Difference between revisions of "Jew"

<p> '''Jew.''' &nbsp;2 Kings 16:6. A name applied first to men of Judah. The most common title for [[Jews]] in the Old [[Testament]] is "Israel" or "Israelites," but in the New Testament "Jews" is most frequently used. The terms "Israel" and "Israelites" occur in [[Scriptures]] about 2460 times; "Jew" and "Jews" about 275 times, and "Hebrew" or "Hebrews" about 50 times. "Jew" is a broader title than Hebrews, as it may include Hellenists, Greek proselytes who became Jews, &nbsp;Acts 6:1; &nbsp;Acts 24:18, and less specific than Israelites. See &nbsp;John 1:47; &nbsp;2 Corinthians 11:22. </p> <p> [[Hebrew]] is probably from ''Eber,'' a Hebrew word meaning "to pass over," and the name of an ancestor of Abram, &nbsp;Genesis 10:24; &nbsp;Genesis 11:13. [[Abram]] is first called "the Hebrew" in &nbsp;Genesis 14:13. The Egyptians, &nbsp;Genesis 39:14; &nbsp;Genesis 41:12, and the Philistines, &nbsp;1 Samuel 4:6, knew the people by this title. But they sometimes use it of themselves, but only when foreigners are thought of. &nbsp;Genesis 40:15; &nbsp;Exodus 2:7. The favorite name was "Israelites," and after the captivity the title "Jews" came into vogue, but the title "Hebrews" was still used for the more strict Jews, who preferred the Hebrew language, in distinction from the [[Hellenists]] or [[Grecian]] Jews. The Hebrew people were descended directly from Abram, &nbsp;Genesis 12:1, through Isaac and Jacob, and are frequently called the "seed of Abraham," &nbsp;Psalms 105:6; &nbsp;John 8:37, or "children of Abraham," &nbsp;Galatians 3:7, or "children of Israel," &nbsp;Exodus 1:13. God, to carry out his purpose and preserve his church, called [[Abraham]] to leave his father's house and his country, and separated him and his household from the rest of mankind; gave him special promises, made covenants with him, and constituted him the "Father of the Faithful" to the world. From that time, for two thousand years, the visible church of God was confined to the family of this man; and for fifteen centuries the history of this family is the only sacred history of the world. During fifty generations of the children of Adam the family of this man, or rather the descendants of a part of it, "elected according to the purpose of God," &nbsp;Romans 9:11, enjoyed exclusive privileges; to the [[Israelites]] alone ''"Pertaineth'' the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of ''God,'' and the promises, whose ''Are'' the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ ''Came,'' who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen." &nbsp;Romans 9:4-5. They were separated from the world by most stringent laws; and it was necessary during all that time for the rest of mankind, through the Jews, to learn the way to be saved. The darkness of death overshadowed all other lands. [[Thanks]] be to God 1 when the fullness of time was come, when salvation was completed by the life, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the reservoir of truth was thus filled, the gates were opened; and the command was given to the church to go forth and to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation to all nations and to preach the gospel to every creature. "The gospel preached unto Abraham," before the giving of the law: "In thee shall all nations be blessed" was the first proclamation "that God would justify the heathen through faith." &nbsp;Galatians 3:8. Nothing can more conclusively show the hand of God in directing the history of the world, and in controlling the affairs of nations, than the prophecies and the facts connected with the history of Abraham and of his descendants. Two thousand years after the promise was made to him; in thy seed shall all the families and all the nations of the earth be blessed. &nbsp;Genesis 12:3; &nbsp;Genesis 18:18; &nbsp;Genesis 22:18. It was fulfilled in the advent of the Son of God, born of the seed of Abraham. The fearful prophecies of God concerning the descendants of Abraham, Tittered before they entered the promised land, have been continually in progress of fulfillment to the letter. The Jews have not only undergone the horrors of the siege and the loss of their country, so graphically foretold and described in the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy; but they are at this day, living witnesses to the truth of God's word. More than three thousand years ago, while on a conquering march, with visions of glory before them, they were warned of their future apostacy, and were told of the judgments that would fall upon them and upon their land. It was said to them, "Thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb and a by-word among all nations, whither the Lord shall lead thee." &nbsp;Deuteronomy 28:37. "These curses shall be upon thee for a sign and for a wonder, and upon thy seed." &nbsp;Deuteronomy 28:45-46. "The Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other;... and among these nations shalt thou find no ease, neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest." &nbsp;Deuteronomy 28:64-65. This has been literally the sad lot of this wonderful people for the last eighteen hundred years. Besides these foretold judgments upon the Jews there are also in the word of God promises of blessings yet to be enjoyed by them. In some of these the world has an interest. While telling the Israelites of the woes that should come upon them, God added: "And yet, for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the Lord their God." &nbsp;Leviticus 26:44. We are told "Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the [[Gentiles]] be come in. And so all [[Israel]] shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of [[Sion]] the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." &nbsp;Romans 11:25. Paul tells us, "Through their fall salvation ''Is Come'' unto the Gentiles." &nbsp;Romans 11:11. And he informs us that the world is again to be indebted to the Jews; he says: "Now if the fall of them ''Be'' the riches of the world and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?" &nbsp;Romans 11:11-12. The restoration and conversion of the Jews is thus connected with the great ingathering of all nations into the Church of Christ; and the time of this is at hand. The Jews by their talents and industry exert great influence among [[Christian]] nations. They have long been the great bankers of the world. The Rothschild family with its immense wealth has controlled the money market. The Jews have furnished great scholars and statesmen. Neander, the church historian, and Stahl, the jurist, were converted Jews; the great musicians, Mendelssohn, Meyerbeer, Spinoza, Edersheim and Lord Beaconsfield, were of [[Jewish]] extraction. They have distinguished themselves in all the occupations except agriculture and manufactures. They are divided into orthodox and liberal or reform Jews, who differ from each other as the [[Pharisees]] and [[Sadducees]] of old. The former prevail in Russia, [[Poland]] and the East; the latter in [[Germany]] and America. Many of the Jews today are deists, or rationalists. The number of Jews in the world is estimated at 9,000,000, of whom 50,000 live in New York city, where they accumulate great wealth. The last word of Christ and the apostles concerning this wonderful people—which, like the miming bush, are never consumed—is a word of promise and hope that their blindness will be removed, and that after the fulness of the Gentiles has come in "all Israel shall be saved." &nbsp;Romans 11:26. We are indebted to the Jews for our knowledge of God, and of the way of salvation. All of the Scriptures were written by Jews. Moses, the prophets, and the apostles were all Jews. Jesus Christ, our Lord, "was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;" and he says: "Salvation is of the Jews." &nbsp;John 4:22. </p>

