Gender Masculine
Usage Jewish, English, Spanish, Biblical, Biblical Greek
Scripts יִשְׂרָאֵל(Hebrew) Ἰσραήλ(Ancient Greek)
Meaning & History
From the Hebrew name יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisra'el) meaning "God contends", from the roots שָׂרָה (sarah) meaning "to contend, to fight" and אֵל ('el) meaning "God". In the Old Testament, Israel (who was formerly named Jacob; see Genesis 32:28) wrestles with an angel. The ancient and modern states of Israel took their names from him.
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Name Days
Sweden: December 20
Images
Jacob wrestling the angel, in a detail from a fresco by Eugène Delacroix (1861)
Categories
accordionists, actions, biblical places, chess Grandmasters, conflict, countries, Duggar family, ends in -el, gospel musicians, isograms, kingdoms, Morrissey songs, never out of the US top 1000, Our Flag Means Death characters, personifications, pirates, reggae musicians, Siouxsie and the Banshees songs, theophoric names, Tori Amos lyrics