“The God of the Hebrews”

From “Israelites” to “Hebrews”

At the beginning of Exodus (1:1–14), the Torah describes Jacob’s family, seventy people who descended to Egypt: how it grew, flourished, and became a numerous and mighty people, and how a new king later arose in Egypt and began enslaving its descendants, the Israelites. The expression “children of Israel” occurs five times, more often than any other word or phrase in the passage.

Beginning with verse 15, however, the Torah stops speaking of “children of Israel” and speaks instead of “Hebrews.” First this occurs when Pharaoh orders the Hebrew midwives to kill the boys and let the girls live:

And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah; and he said: ‘When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, ye shall look upon the birthstool: if it be a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it be a daughter, then she shall live.’ But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men-children alive. And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them: ‘Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men-children alive?’ And the midwives said unto Pharaoh: ‘Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwife come unto them.’ (Exodus 1:15–19)

וַיֹּאמֶר מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם לַמְיַלְּדֹת הָעִבְרִיֹּת... וַיֹּאמֶר בְּיַלֶּדְכֶן אֶת הָעִבְרִיּוֹת... וַתֹּאמַרְןָ הַמְיַלְּדֹת אֶל פַּרְעֹה כִּי לֹא כַנָּשִׁים הַמִּצְרִיֹּת הָעִבְרִיֹּת... (שמות א' טו-יט)

Next, in the story of Moses’ birth and adoption by Pharaoh’s daughter:

And she opened it, and saw it, even the child; and behold a boy that wept. And she had compassion on him, and said: ‘This is one of the Hebrews’children.’ Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter: ‘Shall I go and call thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee?’ (Exodus 2:6–7)

וַתִּפְתַּח וַתִּרְאֵהוּ אֶת הַיֶּלֶד וְהִנֵּה נַעַר בֹּכֶה וַתַּחְמֹל עָלָיו וַתֹּאמֶר מִיַּלְדֵי הָעִבְרִים זֶה. וַתֹּאמֶר אֲחֹתוֹ אֶל בַּת פַּרְעֹה הַאֵלֵךְ וְקָרָאתִי לָךְ אִשָּׁה מֵינֶקֶת מִן הָעִבְרִיֹּת וְתֵינִק לָךְ אֶת הַיָּלֶד. (שמות ב' ו-ז)

It also occurs when Moses goes out to his brothers:

And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he smote the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. And he went out the second day, and, behold, two men of the Hebrews were striving together; and he said to him that did the wrong: ‘Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?’ (Exodus 2:11–13)

וַיַּרְא אִישׁ מִצְרִי מַכֶּה אִישׁ עִבְרִי מֵאֶחָיו... וַיֵּצֵא בַּיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִי וְהִנֵּה שְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים עִבְרִים נִצִּים... (שמות ב' יא-יג)

And when Moses receives his mission to bring Israel out, God instructs him to address Pharaoh:

And they shall hearken to thy voice. And thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him: The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us. And now let us go, we pray thee, three days’journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. (Exodus 3:18)

וּבָאתָ אַתָּה וְזִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם וַאֲמַרְתֶּם אֵלָיו ה' אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִיִּים נִקְרָה עָלֵינוּ... (שמות ג' יח)

During the ten plagues, Moses and Aaron continue presenting God as the God of the Hebrews. So at their first appearance before Pharaoh:

And they said: ‘The God of the Hebrews hath met with us. Let us go, we pray thee, three days’journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest He fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.’ (Exodus 5:3)

וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים נִקְרָא עָלֵינוּ נֵלֲכָה נָּא דֶּרֶךְ שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים בַּמִּדְבָּר וְנִזְבְּחָה לה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ פֶּן יִפְגָּעֵנוּ בַּדֶּבֶר אוֹ בֶחָרֶב. (שמות ה' ג)

And before the plague of blood:

Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river’s brink to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thy hand. And thou shalt say unto him: The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, hath sent me unto thee, saying: Let My people go, that they may serve Me in the wilderness; and, behold, hitherto thou hast not hearkened; (Exodus 7:15–16)

