The word jew in the bible

But Blunt Publisher Manipulation Is

C H U R C H   R E F O R M   S E R I E S

By Biblicism Institute

“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.” – Mark Twain

The word “Jew” did not come into existence until the year 1775 A.D., whereas the occurrences in the bible took place from around 4000 B.C. to 70 A.D.

WHO IS A JEW?

Its modern connotation points to someone who follows and adheres to a faith similar to that of the Pharisees of Judah, but is not of the tribe and stock of Judah. In other words, Jews are people from nations other than the 12 Hebrew tribes who practice a religion known as Judaism/Pharisaism, the doctrine of the Pharisees.

It is much like those who believe in Christ and are called Christians, in honor of the One whom they follow, and their religion is known as Christianity, the doctrine of Christ. If one were to say that all Christians are Judahites because Christ was of the tribe of Judah, it would be a fallacy. In much the same way, Jews are not Judahites (or Judeans).

In fact, the religion that is known as Judaism is actually Pharisaism. Judaism – as it pertains to Pharisaism – is a misnomer, since it is neither the doctrine of Judah nor the doctrine that Christ practiced, hence not an Abrahamic faith.

It is the pagan doctrine of the Pharisees of old, an evil creed they brought back from their Babylonian captivity. It does not follow the truth of the Bible, neither of the Old Testament nor of the New. Its central tenets are found in a book called the Talmud (the real Satanic Verses), a book full of worldly traditions, lies, and superstitions.

“The Babylonian Talmud is based on the mystical religious practices of the Babylonians which were assimilated by the Judahite Rabbis during their Babylonian captivity around 600 B.C.,” wrote Edward Hendrie in Solving the Mystery of Babylon the Great. “The Rabbis then used these occult traditions in place of the word of God.”

And that is why Jesus was constantly rebuking the Pharisees:

“You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44

“You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” Mark 7:8

“For you have taken away the key to knowledge.” Luke 11:52

“You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?” Matthew 23:33

WHAT IS THE WORD IN THE NON-TRANSLATED BIBLE?

In both the Old Testament Hebrew and the New Testament Greek, the word to be translated is always meant to be Judah or Judahite(s), of the physical tribe and stock of Judah. And Jews today are not of the tribe of Judah.

Hebrew Words in the Old Testament Bible: 1) Yehuwdah: Jehudah or Judah  2) Yehuwdiy: Jehudite or Judahite.

Greek Words in the New Testament Bible: 1) Iouda: Jehudah or Judah  2) Ioudaios: Jehudite or Judahite, or belonging to Jehudah/Judah.

Prior to 1775, when the English language was still in its infancy, IEWE was used to translate these words. Unlike the word Jew it was pronounced Yee-hoo-wee, stretching its best to imitate the original Hebrew phonetic of Ye-hu-wdiy.

According to Jewish-born Historian Benjamin H. Freedman, author of Facts Are Facts:

“The best known 18th century editions of the New Testament in English are the Rheims (Douai) Edition and the King James Authorized Edition. The Rheims (Douai) translation of the New Testament into English was first printed in 1582 but the word ‘Jew’ did not appear in it.

“The King James Authorized translation of the New Testament into English was begun in 1604 and first published in 1611. The word ‘Jew’ did not appear in it either. The word ‘Jew’ appeared in both these well known editions in their 18th century revised versions for the first times.

“When the word ‘Jew’ was first introduced into the English language in the 18th century its one and only implication, inference and innuendo was ‘Judean’. However, during the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries a well-organized and well-financed international ‘pressure group’ created a so-called ‘secondary meaning’ for the word ‘Jew’ among the English-speaking peoples of the world. This so-called ‘secondary meaning’ for the word ‘Jew’ bears no relation whatsoever to the 18th century original connotation of the word ‘Jew’. It is a misrepresentation.

“The present generally accepted secondary meaning of the word ‘Jew’ is fundamentally responsible for the confusion in the minds of Christians regarding elementary tenets of the Christian faith. It is likewise responsible today to a very great extent for the dilution of the devotion of countless Christians for their Christian faith.