<p> At first one belonging to the kingdom of Judah, as distinguished from northern Israel (&nbsp;2 Kings 16:6). After the captivity, all members of the one new state were "Jews," i.e. in God's outward covenant, as contrasted with "Greeks" or Gentiles (&nbsp;Romans 1:16; &nbsp;Romans 2:9, margin). "Hebrew" on the other hand expressed their language and nationality, in contrast to "Hellenists," i.e. Greek speaking Jews. Again the term" Israelites" expresses the high theocratic privileges of descent from the patriarch who "as a prince had power with God" (&nbsp;2 Corinthians 11:22; &nbsp;Romans 9:4). John uses "Jews" of the faction hostile to the Lord Jesus. </p> <p> By the time that he wrote the Jews had definitely rejected the gospel offered to them by the apostles at home and abroad (&nbsp;1 Thessalonians 2:14-16); so they are no longer regarded as the covenant people, the kingdom of God having passed from them to the Gentiles (&nbsp;Acts 13:45-46) The destruction of [[Jerusalem]] and the temple formally effected the transference, forever since the Jew professes a religion enjoining what God's providence makes it impossible for him to fulfil, namely, the observance of the great feasts and the sacrificial system in the temple at Jerusalem. B. F. Westcott (Smith's Bible Dictionary) notices the preparation for the last or gospel revelation by the disciplining of the Jews under </p> <p> '''(1)''' the [[Persian]] supremacy (536-333 B.C.), in organization, order, and ritual; </p> <p> '''(2)''' under the Greek (333-167 B.C.), in liberty and speculation; </p> <p> '''(3)''' under the Asmonsean Maccabees, in independence and faith; </p> <p> '''(4)''' under the Herods, in the separation between the temporal and the spiritual kingdom. [[Jewry]] means [[Judea]] (&nbsp;Daniel 5:13). "The Jews' language" signifies both the Hebrew (&nbsp;2 Kings 18:26) and the [[Aramaic]] Hebrew acquired in the captivity (&nbsp;Nehemiah 13:24), "the language (lip) of Canaan" (&nbsp;Isaiah 19:18). (See [[Hebrew]] [[Language]] </p>

<p> The name ‘Jew’ was not used in Old Testament times before the division of the [[Israelite]] kingdom. After the death of King Solomon, the kingdom was split into two parts, the northern part being known as Israel and the southern part as Judah. People of the southern kingdom, though Israelites by blood (since they were descended from Jacob, or Israel) were called Judeans, to distinguish them from those of the northern kingdom. The name ‘Judean’ was later shortened to ‘Jew’ (&nbsp;Jeremiah 34:9). </p> <p> Both northern and southern kingdoms were eventually destroyed and the people taken captive to foreign lands. When the descendants of these captives were later allowed to return to the land of Israel, most of those who returned belonged to the former southern kingdom (the Judeans, or Jews). </p> <p> By this time the name ‘Jew’ was in common use. It was freely applied to all those now living back in the ancient homeland, without having any specific reference to the tribe they originally came from. In other words, it was used in general as a name for all Israelites (&nbsp;Ezra 6:7; &nbsp;Nehemiah 6:6; &nbsp;Esther 3:6; &nbsp;Esther 3:10; &nbsp;Jeremiah 44:1; &nbsp;Daniel 3:8). By the time of the New Testament, the names ‘Hebrew’, ‘Israelite’ and ‘Jew’ were used interchangeably (&nbsp;Matthew 2:2; &nbsp;John 1:19; &nbsp;Acts 2:5; &nbsp;Romans 1:16; &nbsp;Romans 2:28-29; &nbsp;Romans 11:1; &nbsp;1 Corinthians 9:20; &nbsp;2 Corinthians 11:22; &nbsp;Galatians 2:14; &nbsp;Philippians 3:5; see also [[Hebrew; Israel; Judah, Tribe And Kingdom]] ) </p>