לֵךְ אֶל פַּרְעֹה בַּבֹּקֶר... וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו ה' אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים שְׁלָחַנִי אֵלֶיךָ לֵאמֹר שַׁלַּח אֶת עַמִּי וְיַעַבְדֻנִי בַּמִּדְבָּר וְהִנֵּה לֹא שָׁמַעְתָּ עַד כֹּה. (שמות ז' טו-טז)

Likewise in God’s instruction before the pestilence:

Then the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him: Thus saith the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. (Exodus 9:1)

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה בֹּא אֶל פַּרְעֹה וְדִבַּרְתָּ אֵלָיו כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים שַׁלַּח אֶת עַמִּי וְיַעַבְדֻנִי. (שמות ט' א)

This recurs before the hail:

And the LORD said unto Moses: ‘Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him: Thus saith the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go, that they may serve Me. (Exodus 9:13)

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה הַשְׁכֵּם בַּבֹּקֶר וְהִתְיַצֵּב לִפְנֵי פַרְעֹה וְאָמַרְתָּ אֵלָיו כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים שַׁלַּח אֶת עַמִּי וְיַעַבְדֻנִי. (שמות ט' יג)

And before the locusts:

And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him: ‘Thus saith the LORD, the God of the Hebrews: How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before Me? let My people go, that they may serve Me. (Exodus 10:3)

וַיָּבֹא מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן אֶל פַּרְעֹה וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֵלָיו כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים עַד מָתַי מֵאַנְתָּ לֵעָנֹת מִפָּנָי שַׁלַּח עַמִּי וְיַעַבְדֻנִי. (שמות י' ג)

Why this abrupt transition? Why does the Torah call the Israelites “Hebrews”? Why does God present Himself as the God of the Hebrews rather than the God of Israel?

“Hebrew” versus “Israelite”

One might say that a transition does occur, but is not particularly sharp, since “Israelite” and “Hebrew” are synonyms, as many biblical passages suggest. For example, when the sailors ask Jonah who he is, he answers:

And he said unto them: ‘I am an Hebrew; and I fear the LORD, the God of heaven, who hath made the sea and the dry land.’ (Jonah 1:9)

וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם עִבְרִי אָנֹכִי וְאֶת ה' אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם אֲנִי יָרֵא אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אֶת הַיָּם וְאֶת הַיַּבָּשָׁה. (יונה א' ט)

In Samuel, too, the chapters concerning relations between Philistines and Israelites frequently call the latter “Hebrews,” and not only in Philistine speech. For example:

And Jonathan smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. And Saul blew the horn throughout all the land, saying: ‘Let the Hebrews hear.’ (I Samuel 13:3)

וַיַּךְ יוֹנָתָן אֵת נְצִיב פְּלִשְׁתִּים אֲשֶׁר בְּגֶבַע וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ פְּלִשְׁתִּים וְשָׁאוּל תָּקַע בַּשּׁוֹפָר בְּכָל הָאָרֶץ לֵאמֹר יִשְׁמְעוּ הָעִבְרִים. (שמואל א י"ג ג)

Yet the assumption that “Israelite” and “Hebrew” are identical is imprecise. I shall offer three proofs from the Torah.

The term “Hebrew” occurs several times before the Israelites become a people, implying an independent meaning rather than identity with “Israelite.” We first encounter it with Abraham. After his nephew Lot is captured, the Torah relates:

And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew–now he dwelt by the terebinths of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol, and brother of Aner; and these were confederate with Abram. (Genesis 14:13)

וַיָּבֹא הַפָּלִיט וַיַּגֵּד לְאַבְרָם הָעִבְרִי... (בראשית י"ד יג)

Here “Hebrew” apparently functions like “Girgashite,” “Aramean,” or “Canaanite.” The fugitive tells Abraham, who belongs to the ethnic group called Hebrews.

