G1445 G1445
A Hebrew; an ethnic-religious designation for an Israelite, especially one preserving ancestral language and customs
In the New Testament, this noun identifies someone as a Hebrew-speaking Israelite, often distinguishing such persons from Hellenistic (Greek-speaking) Jews. Paul's triple claim in Philippians 3:5 -- 'a Hebrew of Hebrews' -- underscores cultural and linguistic purity, not merely ancestry. The term surfaces in Acts 6:1 precisely at the fault line between Aramaic-speaking and Greek-speaking Jewish believers, revealing early church tensions. Spanish 'hebreo' and French 'Hebreu' preserve the ethnic force of the original.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A person of Hebrew identity, particularly one who retains the ancestral Semitic language and traditions as distinct from Hellenized Jews. In Acts 6:1 the Hebraioi are contrasted with Hellenistai over the daily distribution, while in 2 Corinthians 11:22 and Philippians 3:5 Paul invokes the label to assert his unimpeachable Jewish pedigree. All translations (eng 'Hebrew,' spa 'hebreo,' fra 'Hebreu') consistently render this as an ethnic-cultural marker rather than a merely geographic one. 4×
AR["عِبْرانِيٌّ", "عِبْرانِيّونَ", "عِبْرانِيّينَ", "عِبْرَانِيِّينَ"]·ben["ইব্রীয়", "ইব্রীয়দের"]·DE["Ἑβραίους", "Ἑβραίων", "Ἑβραῖοί", "Ἑβραῖος"]·EN["Hebrew", "Hebrews"]·FR["Hébreu", "Ἑβραίων", "Ἑβραῖος"]·heb["עִבְרִי", "עִבְרִיִּים", "עִבְרִים", "עִבְרִים;"]·HI["इब्रानियों", "इब्रानी", "इब्रि", "इब्रियोन;"]·ID["orang Ibrani", "orang-Ibrani", "orang-Ibrani,"]·IT["Ebreo", "ebraios", "ebraiōn"]·jav["Ibrani", "tiyang-Ibrani", "tiyang-Ibrani,"]·KO["히브리-사람들인가", "히브리인", "히브리인들", "히브리인들;"]·PT["Hebreus", "hebreu", "hebreus"]·RU["Евреев", "Еврей", "евреев", "евреи"]·ES["Hebraîoi", "Hebreos", "hebreo", "hebreos"]·SW["Mwebrania", "Waebrania"]·TR["Ibrani", "Ibraniler'den", "İbraniler'e", "İbraniler-mi"]·urd["عبرانی", "عبرانیوں", "عبرانیوں-سے"]
Related Senses
H5971a 1. people, nation (1836×)H5973a 1. accompaniment, together with (956×)H0854 1. with (accompaniment) (665×)H1471a 1. nations, peoples (plural/collective) (466×)G3326 1. with (368×)H1285 1. covenant, pact, treaty (284×)G2453 1. Jewish person, Jew (194×)H4150 1. meeting (tent of meeting) (151×)G2992 1. people/nation (an ethnic or political community) (142×)G4862 1. (129×)G1484 1. Gentiles, non-Jewish nations (128×)H1471a 2. nation, people-group (singular) (98×)H3162b 1. together (97×)H1616 1. sojourner, resident alien (92×)H0567 1. Amorite (people group) (87×)H3064 1. Jew, Jewish person (81×)H3669a 1. Canaanite (ethnic designation) (70×)G1122 1. scribe / expert in the Law (63×)H2114a 1. stranger, foreigner (person) (54×)H5608b 1. scribe, royal secretary (48×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
“Hebrew”: and as substantive, a Hebrew, NT+2nd c.AD+:— adjective Ἑβραϊκός, ή, όν, NT:—feminine Ἑβραΐς, ίδος, διάλεκτος NT+1st c.AD+:—Verb Ἑβραΐζω, speak Hebrew, Refs:— adverb Ἑβραϊστί, in the Hebrew tongue, LXX Si.prol., NT