Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1892-06-04
THE NAMES OF A RACE.
WHICH IS RIGHT. HEBREW. IS
RAELITE OR JEW.
Rabbi Explains What the Three Terms
Really Mean-Thn Appellation
"Jew" Is Most Commonly
Recognized.

1t Is not an unfrequent occurrence
that l am asked which of the three
appeIlations given to our people
Hebrew. '.Israelite'' or .Jew"-be
the more correct or acceptable. J.
have no doubt that one or the other
among you have had similar questions.
to answer says Rev. L. Stewart in,
the Washington Star nor that you
experienced some difficulty in shaping
your reply. In books. periodicals
and daily papers. in public meetings
and private conversations these words
are used either indiscriminately or
with an apparent doubt as to whether
or not one or the other would be
preferable. or perhaps Objectionable.
In order to form a correct opinion il
would appear necessary TO have some
knowledge OF the etymology origin.
and former usage OF these termA
Hebrew-in our sacred tongue
called 'Ibri" derived from avar "
Ito cross " come over" 1t was
first applied by the ancient inhabi-
tants of Palestine to the family of our
ancestor. Abraham. who migrating
from Mesopotamia to Palestine had
TO cross or pass over the river Euph-
rates. 1t was the name by which the
Jews were known to foreigners in
ancient days Thus Joseph is spoken
of by the Egyptians, and introduced
himself to them as an 'Ibrr' or He
brow" Miriam asks Pharaoh's
daughter whether she should go and
call Hebrew" woman. Moses
speaks TO Pharaoh of the God OF the
Hebrews " and the prophet Jonah
tells the heather mariners Il am a
Hebrewr'
The second term. 'Israel. y .Israel-
lite" Is TO be traced to the story OF
Jacob wrestling with mysterious
being at ''Peniel." when he was told:
They name shall be called no more
Jacob but Israel. that is. striving
with God. victorious in God. or as
Gesendus translates soldier Cor
champion) of God"
Thus the term israel or Israelite
points to the mission of the Children
OF our race-to wrestle with or bat
tie against any forces hostile to their
sacred trust at the same time fore
shadowing their final triumph and
victory.
The name Israel" became the IA
tional name OF the twelve tribes. COL
lectively. Later after tho division of
the kingdom under Jenoboam. the
name applied only to the ten seeding
tribes forming the northern kingdom.
known as the kingdom of Israel, In
contradistlnction TO the northern king
dom. consisting chiefly of the tribes
OF Judah Benjamin and Levi. After
the destruction OF the ten-tribe king
dom we find the old name Israel again
used to designate the people OF the
kingdom Of Judah, and the name is
rael" collectively, and Israel" indi-
vidually. has to this day remained in
/ common usage.
The third appellation 'Jehudi" or
jew" originates in the name
given by Jacobs wife Leah to her
son. Judah" or 'Jehudah, mean
ing praise or thanks TO God. For at
his birth the mother exclaimed, This
time l will give thanks unto the
Lord!" The name was worthily borne
! by the noble and sturdy son of Jacob.
whose record throughout is without
stain or blemish. The tribe OF Judah.
named after him was the most num-
erous enterprising and valiant among
all the tribes OF Israel. During the
march through the desert Judah's
| place was in the van of the host.
| The traditional standard of the tribe
was a lions whelp, with the words:
Arise o Lord. and let thine enemies
be scattered. Later the name
'Jehudi" or jew" was applied to
member OF the kingdom OF Judah
| (after the separation of the kingdom
OF IsraeD. even TO those not OF the
tribe of Judah; proof OF which we find
in the fact that in the book of Esther
MordecaL though OF the tribe of Ben
jamin. is called "Ish Jehudi" a
'Jehudi" or jew" After the return
from the Babylonian captivity all the
members of the new state were called
Jehudim. Jews or Judeans the name
being extended IN the remnants OF the
people scattered throughout the
nations
So much as to the etymology and
ulSVotlchi significance OF the names
Hebrew, 'tIsraelite" and jew"
From it 1t appears that among the
three the first Hebrew" is the most
ancient and remote. And as in an-
cieut days by it the Jew was distin-
guished from foreigners so to-day it
would appear that in order to point
out anything distinctively Jewish the
word Hebrew is more properly APP
piled. Thus we speak OF Hebrew
language Hebrew literature Hebrew
melodies etc
And when the autonomy OF Israel as
n nation was destroyed its fragments
though scattered broadcast over the
earth-were still closely united by the
strange spell of that ancient name Je-
hudi or Jew. by. which. individuality
we were and still are wont to call
each other and by which we are
chiefly recognized by the world.
Combination Hat and Umbrella.
The pocket umbrella has not vet
l..4 u