Who were the Israelites?

Essentially, the children of Jacob, whose name God changed to Israel, are the literal children of Israel and the multiple generations that would follow. God told the nation of Israel, after they were freed from the Egyptian slavery, “you are a people holy to the Lord your God. read more

The Israelites (/ ˈ ɪ z r i ə ˌ l aɪ t s ˌ /; Hebrew: בני ישראל ‎ Bnei Yisra'el) were a confederation of Iron Age Semitic-speaking tribes of the ancient Near East, who inhabited a part of Canaan during the tribal and monarchic periods. read more

The Amorites were not the same as the Israelites, but both were north-western Semitic groups and the Amorites are the oldest such group we have records for. So the general consensus is that the later Israelites were, one way or another, descended from the Amorites or descended from the same area as the Amorites. read more

Answer: The Israelites are the physical descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel in Genesis 32: 28. From then on, his sons and other descendants were called “sons of Israel” or “Israelites.” Jacob (or Israel) had twelve sons, the progenitors of the twelve tribes of Israelites. read more