Who is Israel According to the Bible? (Quickstudy Guide)
One Question That Changes How You Read the Bible
Who is Israel?
It sounds like a simple question. But from the moment God gives Jacob the name Israel in Genesis, that name develops from one man, to a family, to a nation—and becomes central to understanding the covenants, the land, the New Covenant, and the relationship between Jewish and Gentile followers of Messiah Yeshua.
Who Is Israel? According to the Bible is an 18-page digital Quickstudy Guide created to help readers follow that story through Scripture and understand what the Bible itself means when it speaks about Israel.
Rather than beginning with modern theological labels, this resource goes back to the biblical text and traces the identity of Israel from Genesis through the writings of Paul.
Follow Israel Through the Biblical Story
The guide begins with Jacob and asks why Scripture continues calling him both Jacob and Israel even after God changes his name. From there, it follows the gradual development of Israel from an individual patriarch into the covenant family and nation that emerges in Exodus.
That foundation opens the door to some of the bigger questions Christians have wrestled with for generations:
What happened to God's promises to Israel? What is the significance of the Land of Israel? What does Paul mean by the “commonwealth of Israel” in Ephesians 2? How are Gentiles brought near through Messiah without erasing God's continuing purposes for the Jewish people? And what does Paul's picture of natural and grafted-in olive branches teach us about the relationship between Israel and the nations?
Instead of separating these questions from the rest of the Bible, Who Is Israel? follows the Scriptural threads that connect them.
Covenant, Commonwealth, and the Olive Tree
Drawing from the Torah, Prophets, Gospels, and Apostolic Writings, the guide explores the distinction between Israel's physical descendants and those who become heirs through faith, while examining God's continuing covenant faithfulness.
Special attention is given to Ephesians 2, Romans 9–11, the New Covenant, and the Abrahamic promises, including Paul's language of citizenship and the commonwealth and his image of Gentile followers of Yeshua being grafted into an existing olive tree.
The result is a distinctly Hebraic pathway for understanding the unity of God's redemptive story without erasing the distinctions Scripture itself preserves.
From Understanding to Biblical Living
The question “Who is Israel?” isn't merely theological. How we understand Israel changes how we understand our own relationship to the biblical story.
The final portion of the guide brings these ideas into everyday practice, challenging readers to see the Older Testament not simply as someone else's history, but as essential to understanding the family story into which followers of Yeshua have been brought.
That includes a renewed engagement with the whole counsel of Scripture, God's appointed times, Torah study, Shabbat, and the biblical rhythms that reveal the character and faithfulness of the God of Israel.
About This Quickstudy Guide
Who Is Israel? According to the Bible is primarily written by Rabbi Dr. L. Riccardo Giuliano, with contributions from Dr. Raymond Gannon and Daniah Greenberg, and edited by Mandie Greenberg Kelley.
Designed as a concise Bible literacy resource, this downloadable guide gives readers a starting point for studying one of the most important—and frequently misunderstood—questions running throughout Scripture.
Features
- 18-page downloadable digital Quickstudy Guide
- Traces the biblical identity of Israel from Genesis through the New Testament
- Examines Jacob's transformation and the emergence of Israel as a people
- Explores the Abrahamic covenant and the Land of Israel
- Unpacks the “commonwealth of Israel” in Ephesians 2
- Examines the New Covenant and its relationship to Israel and Judah
- Explores Paul's olive tree imagery in Romans 9–11
- Distinguishes between physical descent, covenant promises, and inheritance through faith
- Includes Hebrew and Greek word studies that illuminate key passages
- Connects biblical theology with practical biblical living
- Scripture presented from the Tree of Life Version (TLV)
Discover Your Place in Israel's Family Diary
At the Tree of Life Bible Society, we often describe the Bible as Israel's family diary. Understanding who Israel is helps us understand whose story we're reading, why God's covenant faithfulness matters, and how the nations are invited into His redemptive plan through Messiah Yeshua.
Who Is Israel? invites you to go back to the Scriptures, follow the story for yourself, and discover how God's faithfulness to Israel helps reveal His faithfulness to us all.
Item Details
Weight: 0.10 lbs
Dimensions: 5.5× 8.5 × 0.16 in
Binding: Booklet
Font size: 9pt
Pages: 18