ISRAEL. — First the nickname of Jacob, then the name of the people descended from his twelve sons. God changed JACOB, MAX (v.) to Israel (Gen. 32:28).
Since this change followed a victorious “struggle” (Hebrew *šārâh* = Arabic *šarā* [Th. Nöldeke, *Neue Beiträge zur semitischen Sprachwissenschaft*, Strasbourg 1910, p. 75], “to fight”), waged by the patriarch (Gen. 32:24–32; different is the conception in Hos. 12:4–5), the name Israel is explained as “He struggles with God.” Yet because in Hebrew names God is usually the subject, some, departing from Gen. 32:29, interpret it: “God contends (for him).” It must be noted, however, that the struggle takes place at night and that the mysterious wrestler seeks to be dismissed at daybreak, when the name is changed. It is not excluded that Scripture hints at a second meaning of the name: *šārâh* = Arabic *šarā* “to shine” (cf. O. Procksch, *Die Genesis*, 2nd–3rd ed., Leipzig 1924, p. 373), i.e., “God shines,” which would accord with biblical theophanies and the frequent association of “God and light” in prophetic literature and biblical hymnody.