Abraham Was Not a Jew, neither Was Jacob... So Who is a Jew?
Not many Christians can confidently respond to this question, perhaps even those who say they are Jews.
Often in my contact with other Christians, I’m asked this question, “Was Abraham a Jew?” or “Was Jacob a Jew? I observe that many of the saints of the Lord are not clear about this. They, including many Bible teachers and Christian Pastors, generally think that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were Jews. Some even refer to those who are not Christians as Gentiles. That is incorrect.
Since this is not clearly taught even in most churches today, I hope to unscroll the scriptures and shed more light on this topic. Take the time to read this article to the end, study the Scripture references and prove yourself, whether these things are so, so you can answer with biblical truth those who ask. As Paul, the apostle wrote in his first epistle to the Thessalonians, “Despise not prophesyings (speaking for God). Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” (1 Thess. 5:20–21)
Abraham Was Not A Jew, and Neither Was Jacob
Contrary to what many Bible teachers teach and most Christians misunderstood, Abraham was a Hebrew but not a Jew. Jacob was Israel and a Hebrew but not a Jew. Abraham or Abram (his birth name) was called a Hebrew for he was a Hebrew (Genesis 14:13).
Abraham was a Hebrew but not a Jew. Jacob was Israel and a Hebrew but not a Jew.
Who are the Hebrews? Abram was a Hebrew because he came from the lineage of Heber (or Eber), whose name when translated to English means “the region beyond” or as Joshua noted, “the other side” (Joshua 24:2).
And Joshua said unto all the people, ‘Thus says the LORD God of Israel, “Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the river (Euphrates) in former times, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nahor, and they served other gods.”’
(Joshua 24:2)
Therefore, all descendants of Heber are called Hebrews including Abraham, Lot, and his descendants: the Ammonites and the Moabites. Ishmael, whom most of the Muslims claim as their forefather was also a Hebrew. Midian and his children the Midianites, even Esau, and his offsprings the Edomites, they were all Hebrews. Jacob, all Israel, the twelve tribes which include Judah and his children. They are all Hebrews.
Who Are The Jews Then?
Jews are the descendants of Judah from where the term “Jew” originated. Its root word in Hebrew is “Yahudeen” or as most of the Jews pronounce it “Yahudim” meaning “of Judah” or “from the line of Judah”. The term “Jew” in the bible is first mentioned in 2 Kings 16:6 after the kingdom of Israel was divided into two kingdoms: the Kingdom of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) which consisted of the ten tribes of original Israel and the Kingdom of Judah (the Southern Kingdom) which consisted of the two tribes, Judah and Benjamin. The Scriptures also referred to these kingdoms as the house of Israel and the house of Judah, (read Jeremiah 31:31–34).
Divided Kingdom, Two Houses
The House of Israel in the North was an alliance of the ten tribes from original Israel while the House of Judah which was the Southern Kingdom consisted of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin.
The division was the result of God’s wrath toward King Solomon for his sins (read 1 Kings 11:9–14 & 11:29–35). The Jews then are those of the house of Judah, which included the tribe of Benjamin.
It’s worth mentioning that the tribe of Simeon was actually in the midst of Judah. Because the land that he inherited was inside the land of Judah (Joshua 19:1). This is just a side note I must leave for another discourse.
Redemption of Benjamin by Judah
Why did God allow the tribe of Benjamin to be part of the house of Judah? I must bring you back to the time of Joseph’s reign in Egypt. There Judah offered himself to his father as a surety for his youngest brother. We read this in Genesis 43:8–14.
And Judah said to Israel his father, Send the boy with me, and we will rise up and go, that we may live and not die, we and you and our little ones. I myself will be surety for him; of my hand you may require him. If I do not bring him to you and set him before you, then I shall bear the blame of sinning before you forever. (Genesis 43:8–9)
Continuing in verse 13,
Take your brother also, and rise up. Return to the man, And may the All-sufficient God grant you mercy before the man, that he may release to you your other brother (Simeon) and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am to be bereaved of my children, I shall be bereaved. (Genesis 43:13–14)
And then in Genesis 44:32–34, Judah redeemed Benjamin from Joseph when he offered to take his brother’s place to be Joseph’s slave.
For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, If I do not bring him to you, then I shall bear the blame of sinning before my father forever. Now therefore, please let your servant remain as a slave to my lord instead of the boy, and let the boy go up with his brothers. For how shall I go up to my father if the boy is not with me? I fear to see the evil that would come on my father. (Genesis 44:32–34)
And this is the reason why Paul the apostle considered himself a Jew (Galatians 2:15) for although he was from the tribe of Benjamin (Romans 11:1 & Philippians 3:5), he belonged to the House of Judah.
