Everything about The Children Of Israel totally explained
The
Children of Israel,
Bani Israil (بني اسرائيل) in
Arabic or
B'nei Yisrael (בני ישראל) in
Hebrew (also
B'nai Yisrael,
B'nei Yisroel or
Bene Israel) is a
Biblical term for the
Israelites. It is also an alternate way of referring to the people known as
Hebrews or
Jews. In the
Torah, the literal children of Israel are the twelve sons of
Jacob (also named
Israel). The Children of Israel are also known as the
Twelve Tribes.
The phrase "Children of Israel" (or "Sons of Israel") refers to the offspring of the Biblical
patriarch Jacob, who was renamed "Israel" after he triumphed in a wrestling match with a mysterious adversary. The name "Israel" in English means "Struggles with God" ; see
Israel.
Twelve Tribes of Israel
Jacob's twelve sons were the progenitors of the biblical Twelve Tribes of Israel. The Torah refers to them alternatively as the "children of Jacob" and the "children of Israel." After their descendants multiplied during their exile in
ancient Egypt, the Bible continues to refer to them as the "Children of Israel."
In the
midrash, a rabbinic Jewish genre of Biblical interpretation, Jacob has the status of the greatest of the three patriarchs, since only he produced a fully righteous family.
Abraham had both
Isaac and
Ishmael, but the latter was expelled from Abraham's tent due to the negative influence he was having on Isaac.
Isaac in turn had
Jacob and
Esau, the latter becoming a hunter and selling his birthright to his brother. It is only Jacob/Israel who has sons who, after all their internal struggles, emerge as a united family, all loyal "Sons of Israel".
Exodus and later
In the Book of
Exodus, the
Israelites are constantly referred to as the "Children of Israel" when God speaks to
Moses etc.
This is where the modern
State of Israel (whose citizens are called Israelis) takes its name, although some are
Muslims and some
Christians. About 75 percent of modern-day Israel's citizens are actually
Jews.
After the split of the
United Monarchy, the southern kingdom came to be known as
Judah, while the northern kingdom (which comprised ten of the twelve tribes) preserved the name of
Israel. Nonetheless, "Israel" also continued to refer to all twelve tribes.
Christianity
Based on the
New Testament, some Christians claim that Christians are the "new Israel" that replaced the "Children of Israel" since the Jews rejected
Jesus. This view is called
Supersessionism. Many
European settlers in the
New World saw themselves as the heirs of those ancient tribes, hence one finds that they named their children and many towns they settled in with names connected to the figures in the Bible. However, other Christians believe that the Jews are still the original children of Israel, and that Christians are adopted children of God but are not the new Israel. This view is a part of
dispensationalism.
Other appearances
There is an ethnic-religious group in Afghanistan which refers to itself as the
Bnai Israel, or
House of Israel, or
Bani Israel. This group is referred to in English as the
Pashtuns. Some Pashtuns claim to be the patriarchal historical descendants of the "ten lost tribes" of the northern
Kingdom of Israel which were taken into captivity by
Assyria.
Certain groups of
Jews in India are sometimes referred to as
Benai Israel.
Islam
In the
Qur'an, the Children of Israel are mentioned at length a number of times.
There is a
Surah (chapter) in the
Qur'an titled
Bani Israel (
Arabic: بني اسرائيل, "The Children of Israel"), alternatively known as
ِAl-Isra (
Arabic: سورة الإسراء, "The Night Journey"). This Surah was revealed in the last year before
Hijrah and takes its name from verse 4. See
Bani Israel (Quran sura). Also starting from verse 40 in Sura
Al-Baqara (سورة البقرة "
The Cow") is the story of "
Bani Israel".
Further Information
Get more info on 'Children Of Israel'.
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