(2 Chron. 30:24, 25; 34:1, 3-7) After the northern kingdom’s fall the name of Israel was, in effect, kept alive by Judah, the only kingdom remaining of Israel’s (Jacob’s) descendants. Therefore, it is primarily with reference to the land of the Judean kingdom and its capital Jerusalem that the expression “soil of Israel” is used by the prophet Ezekiel. (Ezek. 12:19, 22; 18:2; 21:2, 3) This was the geographical area that was completely desolated for seventy years from and after 607 B.C.E. (25:3) but to which a faithful remnant would be regathered.—11:17; 20:42; 37:12.

For a description of Israel’s geographical and climatic characteristics, as well as its size, location, natural resources and related features, see the article PALESTINE.

ISRAELITE

(Isʹra·el·ite).

A descendant of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. (2 Sam. 17:25; John 1:47; Rom. 11:1; see ISRAEL No. 1.) As determined by the context, in the plural the term refers to the following: (1) Members of all the twelve tribes before the split in the kingdom (1 Sam. 2:14; 13:20; 29:1); (2) those of the ten-tribe northern kingdom (1 Ki. 12:19; 2 Ki. 3:24); (3) non-Levitical Jews returning from Babylonian exile (1 Chron. 9:1, 2); (4) Jews of the first century C.E.—Acts 13:16; Rom. 9:3, 4; 2 Cor. 11:22.

ISRAEL OF GOD

This expression, found only once in Scripture, refers to spiritual Israel rather than to racial descendants of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. (Gen. 32:22-28) The Bible speaks of “Israel in a fleshly way” (1 Cor. 10:18), as well as spiritual Israel made up of those for whom descent from Abraham is not a requirement. (Matt. 3:9) The apostle Paul, when using the expression “the Israel of God,” shows that it has nothing to do with whether one is a circumcised descendant of Abraham or not.—Gal. 6:15, 16.

The prophet Hosea foretold that God, in rejecting the nation of natural] Israel in favor of this spiritual nation, which includes Gentiles, would say “to those not my people: ‘You are my people.’” (Hos. 2:23; Rom. 9:22-25) In due time the kingdom of God was taken away from the nation of natural Jews and given to a spiritual nation bringing forth Kingdom fruitage. (Matt. 21:43) To be sure, natural Jews were included in spiritual Israel. The apostles and others who received holy spirit at Pentecost in 33 C.E. (about 120), those added on that day (about 3,000), and those that later increased the number to about 5,000, were all Jews and proselytes. (Acts 1:13-15; 2:41; 4:4) But even at that they were, as Isaiah described them, “a mere remnant” saved out of that cast-off nation.—Isa. 10:21, 22; Rom. 9:27.

Other scriptures elaborate on this matter. With the breaking off of some “natural branches” of the figurative olive tree, there was a grafting in of “wild” non-Israelite ones, so that there was no racial or class distinction among those that “are really Abraham’s seed, heirs with reference to a promise.” (Rom. 11:17-24; Gal. 3:28, 29) “Not all who spring from Israel are really ‘Israel.’” “For he is not a Jew who is one on the outside, nor is circumcision that which is on the outside upon the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one on the inside, and his circumcision is that of the heart by spirit.” (Rom. 9:6; 2:28, 29) Natural Israel failed to produce the required number, so God “turned his attention to the nations to take out of them a people for his name” (Acts 15:14), concerning whom it was said, “You were once not a people, but are now God’s people.” (1 Pet. 2:10) The apostle Peter quoted what had been said to natural Israel and applied it to this spiritual Israel of God, saying it is in reality “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession.”—Ex. 19:5, 6; 1 Pet. 2:9.

The twelve tribes mentioned in Revelation chapter 7 must refer to this spiritual Israel, and for several valid reasons. The listing does not match that of natural Israel at Numbers chapter 1. Also Jerusalem’s temple and priesthood and all the tribal records of natural Israel were permanently destroyed, lost forever, long before John had his vision in 96 C.E. But more importantly, John received his vision upon a background of the aforementioned developments from and after Pentecost 33 C.E. In the light of such events, John’s vision of those standing on the heavenly Mount Zion with the Lamb (whom natural Israel had rejected) revealed the number of this spiritual Israel of God to be 144,000 “bought from among mankind.”—Rev. 7:4; 14:1, 4.

ISSACHAR

(Isʹsa·char) [he is wages or he brings wages].

1. The ninth son of Jacob and the fifth of Leah’s seven children born in Paddan-aram. Leah viewed this son as Jehovah’s reward or wages paid for her having allowed a maidservant to bear sons by her husband during a period when she was barren.—Gen. 29:32–30:21; 35:23, 26; 1 Chron. 2:1.

Issachar was perhaps eight years old when his family moved to Canaan in 1761 B.C.E. After that nothing is known of his life aside from the recorded events in which, as one of “the sons of Jacob,” he mutually participated. (Gen. 34:5-7, 13, 27; 37:3-27; 42:1-3; 45:15) In 1728 B.C.E., when Issachar was about forty-one years old, he moved to Egypt together with his sons Tola, Puvah (Puah), Iob (Jashub) and Shimron as part of the “seventy souls” of Jacob’s household.—Gen. 46:13, 27; Ex. 1:1-3; 1 Chron. 7:1.

When Jacob was on his deathbed, Issachar was the fifth of the twelve sons to receive his father’s blessing: “Issachar is a strong-boned ass, lying down between the two saddlebags. And he will see that the resting place is good and that the land is pleasant; and he will bend down his shoulder to bear burdens and he will become subject to slavish forced labor.” (Gen. 49:14, 15) In pronouncing this blessing, Jacob was not only pointing out certain individual characteristics and events in the personal life of Issachar; but, as with the blessings bestowed on his brothers, Jacob was foretelling tribal traits and conduct that would be displayed in the future by Issachar’s descendants “in the final part of the days.”—Gen. 49:1.

2. One of the twelve tribes of Israel; descendants of Jacob through his son Issachar. When the first census was taken after leaving Egypt, the number of able-bodied men twenty years old and upward fit for warfare among this tribe was 54,400. (Num. 1:17-19, 28, 29) A similar census about thirty-nine years later showed the tribe had increased their registered ones to 64,300, and in David’s time the fighting force numbered 87,000. (Num. 26:23-25; 1 Chron. 7:5) There were 200 head ones of the tribe that went to Hebron in 1070 B.C.E. when David was made “king over all Israel.”—1 Chron. 12:23, 32, 38.

In the layout of the great wilderness camp, the families of Issachar, together with those of their full-blood brother-tribe of Zebulun, were situated on Judah’s flanks on the E side of the tabernacle (Num. 2:3-8); when on the march this three-tribe division was assigned to take the lead. (Num. 10:14-16) Moses’ parting blessings on the tribes grouped Issachar and Zebulun together (Deut. 33:18), but a few years later they were separated when the tribes were divided into two groups to hear the reading of blessings and cursings of the Law between the mountains of Gerizim and Ebal.—Deut. 27:11-13; Josh. 8:33-35; see EBAL, MOUNT.

In dividing up the Promised Land, Issachar was the fourth tribe chosen by lot to receive its inheritance, which proved to be mainly in the fertile valley of Jezreel. Bounding Issachar were the tribal territories of Zebulun and Naphtali on the N, the Jordan River on the E, Manasseh’s territory on the S, and a portion of Asher’s allotment on the W. Mount Tabor lay along its northern boundary with Zebulun, while the city of Megiddo was near its SW border and Beth-shean