“And who is like Your people Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people …”
(1 Chr 17:21, NKJV)
When considering the Bible as a historical document the importance of the nation of Israel and the Hebrew language takes up an important position in the larger history of the world. In The Weekly Standard of 11 May 1998 Charles Krauthammer makes this statement – “Israel is the very embodiment of Jewish continuity: It is the only nation on earth that inhabits the same land, bears the same name, speaks the same language, and worships the same God that it did 3,000 years ago. You dig the soil and you find pottery from Davidic times, coins from Bar Kokhba, and 2,000-year-old scrolls written in a script remarkably like the one that today advertises ice cream at the corner candy store.”
Israel was however only declared a nation in God’s promise to Abram (Gen 12:3) in approximately 2090 BC. In obedience Abram traveled from his place of birth (modern-day Iraq) to the land that God shows him (Heb 11:8). In a visitation this land, Canaan (Gen 12:5), is promised to him and his descendants (verse 7). God makes a covenant with Abram and again the land of Canaan (Gen 15:5 and 7) is promised to him and his descendants. After his grandson Jacob’s wrestle with God (Gen 32:22-32), he is renamed Israel. The sons of Jacob are soon after referred to as “the sons of Israel” (Gen 46:8; Ex 1:1). In Joshua 21:45 one already finds reference to “the house of Israel”, which is henceforth used to denote both the nation but also the portion of their land.
Following the division of the tribe under Rehoboam and Jeroboam I the term Israel now refers to the Northern province, which opposes Judah, the southern province. But after the fall of Samaria, the capturing of the ten tribes and their return after exile the name Israel is used when referring to those returned exiles (Ezra 9:1; Neh 9:1). Eventually the term is however replaced by the term Jews (Biblical Encyclopedia, and Handbook to the Bible).
Strangely enough this tribe’s other name, the Hebrews (Ex 21:2; Deut 15:12; Jer 34:9) has no direct link with the Hebraic language. As an example – in 2 Kings 18:26 Eliakim says to the Rabshakeh – “Please speak to your servants in Aramaic, for we understand it; and do not speak to us in Hebrew in the hearing of the people who are on the wall.”
According to the Jewish sages Hebrew did not come from Abram, and is, in contrast to certain notable linguistic theories (such as Angel Sáenz-Badillos’ authoritative A History of the Hebrew Language), not a Canaanite language. Through the ages the Jewish rabbis have believed that God spoke to Adam in Hebrew, and that it was carried over from generation to generation, finally reaching Eber (who would receive it from Noah, Noah receiving it from Adam). The Hebrew language was spoken by Eber (phonetic – Heber) and was called Ibrit (Hebrew). He preserved it, even during the events that transpired around the Tower of Babylon, and carried it over to Abram. From there it became the mother tongue of the Jews, in the land of Israel.
This history should confirm that 1 Chr 17:21 is indeed true – “And who is like Your people Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people—to make for Yourself a name by great and awesome deeds, by driving out nations from before Your people whom You redeemed from Egypt?”
- Sela: Concerning Ex 19:6 and 1 Pet 1:9. Who is this tribe of which is constantly spoken?
- Read: Num 14; Dan 5; Ezek 15
- Memorize: Num 14:21
- For a deeper understanding: biu.ac.il/JH/Parasha/eng/vayigash/sarfati.html
