Editing Hebrews (section)

==Use as synonym for "Israelites"==
{{See also|Israelites|Who is a Jew?|History of ancient Israel and Judah}}
In the [[Hebrew Bible]], the term ''Hebrew'' is normally used by foreigners (namely, the Egyptians) when speaking about [[Israelites]] and sometimes used by Israelites when speaking of themselves to foreigners,<ref>William David. Reyburn, Euan McG. Fry. ''A Handbook on Genesis''. New York: United Bible Societies. 1997.</ref>{{Page number needed|date=September 2022}} although [[Saul]] does use the term for his fellow countrymen in {{Bibleverse||1 Samuel|13:3|HE}}. In {{Bibleverse||Genesis|11:16-26|HE}}, [[Abraham]] (Abram) is described as a descendant of [[Eber]]; [[Josephus]] states "Eber" was the patriarch that Hebrew was named after proceeding from the [[Tower of Babel]] at the time of Eber's son [[Peleg]], from which ''Hebrew'' would eventually become derived.<ref>Flavius Josephus - [http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0526.tlg001.perseus-eng1:1.6.4 Antiquities of The Jews, Book I, Chapter VI, Paragraph 4]: {{langx|el|Ἀρφαξάδου δὲ παῖς γίνεται Σάλης, τοῦ δὲ Ἕβερος, ἀφ᾽ οὗ τοὺς Ἰουδαίους Ἑβραίους ἀρχῆθεν ἐκάλουν: Ἕβερος δὲ Ἰούκταν καὶ Φάλεγον ἐγέννησεν: ἐκλήθη δὲ Φάλεγος, ἐπειδὴ κατὰ τὸν ἀποδασμὸν τῶν οἰκήσεων τίκτεται: φαλὲκ γὰρ τὸν μερισμὸν Ἑβραῖοι καλοῦσιν.|translation=Sala was the son of Arphaxad; and his son was Heber, from whom they originally called the Jews Hebrews. Heber begat Joetan and Phaleg: he was called Phaleg, because he was born at the dispersion of the nations to their several countries; for Phaleg among the Hebrews signifies division.}}</ref><ref>‘To Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth (''erets'') was divided’ ({{Bibleverse||Genesis|10:25|HE}})</ref>

According to the ''[[Jewish Encyclopedia]]'' the terms ''Hebrews'' and ''Israelites'' usually describe the same people, stating that they were called Hebrews before the conquest of the Land of [[Canaan]] and Israelites afterwards.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=HEBREW |encyclopedia=Jewishe Encyclopedia |url=http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/7445-hebrew |access-date=March 3, 2019}}</ref> 

Professor Nadav Na'aman and others say that the conflation of Hebrew with Israelite is rare and is only used when Israelites are "in exceptional and precarious situations, such as migrants or slaves."<ref>{{cite book |author=Carolyn Pressler |url=https://archive.org/details/genderlawhebrewb00matt |title=Gender and Law in the Hebrew Bible and the Ancient Near East |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |year=2009 |isbn=978-0567545008 |editor=Bernard M. Levinson |editor-link=Bernard M. Levinson |page=[https://archive.org/details/genderlawhebrewb00matt/page/n152 152] |chapter=Wives and Daughters, Bond and Free: Views of Women in the Slave Laws of Exodus 21.2-11 |editor2=Victor H. Matthews |editor2-link=Victor H. Matthews |editor3=Tikva Frymer-Kensky |editor3-link=Tikva Frymer-Kensky |url-access=limited}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Carvalho |first=Corrine L. |title=Encountering Ancient Voices: A Guide to Reading the Old Testament |publisher=Anselm Academic |year=2010 |isbn=978-1599820507 |page=68}}</ref> Professor Albert D. Friedberg similarly argues that Hebrews refer to socioeconomically disadvantaged Israelites, especially in the context of the [[Book of Exodus]] and [[Books of Samuel]].<ref name=":0" />

In {{Bibleverse||Genesis|14:13|HE}}, Abraham is described as ''Avram Ha-Ivri'' which translates literally as "Abram the Hebrew." Hebrew, in this context, might refer to Abraham's descent from Eber. It might also refer to Abraham's [[Hebrew language|primary language]] or his status as a migrant from the "other side of the river".<ref name=":0" />

Theologian [[Alexander Maclaren|Alexander MacLaren]] believes that Hebrew was a nickname for all migrants who migrated to Canaan from the other side of the Euphrates River (or the Jordan River), from the perspective of the 'long-settled' aboriginal inhabitants of Canaan. <ref>{{Cite web |date=2024 |title=Genesis 14 MacLaren Expositions Of Holy Scripture |url=https://biblehub.com/commentaries/maclaren/genesis/14.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208035016/https://biblehub.com/commentaries/maclaren/genesis/14.htm |archive-date=February 8, 2024 |website=Biblehub.com}}</ref>