“Christians today are becoming more and more alerted day by day why the so-called or self-styled ‘Jews’ throughout the world for three centuries have spent uncounted sums of money to manufacture the fiction that the ‘Judeans’ in the time of Jesus were ‘Jews’ rather than ‘Judeans’, and that ‘Jesus was a Jew’.” See How the Ashkenazi Jews conquered the West

The forced evolution of the word “Jew” is similar to the evolution that befell the word “Gay.” Gay=Merry became Gay=Homosexual. Try telling someone who’s happy (and who’s not a homosexual) that you’re glad he’s so “gay” and see what happens.

Another example is when many Christians today interact with a Jew they just met, their immediate reaction is to say, “Oh, Jesus was a Jew, too.” What they’re unwittingly saying is, “Oh, Jesus was a Pharisee, too.”

Oh, the blasphemy!

A word is what it is according to the meaning of its time. The word “Jew” today is so entrenched in describing one who follows Pharisaism (or Judaism) that it’s been completely emptied of its original meaning. Hence it no longer describes a Judahite or Judean.

That is why it needs to be struck from the translated bible.

“God is not the author of confusion…” 1 Corinthians 14:33

PUBLISHED BIBLE MANIPULATION

In all currently published bibles the word “Jew” is what is printed. However, in the 1985 New King James version, published by Thomas Nelson, Inc., there’s a glaring discrepancy:

“…the Judeans, who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they do not please God and are contrary to all men…” 1 Thessalonians 2:15

That’s the only place in that version where the word Ioudaios is rightly translated as Judean instead of the conspicuous word Jew.

Which prompts the following questions:

Did Jews bribe Thomas Nelson, Inc. to do it? If so, what did they stand to gain? And do the editors at Thomas Nelson, Inc. actually know that the word Jew is NOT in the bible?

All in all, it simply is deliberate manipulation. Because, simply put, the same Greek word Ioudaios is oddly translated two different ways in that version.

And the only place where it’s different is in that very uncomfortable and crucial verse where we are being led, like sheep to the slaughter, to envisage “Jews” (of today, of course) as not contrary to all men and not the killers of our Lord; while the “Judeans,” of the tribe of Judah, were the actual contrary ones who crucified the Lord and persecuted Christians.

Still, in other verses where the word Jew is maintained throughout, the Talmudic Rabbinists (aka Fake Hebrews or Jews) get to be seen as the Hebrews of old – a misappropriated appellation that is full of benefits for them, including the theft of Palestine to create modern-day Israel.

Consequently, yes, the editors at Thomas Nelson, Inc. do know that the Word Jew is NOT in the Bible, and yet they keep using it.

JEWS TODAY ARE NOT THE HEBREWS OF THE BIBLE

Today, those who are known as Jews are in fact the non-Semitic and non-Israelite Ashkenazim, Sephardim, and Samaritans, who in later times joined small numbers of other races that converted to Judaism/Pharisaism: Polish, Russians, Ukrainians, Germans, etc. These latter ones form a minority known as European Jews who, when coupled with the Ashkenazim, constitute a majority against the darker-skinned Samaritan, Sephardic, and African Jews. Discover What Happened to the Hebrews.

All the above groups are converts to Judaism, and none can claim to trace their ancestry to Abraham, Jacob, or Judah. In other words, they’re not the chosen Hebrews of the Bible with whom God had the Old Covenant, and therefore cannot claim the land of Palestine as their Abrahamic inheritance. And resurrecting the dead Hebrew tongue after centuries in the dustbin of oblivion, in order to make it modern Israel’s official language, won’t change those facts, much like parking a Subaru in a Lamborghini dealership won’t turn it into a Veneno Roadster.

Here’s an example of how changing Jews to Judah changes the whole meaning of a passage:

“Salvation is of Judah.” John 4:22

In every bible that verse is translated as “Salvation is of the Jews.” Let’s go to the original Greek word, Ioudaios which literally translated means “Belonging to Judah – Of the tribe of Judah.” However, Jews today do not belong to the tribe of Judah.

