Jewish vs Hebrew
Every country and every nation has its own people, language, religion, and culture, and they are called by different names too. Take the case of the Israelites, for example; they are also called Jewish and Hebrew.
“Jewish” is the word used to refer to everything that relates to the culture and religion of the Jews. It includes their nationality, ethnicity, religion, and traditions. The State of Israel is established as a Jewish nation whose people are descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The word “Jew” from which the word “Jewish” is derived, comes from the Middle English word “gyw” which in turn came from the French word “giu” or “juieu.” They all stemmed from the Latin word “Judaeus” meaning “Judean” or “from the land of Judea.” The origin of the word, however, was the Aramaic “Y’huddai” from the Hebrew word “Yehudi” which is the term used to refer to a member of the tribe of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob.
The word “Hebrew,” on the other hand, is used to refer to a descendant of Abraham or an Israelite. It is also used to refer to their cultural and religious ties and those who have converted to Judaism. It is more often used to refer to the ancient Canaanite language of the Israelites, though. It is the official language of the State of Israel but is also used by Samaritans and other non-Jewish groups. There are many forms of the Hebrew language: one is classical Hebrew which is used for prayer and study; and the other one is modern Hebrew which is spoken by most of the Jewish people and the official language of Israel.
The word “Hebrew” comes from the Middle English word “Ebreu” which comes from Old French derived from the Latin word “Hebraeus.” They all came from the Aramaic word “Ebrai” and the Hebrew word “‘ibri” which was one of the names used to refer to the Jewish people from “‘eber,” an ancestor of Abraham. It was the term used to refer to the Israelites before the conquest of Canaan after which they were known as Israelites. Although the word “Hebrew” is still used today to refer to the Israelites, it is used to refer to those who use the Hebrew language.
Summary:
1.“Jewish” is a word used to refer to everything that relates to the culture and religion of the Jews while “Hebrew” is also used to refer to the Jewish people or the Israelites but is also the name for their language.
2.“Jewish” has a more religious connotation while “Hebrew” does not.
3.Today, Israelites are more often referred to as Jewish rather than Hebrews which was the term used before the conquest of Canaan.
4.The word “Jewish” comes from the word “Jew” which comes from the Latin word “Judaeus” meaning “from the land of Judea”; also from the Hebrew word “Yehudi” which is the term used to refer to a member of the tribe of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob while the word “Hebrew” comes from the Latin word “Hebraeus” and the Hebrew word “‘ibri” which was derived from “‘eber,” an ancestor of Abraham.