Three common translations of the name Israel are: Prince of God, Champion of God, and God will prevail. All are correct facets of meaning.
In the Bible, Jacob was given the name Israel as a blessing after he wrestled all night long with an angel to keep the angel from leaving him without a blessing. The angel had appeared to Jacob to show him his wrongs, especially in receiving by fraud his father's blessing for the firstborn 20 years earlier. Jacob repented but was afraid that God would permit Jacob's older twin brother Esau to take Jacob's life.
One of the Hebrew terms for God in the Bible is pronounced Ale, like the English fermented hops drink. In Hebrew it is spelled with 2 letters: Aleph, Lamed. These are also the last 2 letters of the name Israel spelled in Hebrew, which has 5 letters altogether: Yod, shin, resh, aleph, and lamed. In Hebrew it is pronounced Yis-ra-el`.
Shin, resh spells sahr in Hebrew, meaning prince, champion, officer. The yod in front of a verb stem signifies future tense. So you might translate Israel as: He (and figuratively the people) will be a prince and champion and officer of God.
Depending on context the translation, "God will prevail," is also literal.
In the Bible, Jacob was given the name Israel as a blessing after he wrestled all night long with an angel to keep the angel from leaving him without a blessing. The angel had appeared to Jacob to show him his wrongs, especially in receiving by fraud his father's blessing for the firstborn 20 years earlier. Jacob repented but was afraid that God would permit Jacob's older twin brother Esau to take Jacob's life.
One of the Hebrew terms for God in the Bible is pronounced Ale, like the English fermented hops drink. In Hebrew it is spelled with 2 letters: Aleph, Lamed. These are also the last 2 letters of the name Israel spelled in Hebrew, which has 5 letters altogether: Yod, shin, resh, aleph, and lamed. In Hebrew it is pronounced Yis-ra-el`.
Shin, resh spells sahr in Hebrew, meaning prince, champion, officer. The yod in front of a verb stem signifies future tense. So you might translate Israel as: He (and figuratively the people) will be a prince and champion and officer of God.
Depending on context the translation, "God will prevail," is also literal.
