‘Israel’ fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Proper
- A name of a specific person, place, or people (e.g. Abraham, Zion, Israel).
Every verse where H3479 appears — 7 distinct verses across 1 book. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Ezra 7 verses
- Ezra 5:1 יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל n Proper Now the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied to the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem; in the name of the God of Israel [prophesied they] to them.
- Ezra 5:11 לְ/יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ prep + n Proper Thus they returned us answer, saying, We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and are building the house that was built these many years ago, which a great king of Israel built and finished.
- Ezra 6:14 יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל n Proper The elders of the Jews built and prospered, through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. They built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the decree of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
- Ezra 6:16 יִ֠שְׂרָאֵל n Proper The children of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy.
- Ezra 6:17 יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ יִשְׂרָאֵֽל n Proper n Proper They offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin-offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
- Ezra 7:13 יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל n Proper I make a decree, that all those of the people of Israel, and their priests and the Levites, in my realm, who are minded of their own free will to go to Jerusalem, go with you.
- Ezra 7:15 יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל n Proper and to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counselors have freely offered to the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
At its core, ישראל (Yisrâʼêl) means “Israel.” The word gravitates to Ezra (100%). It appears 7 verses across 1 book of the Hebrew Bible, among its uncommon vocabulary. First canonically at Ezra 5:1, it enters the text early. Dig into 7-verse concordance and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H3479 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 7
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 7 distinct verses.
- 1 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 1 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #2,625
- by frequency
- Top 5000 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 2,625 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 7 occurrences in the concordance →
Most concentrated in
- Ezra 7 verses 100%
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 7 distinct verses.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 7 verses · 100%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 2 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Israel 8×
- American Standard Version†: Israel 8×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Israel 7×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Israel 8×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H3479 across 8† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H3479 across 8† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H3479 across 7† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H3479 across 8† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
7 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 7 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
ישראל I , and deriv., v. sub i. שׂרה.
ישראל II