Further evidence comes from Joseph in prison. Asking the chief butler to mention him to Pharaoh, Joseph calls his homeland “the land of the Hebrews”:

But have me in thy remembrance when it shall be well with thee, and show kindness, I pray thee, unto me, and make mention of me unto Pharaoh, and bring me out of this house. For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews; and here also have I done nothing that they should put me into the dungeon.’ (Genesis 40:14–15)

כִּי אִם זְכַרְתַּנִי אִתְּךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר יִיטַב לָךְ וְעָשִׂיתָ נָּא עִמָּדִי חָסֶד וְהִזְכַּרְתַּנִי אֶל פַּרְעֹה וְהוֹצֵאתַנִי מִן הַבַּיִת הַזֶּה. כִי גֻנֹּב גֻּנַּבְתִּי מֵאֶרֶץ הָעִבְרִים וְגַם פֹּה לֹא עָשִׂיתִי מְאוּמָה כִי שָׂמוּ אֹתִי בַּבּוֹר. (בראשית מ' יד-טו)

Joseph does not mean “the land of the Israelites.” Neither all Canaan nor even a part of it could plausibly have been named after a small family then numbering no more than seventy. Nor would the Egyptian official likely recognize the region by such a name.

A third proof concerns an Egyptian custom attested by the Torah. When Joseph invites his brothers to eat, it relates:

And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, that did eat with him, by themselves; because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. (Genesis 43:32)

וַיָּשִׂימוּ לוֹ לְבַדּוֹ וְלָהֶם לְבַדָּם וְלַמִּצְרִים הָאֹכְלִים אִתּוֹ לְבַדָּם כִּי לֹא יוּכְלוּן הַמִּצְרִים לֶאֱכֹל אֶת הָעִבְרִים לֶחֶם כִּי תוֹעֵבָה הִוא לְמִצְרָיִם. (בראשית מ"ג לב)

The Egyptian custom of not eating with Hebrews is incompatible with identifying Hebrews and Israelites. It would be strange for the Egyptian empire to have a custom against eating with a tiny group of a few dozen living in the province of Canaan.

We must therefore understand “Hebrews” as a broader ethnic group than Jacob’s family. When Joseph mentions the land of the Hebrews, he means a known region of Canaan inhabited by a large Hebrew population, the people to which Abraham the Hebrew belonged and of which the Israelites formed only a small part.

This explanation can illuminate the Hebrew slave laws in three Torah passages: Mishpatim (Exodus 21:2–6), Behar (Leviticus 25:39–46), and Re’eh (Deuteronomy 15:12–18). These differ significantly both in legal detail and in their underlying aims and conceptions. The greatest contrast is between Mishpatim and Re’eh on one side and Behar on the other. Behar concerns an Israelite who becomes impoverished and is sold into service. He works until the Jubilee, when he may return to his family and holding. The Torah avoids calling him a slave, preferring to treat him as a hired worker engaged for many years until the Jubilee. It forbids working him ruthlessly and even categorically rejects enslavement: Israelites are God’s servants whom He brought out of Egypt, and must not be sold as slaves or ruled over ruthlessly; their employer must fear God (Leviticus 25:42–43: “כִי עֲבָדַי הֵם… לֹא יִמָּכְרוּ מִמְכֶּרֶת עָבֶד. לֹא תִרְדֶּה בוֹ בְּפָרֶךְ…”). At the passage’s conclusion, the Torah contrasts the Israelite hired worker with slaves purchased from other nations:

And as for thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, whom thou mayest have: of the nations that are round about you, of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them may ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they have begotten in your land; and they may be your possession. And ye may make them an inheritance for your children after you, to hold for a possession: of them may ye take your bondmen for ever; but over your brethren the children of Israel ye shall not rule, one over another, with rigour. (Leviticus 25:44–46)