Jews by Communion
According to God, one can also become a Jew by living with the Jews while strictly observing God’s commandments. We read in Exodus 12:48–49,
And when a foreigner shall sojourn with you, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat of it. One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the foreigner who sojourns among you. (Exodus 12:48–49)
And as God confirms in Ezekiel 47:21–23,
So you shall apportion this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. And you shall divide it by lot for an inheritance among yourselves (the houses of Israel and Judah) and among the sojourners (other people) who sojourn among you, who bring forth sons among you. And they shall be to you just like the native among the sons of Israel; they shall be allotted an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. And in whatever tribe the sojourner sojourns, you shall give him his inheritance there, declares the LORD. (Ezekiel 47:21–23)
The law applies to all the twelve tribes of Israel, both to the House of Judah and to the House of Israel as long as they faithfully and absolutely obey the commandments of their God, the God of their father Abraham. Does this law still apply to the people of God in the present day? Yes, for sure! Do the Jews still obey it today? This, not sure! But Jesus had something to say, so read on.
Jews by Religion
Prior to the birth of Jesus Christ, the house of Judah had transformed into Judaism, a religion based on God’s commandments but immensely mixed with and overruled by Talmudic doctrines and traditions. So, when Jesus came, he reminded the religious rulers of their spiritual state when questioned by them.
Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him (Jesus), “Why your disciples do not walk according to the tradition of the elders but eat bread with unwashed hands?”
He answered and said to them, ‘Well has Isaiah prophesied of you, hypocrites, as it written, “These people honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many others such things you do.”’
And he said unto them, “Full well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your own tradition.”
(Mark 7:5–9)
Those who embraced and practice this religion can become converted or proselyte Jews, Jews by religion.
The Roman Catholic religion took a more diverted path, based primarily on the Scriptures but extremely intertwined with unscriptural, even pagan practices. The word of God overpowered by papal doctrines and traditions. These religions have since denominated into various sects. Christianity is very close behind.
Jews by Marriage… and Some Because of Fear of God
Some became Jews or became people of God by marriage. Others because of their fear of the God of Israel. We read the following biblical testimonies:
Rahab, the Harlot
In the book of Joshua, Rahab, the harlot allied herself and her household to Israel when she heard the mighty works the God of Israel did to Egypt and to other kingdoms along the way. Eventually, she married a Jew named Salmon and became the ancestors of Jesus Christ. Let’s read her account when the two Israelites spies came to her house…
… she said to the men, “I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that your terror is fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when you came out of Egypt; …what you did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed.
And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in the earth beneath.
Now, therefore, I pray you, swear to me by the LORD since I have shown you kindness. That you will also show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token and that you will save alive my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.”
The men answered her, “Our life for yours if you utter not this our business. And it shall be when the LORD has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.”
(Joshua 2:9–14)
And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwells in Israel even to this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
(Joshua 6:25)
Ruth, the Moabite
Ruth married a Jew and with her husband lived with her mother-in-law, Naomi. After her husband died, Naomi asked her to return to her own people but she refused to leave her mother-in-law who herself was a widow. What a great woman! We read her own words from her own book, the book of Ruth.
Ruth said (to Naomi), Entreat me not to leave you, or to return from following after you: for where you go, I will go; and where you lodge, I will lodge: your people shall be my people, and your God my God: Where you die, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part you and me. (Ruth 1:16–17)
When they returned to Bethlehem, Naomi’s hometown, she married a kinsman of her former husband, a Jew named Boaz.
(Ruth 4:13–17)
So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.
Naomi took the child, laid it in her bosom, and became a nurse to it. And the women her neighbors gave it a name, saying, “There is a son born to Naomi;” and they called his name Obed: he is the father of Jesse, the father of David.
David then became the forefather of Jesus Christ. We read in Matthew 1:1, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
Converted Jews in the Book of Esther
Some people may be converted to become Jews because of their fear of God. I will not elaborate on this. I would just encourage you to read the whole book of Esther if you have not done so. It happened during the reign of Ahasuerus in Medo-Persia. It’s a fascinating story. Such is recorded in the book of Esther.
…Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, and with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city of Shushan rejoiced and was glad. The Jews had light, and gladness, and joy, and honor.
And in every province, and in every city, wherever the king’s commandment and his decree came, the Jews had joy and gladness, a feast and a good day, and many of the people of the land became Jews; for the fear of the Jews fell on them.
(Esther 8:15–17)
The Ashkenazi Jews, Are They True Jews?
The Hebrews are Semites, the Jews are Semites but Ashkenazis? No, they are not. If they are not Semites then they cannot be true Jews. They can only be converted Jews, that is, by other means which I have before laid out. Let me explain.
Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth (Genesis 10:1). The Hebrews and the Jews came from the lineage of Shem, which made them Semites. The Ashkenazis are descendants of Japheth therefore they cannot be Semites and cannot be true Jews according to the bloodline. Genesis 10:2–3 tells us,
The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras. And the sons of Gomer; ASHKENAZ, and Riphath, and Togarmah. (Genesis 10:2–3)
Correct me if I’m wrong. The Scriptures are my only basis. Ashkenazis are not Jews by blood, neither Hebrews nor Semites. They are Japhetithes.
