An '''Israelite''' is a member of the '''Twelve Tribes of Israel''', descended from the twelve sons of the Biblical [[patriarch]] [[Jacob]] who was renamed [[Israel]] by God in the book of [[Genesis]], 32:28. The '''Israelites''' were a group of [[Hebrews]], as described in the [[Hebrew Bible]]. There are modern [[History|historical]] debates about the origins of the Hebrews/Israelites.
The English word ''Israelite'' derives from '''ישראל''' ("Upright (with) [[Elohim|God]]", [[Standard Hebrew]] '''{{unicode|Yisraʾel}}''', [[Tiberian Hebrew]] '''{{unicode|Yiśrāʾēl}}'''); see the article [[Israel]] for details on the word's definition.
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