Type: person
Jacob (son of Isaac)
Israel is another name for Jacob, the grandson of Abraham and son of Isaac. He received this new name "Israel" from God after wrestling with God at the Jabbok River. Its meaning is 'he who struggles with God and overcomes.'
Later, because the Israelite nation was formed from Jacob's descendants, they are called the Israelite nation, and the nation established in the land of Canaan where they settled is also called Israel.
Region of Israel
It also refers to the region of the land of Canaan. It usually means from Dan (place name) in the northernmost part to Beersheba in the southernmost part.
Until the time of Samuel, it did not form a separate national system, but effectively had the character of a tribal confederation under a theocracy. Subsequently, the first monarchy was established by Saul (king), and it developed into a monarchical state through the eras of David and Solomon.
However, after the death of Solomon, the kingdom of Israel was divided into north and south: the Southern Kingdom of Judah, composed of the tribe of Judah (to which David and Solomon belonged) and its brother tribe, the tribe of Benjamin, and the Northern Kingdom of Israel, composed of the remaining ten tribes.
During this period, when Israel was referred to as a region, it sometimes meant the Northern Kingdom of Israel.
Even when the nation of the Israelite people was re-established in the 19th century due to Zionism, the name of the nation became Israel for these reasons.