Hebrew
From Free net encyclopedia
The word "Hebrew" most likely means "to cross over", referring to the Semitic people crossing over the Euphrates River. Hebrew can variously refer to:
- Any descendant of Eber, the great great grandson of Noah of whom Abraham was also an ancestor.
- Hebrew languages, a set of Semitic languages spoken mainly in Israel, including:
- Biblical Hebrew language, the ancient language used in the Tanakh
- Hebrew language, the modern, spoken form of Hebrew
- Hebrew alphabet, used to write Hebrew and various other Jewish languages
- Hebrews, an ancient people of the Levant region, or their descendants, the Jews
The term Hebrew is sometimes used by certain Christian groups to distinguish the Jews living prior to the birth of Jesus from those who have lived since that time. This distinction is not strictly observed by most, but the word is still used more commonly to refer to ancient Jews rather than modern ones.
The Jewish people are referred to by many names including Semites, Hebrews, Israelites, and Jews. As noted above, a Hebrew is technically a person descended from Eber, the great great grandson of Noah, whereas a Semite is any person descended from Shem, the son of Noah. Therefore, a Hebrew is also a Semite but a Semite is not necessarily a Hebrew. The same is true of the terms "Israelite" and "Jew". All of these are Hebrews, although Hebrews are not necessarily any of these.
als:Hebräisch de:Hebräisch es:Hebreo ia:Hebreo no:Hebraisk tl:Hebreo