And that’s extremely important, because Jesus knew why He said Judah and not Levi or Ephraim or any of the other tribes, not even Jacob or Israel. He was announcing the fulfillment of every Old Testament prophecy concerning Himself, including Micah’s prophecy which was proclaimed some time during 737-696 BC:

“And thou, Bethlehem Ephrata, art a little one among the thousands of Judah: out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be the ruler in Israel: and his going forth is from the beginning, from the days of eternity.” Micah 5:2

And that was the reason Jesus told the Samaritan woman that “Salvation is of Judah.” What He was really telling her was that, “The Samaritans and the Judahites may worship the same God and share the same faith, but salvation is of Judah.”

Jesus, Himself the salvation, was born of the Virgin Mary in Bethlehem, Judah (and was crucified in Jerusalem, Judah). And only Jesus’s going forth could have been from the beginning, from the days of eternity because He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was Emmanuel, God with us (God made flesh).

“Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us.” Matthew 1:23

Furthermore, the Judahites kept God’s covenant with Moses by slaughtering and eating a lamb for Passover. Jesus performed it with his disciples. The lamb was killed and eaten in a private home.

The sacrifice of the Passover Lamb in the Hebrew home was God’s very covenant with each individual ancient Hebrew, and that’s why Jesus fulfilled it with his disciples in order to introduce the new covenant.

“Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.” Exodus 12:3

Jews don’t kill a lamb for Passover in their homes to keep the old covenant alive, and most of them follow the Talmud, a man-inspired book full of Babylonian superstitions. Therefore, such practices on their part demonstrate how distinct their faith is compared to the faith Jesus practiced.

CONCLUSION

The word “Jew” as we understand it today is NOT in the bible.

It has been completely hollowed out of its “Judean” or “Judahite” meaning, because the proselytized Rabbinists who hijacked it are not of the tribe of Judah. See How the Ashkenazi Jews Conquered the West.

“Judahites and proselytes…“ Acts 2: 11

All it does is create confusion in the Christian mind, which is exactly what the satanic forces want in order to unseat Christians as the new Chosen People – chosen to love and to do good – and to calumniate Christ as a Pharisee.

“God is not the author of confusion…” 1 Corinthians 14:33

No matter what these principalities of hell do, Jesus remains who He is and who He always was, a true Judahite, the awaited King and Messiah, the Salvation that was to come from Judah.

However, we Christians must do our part: remove the word “Jew” from the translated bible and replace it with Judahite, so the whole world may know that Jesus was NOT a Jew.

Read also: More Bad Translations

Read also: Church Services Are NOT Biblical

This article is about the English word Jew. For the Jewish people, see Jews.

Look up Jew in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

The English term Jew originates in the Biblical Hebrew word Yehudi, meaning «from the Kingdom of Judah».^[1] It passed into Greek as Ioudaios and Latin as Iudaeus, which evolved into the Old French giu after the letter «d» was dropped. A variety of related forms are found in early English from about the year 1000, including Iudea, Gyu, Giu, Iuu, Iuw, and Iew, which eventually developed into the modern word.

EtymologyEdit

Hasmonean coin of John Hyrcanus (134 to 104 BCE) with the inscription Hayehudim («of the Jews»).
Obv: Double cornucopia.
Rev: Five lines of ancient Hebrew script, reading Yehochanan Kohen Gadol, Chever Hayehudim («Yehochanan the High Priest, Council of the Jews»).

Map of the region in the 9th century BCE

Yehudi in the Hebrew BibleEdit

According to the Book of Genesis, Judah (יְהוּדָה‎, Yehudah) was the name of the fourth son of the patriarch Jacob. During the Exodus, the name was given to the Tribe of Judah, descended from the patriarch Judah. After the conquest and settlement of the land of Canaan, Judah also referred to the territory allocated to the tribe. After the splitting of the united Kingdom of Israel, the name was used for the southern kingdom of Judah. The kingdom now encompassed the tribes of Judah, Benjamin and Simeon, along with some of the cities of the Levites. With the destruction of the northern kingdom of Israel (Samaria), the kingdom of Judah became the sole Jewish state and the term y’hudi (יהודי‎) was applied to all Israelites.

