The Hebrew word is יהודים (yehudim), and it means "of Judah"1 ... a descendant of Judah.
Let's trace this out:
- Abraham is the father of Isaac. (Genesis 25:19)
- Isaac is the father of Jacob. (Genesis 27:22)
- Jacob is the father of twelve sons, including Judah. (Genesis 35:22-23)
It is impossible for Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob to be descendants of Judah. They can't be from Judah. They are his ancestors.
The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (Genesis 46:12). Judah's sons, grandsons, great-grandsons, etc., are "Jews" in the most literal sense of the word. As a descendant of Judah, Jesus (Yeshua) is a Jew (Matthew 1:1-2) and is thus Jewish.
In the sense of "Judaism"—the Jewish faith of Judaism—in that sense, yes, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are entirely Jewish.
You might ask yourself, "why is this even remotely important"? This article is an object lesson that words have power.
We often invest a word with meaning, with a previously formed conclusion. But unfortunately, we often don't revisit those conclusions and challenge them. Instead, we package up a word with a particular definition, stick it on the shelf, and admire it. We might bring it out from time to time and use it, but do we ever challenge and test the conclusions, assumptions, and meaning we have invested in the word? Are those conclusions accurate? Are the assumptions correct?
We should be like the Bereans and test everything against the Word of G-d.
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