- 1. n.pr.m. second name of Jacob Gn 32:29 + 28 times Gn (JE), Ex 32:13 (JE), Ho 12:13; Ju 18:29; Ex 6:14; Nu 1:20; 26:5 (all P), 2 K 17:34 1 Ch 1:34 + 8 times Chr, ψ 105:23; בֵּית יִשׂ׳ Ru 4:11; בְּנֵי יִשׂ׳ (lit.) Gn 42:5 + 3 times E, 2 times P + Ex 1:7 (P; transition to wider use), 1 K 18:31 1 Ch 2:1 +; = 12 tribes Ex 28:9 + 7 times P; אֱלֹהֵי אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיִשׂ׳ †1 K 18:36; 1 Ch 29:18; 2 Ch 30:6. e.g. Genesis 32:29
- 2. n.pr.gent. (usually m. Ju 11:17 f. but f. 1 S 17:21; 2 S 24:9 [not ‖ 1 Ch 21:5], cf. Drad loc. AlbrZAW xvi (1896), 57 f.): name of Hebrew nation; usually der. from 1, but יִשׂ׳ more common in early usage than בְּנֵי יִשׂ׳ (v. בֵּן p. 120b): e.g. Judges 11:17
- a. (1) undivided kingdom; יִשׂ׳ Gn 47:27 (J), 49:7 (poem in J) + 108 times JE, Dt 1:1; 18:6; 33:10 (poem) + 76 times D, Gn 34:7 Ex 12:15 + 42 times P; Ju 5:2, 7(×2) + 104 times Ju, often 1 and 2 S, 1 K 1–12; כָּל־יִשׂ׳ of whole people 2 S 8:15 +, of whole army 11:1 +, opp. Judah 2:9 + (so also later). (2) יִשׂ׳ = N. tribes, disting. from Judah, even before disruption, 2 S 2:9, cf. v 10 3:10; 4:1; 5:5; 12:7; 20:1 1 K 1:35; 4:20; 5:5 +; so at disruption 12:16(×3), 18, 19; then usually of N. kingdom, till its fall, v 28; 24:7, 10 + very often K, Am 1:1; 2:6; 3:14 +, Ho 1:5; 4:15(×2); 5:3(×2), 5 +, Mi 1:13, etc. (3) יִשׂ׳ of S. kingdom, Judah, rarely bef. fall of Samaria Is 1:3; 8:18 Mi 1:14, 15, so בְּנֵי יִשׂ׳ 1 K 12:17; after fall of Sam., יִשׂ׳ (less often בְּנֵי יִשׂ׳) occurs of entire people, in reference to past or future 2 K 21:8; 23:22; Is 17:9 ψ 103:7; Je 2:3; 50:17, 19 +; יִשׂ׳ also = Judah Je 2:14, 31; 4:1 +, Ez 13:2, 4, 16; 14:1, 7, 9 +, Is 40:27; 41:8; 42:24 +, Ezr 2:59 = Ne 7:61, Ezr 2:70; 3:11 +, Ne 10:34; 10:3 +, ψ 14:7(×2) = 53:7(×2), 147:2; 149:2 +, etc. (4) usage in Chr: יִשׂ׳ of whole people 1 Ch 2:7 + 110 times, of N. kingdom 2 Ch 11:1 + 16 times, of Judah 12:6; 19:8 + 9 times (5) יִשׂ׳ personif. as עֶבֶד י׳, Is 44:1, 21; 49:3 e.g. Genesis 47:27
- b. בְּנֵי יִשׂ׳, (1) of undiv. people Ex 1:12 (J), 3:9 (E) + 72 times JE, Dt 3:18; 10:6 + 25 times D, Gn 32:33 + 327 times P; Ju 1:1 + 60 times Ju; seld. 1 and 2 Sm, 1 K 1–12; in 13–2 K 25 pass. in ref. to older hist. (rarely otherwise). (2) seldom of N. kingdom Am 2:11 + 9 times Am Ho, 2 Ch 13:12 + 7 times Chr. (3) of Judah (late) Ez 2:3; Ne 1:6(×2) Ezr 3:1; Jo 4:16 +, 2 Ch 31:5. e.g. Exodus 1:12
- c. בֵּית יִשׂ׳ Ex 16:31; 40:38 + 142 times (v. בַּיִת 5 d (δ); 81 times Ez, where = Judah; v. especially 37:16); שְׁנֵי בָֽתֵּי יִשׂ׳ Is 8:14. e.g. Exodus 16:31
- d. other phrases, v. sub אִישׁ, אֶרֶץ, בַּת, בְּתוּלָה, גְּבוּל, הַר, כִּסֵּא, מֶלֶךְ, נטה) מַטֶּה), יעד) עֵדָה), עַם, שֵׁבֶט; also (in epith. of י׳) sub אָבִיר, אוֹר, אֱלֹהִים, I. גָּאַל, מֶלֶךְ, מִקְוֶה (I. קוה), i. צוּר (V. צור), קָדוֹשׁ, I. רָעָה 1 d (3).
- e. יִשׂ׳ =the laity, opp. priests, etc. (late): Ezr 10:25; Ne 11:3; 1 Ch 9:2 כָּל־יִשׂ׳ Ezr 2:70; 10:5; הָעָם יִשׂ׳ 9:1; בְּנֵי יִשׂ׳ Ne 10:40, cf. שְׁאָר יִשׂ׳ 11:20. e.g. Ezra 10:25
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. n.pr., and deriv., v. sub i. שׂרה.
II. n.pr.m. et gent. Israel (E†l persisteth, persevereth (or juss. Let E†l persist) [usually contendeth (NesEg 60 ff.) or Let E†l contend (GrayProp. N. 218), but v. DrHastDict. Bib. Jacob 530]; on vocalization v. LagBN 131 f. Kit 1 Ch 4:16 (Hpt); MI5, + 5 times ישראל; in Egyptian Y-si-r-ʾl SteindorffZAW xvi (1896), 331, cf. BreastedBib. World ix (1897), 62 ff. PatonSyriac and Pal. 134; Assyrian Sir-ʾ-lai (= יִשְׂרְאֵלִי) SchrKG 356 ff., 364; COT Gn 36:31, 1 K 16:29.—On a poss. relation of יִשׂ׳ to n.pr. שָׂרַי, שָׂרָה v. RSK 257, 2nd ed. 34;—cf. שְׂרָיָה(וּ));—Ισραηλ:
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from ישראל (Yisrâʼêl) (H3478) — Israel.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
יִשְׂרָאֵל
- Israel.
