Meaning & History
Israhel is the Latin form of Israel, used in the Latin Old Testament (the Vulgate).
Etymology
The name derives from the Hebrew יִשְׂרָאֵל (Yisraʾel), meaning "God contends", from the roots שָׂרָה (sara) "to contend" and אֵל (ʾel) "God". According to Genesis 32:28, the patriarch Jacob wrestled with an angel and was renamed Israel as a result.
Linguistic Background
Israhel is an alternative spelling of the Latin Isrāēl. It appears in Old English, borrowed from Latin, where it was pronounced /ˈis.rɑ.xel/. In Classical Latin, the name was pronounced [ɪsˈraː.(ɦ)eːɫ], with the h likely reflecting the Hebrew he (ה) in the tetragrammaton or the name's internal consonant. The spelling with h was common in medieval manuscripts. The Wiktionary entry lists the word as obsolete in English, appearing simply as a spelling variant in historical texts.
The Latin declension is mixed: sometimes indeclinable (Isrāhēl), sometimes a third-declension noun (Isrāhēlis, etc.). This reflects the attempts to fit the Hebrew name into Latin grammar.
Related Forms
Cognates include the Biblical Hebrew Yisra'el, the modern Hebrew Yisrael, and the Spanish Israel. Diminutives in English are Isi, Issy, and Izzy.
- Meaning: "God contends"
- Origin: Hebrew, via Latin
- Type: First name
- Usage Regions: Latin Bible, medieval texts
Related Names
Sources: Wiktionary — Israhel