וְעַבְדְּךָ וַאֲמָתְךָ אֲשֶׁר יִהְיוּ לָךְ מֵאֵת הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר סְבִיבֹתֵיכֶם מֵהֶם תִּקְנוּ עֶבֶד וְאָמָה. וְגַם מִבְּנֵי הַתּוֹשָׁבִים הַגָּרִים עִמָּכֶם מֵהֶם תִּקְנוּ וּמִמִּשְׁפַּחְתָּם אֲשֶׁר עִמָּכֶם אֲשֶׁר הוֹלִידוּ בְּאַרְצְכֶם וְהָיוּ לָכֶם לַאֲחֻזָּה. וְהִתְנַחֲלְתֶּם אֹתָם לִבְנֵיכֶם אַחֲרֵיכֶם לָרֶשֶׁת אֲחֻזָּה לְעֹלָם בָּהֶם תַּעֲבֹדוּ וּבְאַחֵיכֶם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִישׁ בְּאָחִיו לֹא תִרְדֶּה בוֹ בְּפָרֶךְ. (ויקרא כ"ה מד-מו)

Exodus and Deuteronomy, by contrast, explicitly speak of a slave. Exodus begins with the purchase of a Hebrew slave (21:2: “כִּי תִקְנֶה עֶבֶד עִבְרִי”) and limits his enslavement to six years. Another provision requires the master to give the Hebrew slave a release grant when he goes free (Deuteronomy 15:13–15).

On my reading, the apparent contradictions in legal details, and still more in their underlying purposes, arise because the passages concern different people, creating a hierarchy with three levels: an Israelite hired worker, a Hebrew slave, and a Canaanite slave. Leviticus speaks of an Israelite. His enslavement is absolutely forbidden, so he is not called a slave but a hired worker employed long-term until the Jubilee. At the Jubilee he completes his service and returns to his family and property: as an Israelite he, too, has an inheritance in the land. Since he is completing hired employment rather than being released from slavery, he is not entitled to a slave’s release grant. Mishpatim and Re’eh, however, concern a Hebrew who is not an Israelite. He is not entitled to his Israelite kinsman’s hired-worker status, but deserves easier conditions than a foreign slave. The main difference is the six-year limit on Hebrew slavery. Re’eh also grants him a release gift. If he chooses to remain with his master, however, he remains a slave permanently: he is ultimately not a hired worker like his Israelite kinsman, but a slave who has waived the six-year release available to him as a Hebrew.

The demand for special treatment of Hebrew slaves addresses Israelites because they themselves were slaves in Egypt. They are commanded to remember their enslavement and redemption (Deuteronomy 15:15: “וְזָכַרְתָּ כִּי עֶבֶד הָיִיתָ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וַיִּפְדְּךָ ה’ אֱלֹהֶיךָ…”). They must therefore treat this extended family member well: a Hebrew slave who has fallen into their former predicament. They limit his service to six years and provide a release grant, resembling the property Israel requested from the Egyptians at the Exodus.

The third level, mentioned in Leviticus, is a slave acquired from the nations, termed a “Canaanite slave” in postbiblical sources. This is the classic slave, whose descendants remain enslaved for all generations and receive none of the privileges granted to the Hebrew slave and Israelite hired worker.

The Exodus: An Event of Universal Significance

Having established a clear distinction between Israelites and Hebrews, we return to the original question. After describing Israel’s descent to Egypt and the beginning of their enslavement, why does the Torah begin calling them by the general term “Hebrews” rather than the more precise “children of Israel”?

One might argue that Egyptian enslavement targeted all Hebrews, not only Israelites. But the verses do not support this. Immediately before first mentioning Hebrews, the Torah emphasizes that Egypt’s king devised enslavement specifically against the Israelites, whom he saw as a threat; Hebrews are not mentioned:

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people: ‘Behold, the people of the children of Israel are too many and too mighty for us; come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there befalleth us any war, they also join themselves unto our enemies, and fight against us, and get them up out of the land.’ Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh store-cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And they were adread because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour. (Exodus 1:8–13)

וַיָּקָם מֶלֶךְ חָדָשׁ עַל מִצְרָיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַע אֶת יוֹסֵף. וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל עַמּוֹ הִנֵּה עַם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל רַב וְעָצוּם מִמֶּנּוּ... וְכַאֲשֶׁר יְעַנּוּ אֹתוֹ כֵּן יִרְבֶּה וְכֵן יִפְרֹץ וַיָּקֻצוּ מִפְּנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. וַיַּעֲבִדוּ מִצְרַיִם אֶת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּפָרֶךְ. (שמות א' ח-יג)