- 1. I. (Jacob), the patriarch. Gen. R. s. 68 י׳ סבא the patriarch I. the patriarch I. (not the people); a. fr.
- 2. I., the people. Ber. 6ᵃ; a. fr.—שונאי י׳ the enemies of Israel, often euphem. for Israel. Ib. 32ᵃ נתמוטטו … של ש׳ י׳ the feet of Israel would totter (in judgment); a. fr.—V. כְּנֶסֶת.
- 3. י׳ (= בן י׳) an Israelite, a) one not belonging to the priestly or levitic tribe; b) a Jew, opp. נכרי, גוי. Gitt. V, 8. Tosef. Kidd. V, 3; a. fr.—Tosef. Ab. Zar. III, 5, sq. Ab. Zar. II, 6; a. fr.—בַּת י׳ an Israelitish woman. Tosef. l. c. 1; 3; a. fr.—Pl. יִשְׂרְאֵלוֹת (opp. to כַּהֲנוֹת, לְוִיּוֹת). Tosef. Snh. IV, 2.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 7 distinct written forms H3479 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | Noun, Proper | Ezra 6:14 | 2 |
| יִ֠שְׂרָאֵל | Noun, Proper | Ezra 6:16 | 1 |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל | Noun, Proper | Ezra 5:1 | 1 |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל | Noun, Proper | Ezra 7:13 | 1 |
| יִשְׂרָאֵֽל | Noun, Proper | Ezra 6:17 | 1 |
| יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ | Noun, Proper | Ezra 6:17 | 1 |
| לְ/יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ | Noun, Proper | Ezra 5:11 | 1 |
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H3479, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → 3 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Bible dictionary
Public-domain dictionary articles matched to this entry by name (Israel). A biblical name can be shared by more than one person or place, so an article may treat several.
Easton's Bible Dictionary · M. G. Easton, 1897
The name conferred on Jacob after the great prayer-struggle at Peniel (Gen. 32:28), because "as a prince he had power with God and prevailed." (See JACOB.) This is the common name given to Jacob's descendants. The whole people of the twelve tribes are called "Israelites," the "children of Israel" (Josh. 3:17; 7:25; Judg. 8:27; Jer. 3:21), and the "house of Israel" (Ex. 16:31; 40:38).
This name Israel is sometimes used emphatically for the true Israel (Ps. 73:1: Isa. 45:17; 49:3; John 1:47; Rom. 9:6; 11:26).
After the death of Saul the ten tribes arrogated to themselves this name, as if they were the whole nation (2 Sam. 2:9, 10, 17, 28; 3:10, 17; 19:40-43), and the kings of the ten tribes were called "kings of Israel," while the kings of the two tribes were called "kings of Judah."
After the Exile the name Israel was assumed as designating the entire nation.
Smith's Bible Dictionary · William Smith, 1863
(the prince that prevails with God).
+ The name given, (Genesis 32:28) to Jacob after his wrestling with the angel, (Hosea 12:4) at Peniel. Gesenius interprets Israel "soldier of God." + It became the national name of the twelve tribes collectively. They are so called in (Exodus 3:16) and afterward. + It is used in a narrower sense, excluding Judah, in (1 Samuel 11:8; 2 Samuel 20:1; 1 Kings 12:16) Thenceforth it was assumed and accepted as the name of the northern kingdom. + After the Babylonian captivity, the returned exiles resumed the name Israel as the designation of their nation. The name Israel is also used to denote lay-men, as distinguished from priests, Levites and other ministers. (Ezra 6:16; 9:1; 10:25; Nehemiah 11:3) etc.
Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary · Roswell D. Hitchcock, 1869
who prevails with God
Classic public-domain reference works; full attribution on Sources.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 7 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 7 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
