Hebrews

Occurrences in Scripture

• Genesis: The term first appears in Genesis 14:13, "Abram the Hebrew." In the story of Joseph, Potiphar's wife and Egyptian officials call Joseph "an Hebrew" (Genesis 39:14; 41:12). Joseph refers to his homeland as "the land of the Hebrews" (Genesis 40:15). Genesis 43:32 records that the Egyptians would not eat with the Hebrews.
• Exodus: Pharaoh orders the Hebrew midwives to kill the male infants (Exodus 1:15–19). Before Pharaoh, Moses refers to God as "The LORD God of the Hebrews" (Exodus 3:18). Exodus 21:2 stipulates that "an Hebrew servant" is to be released in the seventh year. This provision also appears in Deuteronomy 15:12 and Jeremiah 34:9.
• 1 Samuel: The Philistines call the Israelites "Hebrews" (1 Samuel 4:6; 13:19). First Samuel 14:21 makes separate mention of Hebrews who had sided with the Philistines and then returned to Israel.
• Jonah: When the sailors ask who he is, Jonah answers, "I am an Hebrew" (Jonah 1:9).
• New Testament: The term appears in Acts 6:1, 2 Corinthians 11:22, and Philippians 3:5.

Background

The etymology of the original term ʿivri remains uncertain.

• Derivation from Eber: A traditional interpretation links the name to Eber, on the basis of Genesis 10:21, which calls Shem "the father of all the children of Eber."
• Derivation from "to cross over": Others connect it with the verb ʿavar, "to cross over," and understand it to mean one who came from the other side of the river. The Septuagint renders the term in Genesis 14:13 with a word meaning "one who crossed over."

In the Old Testament, the name appears mostly in scenes involving encounters with foreigners. Among themselves, the people generally used the name "Israel." After the exile, the name "Jews" came into wide use.

Usage in the New Testament

• Hebraic Jews: Acts 6:1 distinguishes the Hebraic Jews in the early church from the Hellenistic Jews. The Hebraists are commonly understood to have been Jews who spoke Aramaic or Hebrew, and the Hellenists Jews who spoke Greek.
• Paul: Paul describes himself as "an Hebrew of the Hebrews" (Philippians 3:5). This is generally interpreted as an expression of pride in having inherited not only the lineage but also the language and customs of his people.
• The Hebrew tongue: Many scholars hold that "the Hebrew" of the New Testament (John 19:13; Acts 21:40) probably included Aramaic, since words such as "Gabbatha" and "Golgotha" are Aramaic forms.
• Hebrews: The title of the Epistle to the Hebrews does not appear in the text itself; it was assigned by the church at a later date.

Interpretations and Issues

• Relationship to the Habiru: Ancient Near Eastern documents from the second millennium BC mention the Habiru (or Apiru), a group of wanderers of low social standing. Scholars have long debated the relationship between this group and the Hebrews, but opinions differ on whether the two should be identified.
• The Hebrew servant provision: Interpretations also differ as to whether the "Hebrew servant" of Exodus 21:2 refers to a fellow Israelite or to a particular social status.
• These issues reflect differences among scholars rather than among denominations.

In the Korean Church

In preaching, Jonah's confession in Jonah 1:9 and Paul's description of himself as "an Hebrew of the Hebrews" are frequently cited as texts that address the believer's identity. Devotional books and sermons also sometimes contrast "Hebraic thinking" with "Hellenistic thinking." These terms, however, are not found in the biblical text. The distinction is a framework that arose in twentieth-century theology, and some scholars have criticized it as an overgeneralization.