<p> '''Jew.''' ''(A Man Of Judea).'' This name was properly applied to a member of the kingdom of Judah after the separation of the ten tribes. The term first makes its appearance just before the captivity of the ten tribes. &nbsp;2 Kings 16:6. After the return, the word received a larger application. </p> <p> [[Partly]] from the predominance of the members of the old kingdom of Judah among those who returned to Palestine, partly from the identification of Judah with the religious ideas and hopes of the people, all the members of the new state were called Jews (Judeans) and the name was extended to the remnants of the race scattered throughout the nations. Under the name of "Judeans," the people of Israel were known to classical writers. (Tac. H. V.2, etc). </p> <p> The force of the title ''"Jew"'' is seen particularly in the [[Gospel]] of St. John, who very rarely uses any other term to describe the opponents of our Lord. At an earlier stage of the progress of the faith, it was contrasted with [[Greek]] as implying an outward covenant with God, &nbsp;Romans 1:16; &nbsp;Romans 2:9-10; &nbsp;Colossians 3:11; etc., which was the correlative of [[Hellenist]] , ''See '' [[Hellenist]] '','' and marked a division of language subsisting within the entire body, and at the same time, less expressive than [[Israelite]] , which brought out with especial clearness, the privileges and hopes of the children of Jacob. &nbsp;2 Corinthians 11:22; &nbsp;John 1:47. </p>

<p> A man of Judah. The term does not occur until after the division of the kingdom. &nbsp;2 Kings 16:6; &nbsp;2 Kings 25:25 . It is applied to any one belonging to the two tribes, and it may have been used respecting any of the ten tribes who remained in the land at the captivity or returned thither. The name is principally found in the O.T. in Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and Jeremiah. In Esther the name is applied to <i> all </i> <i> the Hebrews </i> in Persia. In the N.T. the name occurs most frequently in the gospel of John, where it is applied to those of Jerusalem and [[Judaea]] in distinction from 'the people' who may have been [[Galileans]] or visitors from a distance. John speaks of 'the Jews,' 'the Jews' passover,' etc., as though he were not a Jew. They had rejected the Lord, and in spirit John was separate from them. </p> <p> In the addresses to the seven churches we twice read of those who "say they are Jews, and are not." The name is there used of those claiming to be the people of God by descent, but not so morally, as in another place there are some "who say they are apostles, and are not." &nbsp;Revelation 2:2,9; &nbsp;Revelation 3:9 . In a similar way the Jews prided themselves in being 'sons of Abraham,' whereas, the Lord declared that they were not such morally. The name [[Jewess]] occurs only in &nbsp;Acts 16:1; &nbsp;Acts 24:24 . </p>

<p> <strong> JEW </strong> . The name by which the descendants of Israel have been known for many centuries. It is corrupted from <em> Judah </em> . After the division of the kingdom in b.c. 937, the southern portion was called by the name of the powerful tribe of Judah, which composed most of its inhabitants. It was in this kingdom that the Deuteronomic reform occurred, which was the first step in the creation of an organized religion sharply differentiated from the other religions of the world. This religion, developed during the Exile, bore the name of the kingdom of Judah. All Israelites who maintained their identity were its adherents, hence the name ‘Jew’ has absorbed the name ‘Israel.’ For their history, see Israel (I. 21 30) and Dispersion. For their religion, see Israel (II. 5, 6). </p> <p> On the special meaning of ‘the Jews’ in Jn. see p. 481 b f. </p> <p> [[George]] A. Barton. </p>

<li> Israelites, as respects their sacred privileges as the chosen people of God. "To other races we owe the splendid inheritance of modern civilization and secular culture; but the religious education of mankind has been the gift of the Jew alone." <div> <p> '''Copyright Statement''' These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton [[M.A., DD]] Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by [[Thomas]] Nelson, 1897. Public Domain. </p> <p> '''Bibliography Information''' Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Jew'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/j/jew.html. 1897. </p> </div> </li>

<p> JEW, n. a contraction of [[Judas]] of Judah. A Hebrew or Israelite. </p>

<p> Jew, a name formed from that of the patriarch Judah, and applied in its first use to one belonging to the tribe or country of Judah, or rather perhaps to a subject of the separate kingdom of Judah . During the Captivity the term seems to have been extended to all the people of the Hebrew language and country, without distinction ; and this loose application of the name was preserved after the restoration to Palestine, when it came to denote not only every descendant of Abraham in the largest possible sense, but even proselytes who had no blood-relation to the Hebrews (; comp. ). See the articles Israel; Judah. </p>