Not only Pharaoh and Egypt, but God too directs His action toward Israelites rather than Hebrews. At the burning bush in chapter 3, He presents Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, ancestors of the Israelite nation, a distinct group within the Hebrews (verse 6). He then tells Moses that He intends to bring the Israelites out of Egypt (verse 8). “Children of Israel” occurs eight times in the chapter, whereas “Hebrews” occurs only once, in the instructions for presenting the demand for release to Pharaoh:

And they shall hearken to thy voice. And thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him: The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us. And now let us go, we pray thee, three days’journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. (Exodus 3:18)

וְשָׁמְעוּ לְקֹלֶךָ וּבָאתָ אַתָּה וְזִקְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם וַאֲמַרְתֶּם אֵלָיו ה' אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִיִּים נִקְרָה עָלֵינוּ... (שמות ג' יח)

Enslavement specifically targeted Israel; God tells Moses of His plan to bring Israel, not the Hebrews, out of Egypt. We also know that it is Israel who actually leaves. No accompanying Hebrews are mentioned, only an undefined group called the mixed multitude. Why, then, does God ask Moses and Aaron to present Him as the God of the Hebrews rather than Israel?

One could argue that “Hebrews” is appropriate here because it is Israel’s conventional designation in international relations, which use the broader group’s name. Examples include Jonah’s presenting himself to the sailors as a Hebrew, and the Philistines’ frequent use of “Hebrews” for Israelites in Samuel.

But this explanation is incomplete. It can explain the Egyptians’ terminology and perhaps Moses and Aaron’s presentation of God to Pharaoh, a point I shall address below. It cannot explain why the Torah itself, as narrator, calls Israelites Hebrews. Why are Shiphrah and Puah called Hebrew midwives? Were they not Israelites? Were the mothers whose sons Pharaoh sought to kill not Israelites? Why does the Torah say Moses saw two Hebrews fighting (Exodus 2:13: “שְׁנֵי אֲנָשִׁים עִבְרִים נִצִּים”) rather than two Israelites? He had gone out to see his enslaved Israelite brothers.

Why does God ask Moses and Aaron to present Him as the God of the Hebrews? In the context of Israel’s departure and Moses’ struggle for freedom, a request to release Israelites rather than Hebrews would naturally be made in the name of the God of Israel. Indeed, this is precisely what happens at Moses and Aaron’s first meeting with Pharaoh:

And afterward Moses and Aaron came, and said unto Pharaoh: ‘Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel: Let My people go, that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness.’ (Exodus 5:1)

וְאַחַר בָּאוּ מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֶל פַּרְעֹה כֹּה אָמַר ה' אֱלֹהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שַׁלַּח אֶת עַמִּי וְיָחֹגּוּ לִי בַּמִּדְבָּר. (שמות ה' א)

They understand their mission to be bringing Israel out of Egypt. Despite God’s instruction to call Him the God of the Hebrews, they consider the God of Israel the appropriate presentation. Pharaoh replies that he does not know Israel’s God and therefore will not release Israel:

And Pharaoh said: ‘Who is the LORD, that I should hearken unto His voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, and moreover I will not let Israel go.’ (Exodus 5:2)

וַיֹּאמֶר פַּרְעֹה מִי ה' אֲשֶׁר אֶשְׁמַע בְּקֹלוֹ לְשַׁלַּח אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. לֹא יָדַעְתִּי אֶת ה' וְגַם אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא אֲשַׁלֵּחַ. (שמות ה' ב)

Moses and Aaron therefore return to the presentation originally commanded:

And they said: ‘The God of the Hebrews hath met with us. Let us go, we pray thee, three days’journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest He fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword.’ (Exodus 5:3)

וַיֹּאמְרוּ אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים נִקְרָא עָלֵינוּ נֵלְכָה נָּא דֶּרֶךְ שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים בַּמִּדְבָּר וְנִזְבְּחָה לַה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ פֶּן יִפְגָּעֵנוּ בַּדֶּבֶר אוֹ בֶחָרֶב. (שמות ה' ג)

