Library Home>Concise Bible Dictionary>Concise Bible Dictionary: J>Jew (#82214)

Jew

From: Concise Bible Dictionary: J

By: George A. Morrish

Narrator: Chris Genthree

Duration: 2min

• 1 min. read • grade level: 8

Listen to This Article

A man of Judah. The term does not occur until after the division of the kingdom (2 Kings 16:6⁶At that time Rezin king of Syria recovered Elath to Syria, and drave the Jews from Elath: and the Syrians came to Elath, and dwelt there unto this day. (2 Kings 16:6); 2 Kings 25:25²⁵But it came to pass in the seventh month, that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the seed royal, came, and ten men with him, and smote Gedaliah, that he died, and the Jews and the Chaldees that were with him at Mizpah. (2 Kings 25:25)). It is applied to any one belonging to the two tribes, and it may have been used respecting any of the ten tribes who remained in the land at the captivity or returned thither. The name is principally found in the Old Testament in Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and Jeremiah. In Esther the name is applied to all the Hebrews in Persia. In the New Testament the name occurs most frequently in the gospel of John, where it is applied to those of Jerusalem and Judaea in distinction from “the people” who may have been Galileans or visitors from a distance. John speaks of “the Jews,” “the Jews’ passover,” and so forth, as though he were not a Jew. They had rejected the Lord, and in spirit John was separate from them.

In the addresses to the seven churches we twice read of those who “say they are Jews, and are not.” The name is there used of those claiming to be the people of God by descent, but not so morally, as in another place there are some “who say they are apostles, and are not” (Rev. 2:2,9²I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: (Revelation 2:2)
⁹I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. (Revelation 2:9); Rev. 3:9⁹Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. (Revelation 3:9)). In a similar way the Jews prided themselves in being “sons of Abraham,” whereas, the Lord declared that they were not such morally. The name JEWESS occurs only in Acts 16:1¹Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: (Acts 16:1) and Acts 24:24²⁴And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. (Acts 24:24).

Click here to show subject links in the text for more information.

Previous Article

Concise Bible Dictionary: J

• Jew

• Jews' Language

• Jezer, Jezerites

• Jezreelite, Jezreelitess

• Jimna, Jimnah

• Jiphthah-el, Valley of