There are of course those who claimed to be Jews scattered from the Holy Land to places in Spain, Italy, and Germany. Whether or not they are Jews only God can tell. Wiktionary states:
“Biblical Ashkenaz was the son of Gomer, grandson of Japheth, and great-grandson of Noah. descendants were identified with Germans by medieval Jewish tradition. Ashkenaz was the name used for the Rhine river, which was the starting point of central and eastern European settlement by Jews, who are thought to have arrived in the region from Italy, and then spread east as they fled violent oppression and followed more favorable ownership laws.”
Redemption by Christ, To All Who Believe
Judah’s redemption of Benjamin is significant in the way Jesus Christ also willingly offered himself as a substitute for us. Through his death on the cross, Jesus redeemed us from the curse of sin which leads to eternal condemnation.
Any person (whether he is a true Jew or from another nation, race, or social status) who believes that Jesus Christ has redeemed him and has been born of water and of the Spirit of God (Ezekiel 36:24–27) can consider himself a Christian that is, he belongs to Christ and is of Christ.
He is no longer his own (1 Corinthians 3:23 & 6:19–20). And anyone who is of Christ entered the same new covenant which God made with the house of Judah and the house of Israel as promised in Jeremiah 31:31–34 and quoted in Hebrews 8:8–12 and 10:15–17.
The New Covenant Promised Through the Prophet Jeremiah
“Behold, the days come,” said the LORD, “that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband to them,” said the LORD.
“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days,” said the LORD. “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” said the LORD: “for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
(Jeremiah 31:31–34)
The Same New Covenant Confirmed in The New Testament (Hebrews 8:8–12)
For finding fault with them, He says, “Behold, the days come,” said the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in My covenant, and I regarded them not,” says the Lord.
“For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” says the Lord; “I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be their God, and they shall be my people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.”
(Hebrews 8:8–12)
As Believers of Christ, How Can We Share in the Inheritance God Promised in the New Covenant?
Our Lord Jesus Christ (Yahoshua HaMashiach) is of the line of Judah, therefore, He is a true Jew and a real Israel. That’s why we can enter into that same new covenant God promised to the houses of Judah and Israel through the prophet Jeremiah 31:32–33 and confirmed in Ezekiel, chapter 11:16–20. In Ezekiel 36:24–27 God promised to give us a new spirit and a new heart. He then promised that He will put His Holy Spirit within that new spirit.
For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall keep My judgments, and do them.
(Eze 36:24–27)
When we proclaim, Jesus is (my) Lord (Yahoshua Adonai), and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, when we call upon His name, He comes into us as the life-giving Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45). We are born into His life in the Spirit. This is marvelous!
When Christ gathers us into Himself, He restores us into one fellowship, one flock, one people of God under Him as one Shepherd, Christ our Chief Shepherd, our High Priest, and King. We are joined to Him and since He is from the tribe of Judah He shares with us His allotted portion in the new covenant to fully enjoy all the spiritual blessings the Father has promised in that new covenant (Ephesians 1:3, read also Exodus 12:48–49; Numbers 9:14). As also confirmed by the prophet Ezekiel and I will state it again.
“So you shall apportion this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. And you shall divide it by lot for an inheritance among yourselves (the houses of Israel and Judah) and among the sojourners (other people like us) who sojourn among you, who bring forth sons among you and they shall be to you just like the native among the sons of Israel. They shall be allotted an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. And, in whatever tribe the sojourner sojourns, you shall give him his inheritance there,” declares the LORD.
(Ezekiel 47:21–23)
This is awesome! When we take Him as our life by the Spirit, we become part of the restored spiritual house of Israel, the Israel of God (Galatians 6:15–16).
The New Jerusalem
We see this truth in the vision of the City of God, the New Jerusalem in Revelations 21:10–12. Inside the city is the throne of God. The city has 12 gates (3 gates on each of the four sides) bearing the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. Each gate is allotted for each of the twelve tribes.
Only twelve gates, and unless you are joined to one of the tribes, you have no gate to enter in. Thank the Lord, we are joined to Christ, the Lion of Judah and we enter through the gate of Judah, that is through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our only way into the Father’s house.
Jesus said… I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.”
(John 14:6)
Jew No Longer, Gentile Neither
Once we enter, we become one new man in Christ, no longer Jew nor Gentile, no race, no nationality, no social status. All these things have passed away, and we become new (2 Corinthians 5:17). We have only one entity with all true believers, with all those who call upon the name of the Lord in every place and time. O dear saints of the Lord, What can we say except “HalleluYah!”
I trust that this short discourse helped made the matter clear to my fellow children of God, even to those who say they are Jews but are not sure… If you are a believer in Christ and if anyone should ask, you can confidently answer with the biblical truth,
We are neither Jews nor Gentiles, we belong to Christ and are of His church, the Israel of God, the house of the living God.
May this give you a fresh appreciation of who you are in Christ and may God bless your soul. Amen.