Genesis 32:27-29 so He said to him, "What is your name?" He said, "Jacob." (28) And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with man, and have prevailed." (29) Then Jacob asked, saying, "Tell me Your name, I pray." And He said, "Why is it that you ask about My name?" And He blessed him there.
So why does Paul specifically mention in the previous passage, that he was from the stock of Israel? The reason is that God began the nation of Israel with Jacob as its founder. Jacob was the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham. In the above-quoted passage of scripture we see that on the night that Jacob wrestled with the Lord, He changed Jacob’s name to Israel. And so the nation of Israel took its name from its founder, Jacob. Scripture teaches us that Jacob had twelve sons, who in turn became the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel; i.e. Rueben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin (Genesis 49). And so the tribe of Benjamin, through which Paul could trace his ancestry, took its name from Jacob's youngest son. Therefore we can see that when Paul speaks of those who are “of Israel”, he is referring to Jacob’s biological descendants; i.e. Jews who can trace their ancestry back to Jacob as the father of the Israeli nation. As an aside, it is interesting to note that the Man that Jacob wrestled with that night was Christ, for the Lord says to Jacob that he had wrestled both with God and with Man; and it is Jesus Christ who is both God and Man. This highlights another truth which I will briefly mention now, and discuss in more detail later. In this passage, the Lord asks Jacob what his name is, to which Jacob replies "Jacob", and the Lord then changes Jacob's name to Israel. Jacob then asks the Lord what His name is, to which the Lord replies "Why do you ask about My name". The Lord's answer to Jacob's question seems a bit strange until we understand that Israel is the Lord's name. That particular truth explains why the Lord answered Jacob in that manner; for He was saying, why do you ask My name, I have just given it to you.
Genesis 16:15 So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael
Someone said, but surely the Jews can trace their ancestry back to Abraham. The Jews can certainly trace their ancestry back to Abraham, but they are not the only nation that can do that. In the above-quoted passage of scripture, we have the account of the birth of Abraham's first son, Ishmael. Biblical records reveal to us that Ishmael was the founder of the Ishmaelite people (Genesis 37:25); and it is widely accepted as a historical fact that the Arab nations today, are the biological descendants of the Ishmaelites[1]. And so we can see why being a biological descendant of Abraham does not qualify one to be an Israeli; because through Ishmael, the Arab nations are also the biological descendants of Abraham. This is one of the reasons why Jewish ancestry traced back to Jacob (Israel) is essential for one to qualify as an Israeli.
Genesis 17:3-5 Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: (4) "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. (5) No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations.
Abraham's first two sons (Abraham had numerous sons – Genesis 25) were Ishmael and Isaac. In the above-quoted passage of scripture we see that after Ishmael was born and before Isaac was born, God changed Abram's name to Abraham. And so technically speaking, it would be correct to say that the Arabs can trace their ancestry to "Abram" through Ishmael, whereas the Jews can trace their ancestry to "Abraham" through Isaac. Abraham's name change has a spiritual connotation to it, however, which does not impact the shared biological ancestry of both Jews and Arabs. An important point for us to note from this passage is that God made Abraham a father of not just one nation, but many nations; unlike Jacob, whom God made the father of just one nation i.e. the nation of Israel. Although we will not discuss it in this section, this particular truth about Abraham, alludes to the composition of the second Israel, i.e. it is made up of many nations. And so this is just another reason why Jewish ancestry traced back to Jacob (Israel) is essential for one to qualify as an Israeli.
Michael E.B. Maher
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