First names in Hebrew

First name Israel: meaning, origin and its Hebrew spelling

ישראל

Gematria value: 541

Its spelling

In Hebrew, Israel is written ישראל

Meaning and origin

What does Israel mean?

Meaning: "he who struggled with God"
Origin: Hebrew

Israel is the name Jacob receives after wrestling all night, until dawn, with a mysterious opponent: a man, says the text, an angel, says tradition (Genesis 32:25 and Rashi). In the morning, the opponent tells him: "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed" (Genesis 32:29). The name is made of the verb "to struggle, to prevail" and a word for God.

Gematria

Israel = 541

In Hebrew, every letter is also a number. Added together, the letters of the name give its value: this is gematria. ישראל has 5 letters:

• יthe letter Yod10
• שthe letter Shin300
• רthe letter Resh200
• אthe letter Aleph1
• לthe letter Lamed30
• Total541

The verse of the name

From the letter Yod to the letter Lamed

An ancient custom gives each person a verse: the one that begins with the first letter of their name and ends with the last. For Israel, from י to ל:

יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן־נוּן הָעֹמֵד לְפָנֶיךָ הוּא יָבֹא שָׁמָּה אֹתוֹ חַזֵּק כִּי־הוּא יַנְחִלֶנָּה אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל׃

“Joshua son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter there. Strengthen him, for he will give it to Israel as an inheritance.”

Deuteronomy 1:38

The book of your first name

Israel, in nine pages

• Israel, in Hebrew
• Letter by letter
• The number of your name
• The verse of your name
• The portrait of Israel
• Israel, day to day
• What tradition says about names
• The sources

Frequently asked

Israel in three answers

How do you write Israel in Hebrew?
In Hebrew, Israel is written ישראל.

What is the gematria value of Israel?
Written ישראל, Israel is worth 541: the letter Yod (10) + the letter Shin (300) + the letter Resh (200) + the letter Aleph (1) + the letter Lamed (30).

What does Israel mean?
He who struggled with God (origin: Hebrew). Israel is the name Jacob receives after wrestling all night, until dawn, with a mysterious opponent: a man, says the text, an angel, says tradition (Genesis 32:25 and Rashi). In the morning, the opponent tells him: "Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed" (Genesis 32:29). The name is made of the verb "to struggle, to prevail" and a word for God.