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Why did Jacob's name Israel become the name of his descendants?
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Hebrew Bible
Portion of the Aleppo Codex, a manuscript of the Hebrew Bible written in the Hebrew language in the 10th century ce; in the Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
In the Hebrew Bible, Jacob is identified as the patriarch and traditional ancestor of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. His name was changed to Israel following a transformative encounter where he wrestled all night with a mysterious divine being.12
During this struggle, the being blessed him and bestowed upon him the name Israel, which in Hebrew signifies "he who struggles with God" or "God struggles". Because Jacob is the progenitor of the twelve tribes, his descendants became known as Israelites, carrying the name that marked his unique spiritual encounter. This designation eventually extended to the political units of the region, including the kingdom of Israel formed by the northern tribes.123