“Not A Jew”

Wednesday, July 15, 2020

      Are the people of Israel also Jews?  There is a little children's song we sing about Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and it's called “Once There Were Three Wandering Jews”.  I heard someone express that we should change it to “Men” instead of “Jews” because they were not Jews.  Clearer explanation would be great; thank you for your time!

Sincerely,
Who’s The Jew?

Dear Who’s The Jew,

The word ‘Jew’ isn’t used in the Bible until 2 Kgs 16:6.  The word ‘Jew’ comes from the region of Judah – those from Judah were Jews.  This is the original etymology of the word, but eventually, the word ‘Jew’ came to represent all descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were the forefathers of the Jewish nation.

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