In his first answer Pharaoh addresses both the unknown identity behind the request – who is the LORD whose voice he should obey? – and the request’s substance: he will not release Israel. On the second approach Moses and Aaron invoke the God of the Hebrews, a god familiar to Pharaoh. Pharaoh therefore limits his answer to rejecting the substance:

And the king of Egypt said unto them: ‘Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, cause the people to break loose from their work? get you unto your burdens.’ (Exodus 5:4)

וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵהֶם מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם לָמָּה מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן תַּפְרִיעוּ אֶת הָעָם מִמַּעֲשָׂיו לְכוּ לְסִבְלֹתֵיכֶם. (פס' ד)

From then on, they continue demanding Israel’s release in the name of the God of the Hebrews rather than the God of Israel. Why?

If the Exodus aimed simply to bring Israel out of Egypt, God would naturally wish to present it as Moses and Aaron first did: Israel’s departure demanded by Israel’s God. Moreover, Pharaoh’s insulting response that he does not know the LORD and will not release Israel deserves a sharp reply promising that he will yet learn to know Israel’s God and His mighty hand. Instead, Moses and Aaron revert to their original instructions and throughout the plagues invoke the God of the Hebrews. Why?

The answer lies in the Exodus’s universal dimension, its relevance to all humanity. According to the Bible, God chose Abram the Hebrew and commanded him to go to Canaan. Abraham’s grandson Jacob was also called Israel, and his sons’ descendants, the twelve tribes, eventually became the chosen people. But God’s relations with humanity neither began with Abram nor end with Israel. He was the God of Adam, Noah, and Noah’s son Shem; the God of Eber, Shem’s descendant, and later of all Hebrews, long before Israel took shape in Egypt. In the prophets’ vision, His sovereignty will ultimately grow until every nation recognizes it.

Presenting Israel as Hebrews in the Exodus story says that although Israelites were the ones who left Egypt, this historical event extends beyond one particular people’s redemption. It carries a message for everyone walking in God’s way. By defining Himself as the God of the Hebrews and instructing Moses and Aaron to present Him so, God says that He is not only Israel’s national God, but the God of everyone who connects with the divine idea, Israelite or foreigner: the God of the Hebrews.

One expression of this universal character is Moses’ rescue by Pharaoh’s daughter. Pharaoh’s decree to throw all boys into the Nile forces Moses’ mother to hide him. When she can no longer do so, she puts him in a basket among the reeds by the river. Pharaoh’s daughter comes to bathe, notices the basket, and sees the child crying. She understands that he is a Hebrew child whom her father ordered killed. Nevertheless she takes pity and raises him as her son. Today we would call her a righteous person among the nations.

The Exodus is indeed a foundational narrative of general culture, not only Israelite culture. Rabbi Kook coined the saying, “Israel’s departure from Egypt will forever remain the springtime of the whole world” (Meged Yerachim, Nisan; translated from the Hebrew). It changed human history, not merely Israel’s fate. It offered a successful model of struggle against slavery and tyranny, then perceived as immutable natural laws, inspiring hope in peoples and societies struggling under oppressive regimes.

The Exodus also tells of divine redemption and a covenant between humanity and God. Its great miracles showed that God cares about people and intervenes in history. It taught that human redemption involves striving for justice and a just society, replacing bondage to transient vanities with service of God. The command in Exodus 9:1 expresses this: God’s people must be released to serve Him (“כֹּה אָמַר אֱלֹהֵי הָעִבְרִים שַׁלַּח אֶת עַמִּי וְיַעַבְדֻנִי”).

The story appears to be a particular national account: a small family of seventy, the Israelites, descends to Egypt, is enslaved, and finally goes free. Its meaning, however, is broader; hence it is among Western culture’s most famous and influential stories. Calling Israel Hebrews and God the God of the Hebrews emphasizes a significance beyond Israel’s redemption, carrying good news for all humanity. That is why the Exodus story calls Israel “Hebrews,” not only “Israelites,” and God “the God of the Hebrews,” not only “the God of Israel.”