The term Yehudi (יְהוּדִי‎) occurs 74 times in the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible. The plural, Yehudim (הַיְּהוּדִים‎) first appears in 2 Kings 16:6 where it refers to a defeat for the Yehudi army or nation, and in 2 Chronicles 32:18, where it refers to the language of the Yehudim (יְהוּדִית‎). Jeremiah 34:9 has the earliest singular usage of the word Yehudi. In Esther 2:5–6, the name «Yehudi» (יְהוּדִי‎) has a generic aspect, in this case referring to a man from the tribe of Benjamin:

«There was a man a Yehudi (Jewish man) in Shushan the capital, whose name was Mordecai the son of Jair the son of Shimei the son of Kish, a Benjamite; who had been exiled from Jerusalem with the exile that was exiled with Jeconiah, king of Judah, which Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had exiled.»

The name appears in the Bible as a verb in Esther 8:17 which states:

«Many of the people of the land became Yehudim (in the generic sense) (מִתְיַהֲדִים‎, mityahadim) because the fear of the Yehudim fell on them.»

In some places in the Talmud the word Israel(ite) refers to somebody who is Jewish but does not necessarily practice Judaism as a religion: «An Israel(ite) even though he has sinned is still an Israel(ite)» (Tractate Sanhedrin 44a). More commonly the Talmud uses the term Bnei Yisrael, i.e. «Children of Israel», («Israel» being the name of the third patriarch Jacob, father of the sons that would form the twelve tribes of Israel, which he was given and took after wrestling with an angel, see Genesis 32:28-29^[2]) to refer to Jews. According to the Talmud then, there is no distinction between «religious Jews» and «secular Jews.»

In modern Hebrew, the same word is still used to mean both Jews and Judeans («of Judea»). In Arabic the terms are yahūdī (sg.), al-yahūd (pl.), and بَنُو اِسرَائِيل banū isrāʼīl. The Aramaic term is Y’hūdāi.

Development in European languagesEdit

The Septuagint (reputedly a product of Hellenistic Jewish scholarship) and other Greek documents translated יְהוּדִי‎, Yehudi and the Aramaic Y’hūdāi using the Koine Greek term Ioudaios (Greek: Ἰουδαῖος; pl. Ἰουδαῖοι Ioudaioi), which had lost the ‘h’ sound. The Latin term, following the Greek version, is Iudaeus, and from these sources the term passed to other European languages. The Old French giu, earlier juieu, had elided (dropped) the letter «d» from the Latin Iudaeus. The Middle English word Jew derives from Old English where the word is attested as early as 1000 in various forms, such as Iudeas, Gyu, Giu, Iuu, Iuw, Iew. The Old English name is derived from Old French. The modern French term is «Juif/Juive» (m/f).

Most European languages have retained the letter «d» in the word for «Jew». Etymological equivalents are in use in other languages, e.g. Jude in German, judeu in Portuguese, jøde in Danish and Norwegian, judío in Spanish, jood in Dutch. In some languages, derivations of the word «Hebrew» are also in use to describe a Jew, e.g., Ebreo in Italian and Spanish, Ebri / Ebrani (Persian: عبری/عبرانی) in Persian and Еврей Yevrey in Russian.^[3] (See List of Jewish ethnonyms for a full overview.) The German word Jude ([ˈjuːdə]) is cognate with the Yiddish word for «Jew», Yid.^[4]

Modern useEdit

Obverse of a Jewish silver Yehud coin from the Persian era, with falcon or eagle and Aramaic inscription «יהד» «Yehud» (Judaea)

In modern English and other contemporary languages, the term «Israelite» was used to refer to contemporary Jews as well as to Jews of antiquity until the mid-20th-century. Since the foundation of the State of Israel, it has become less common to use «Israelite» of Jews in general. Instead, citizens of the state of Israel, whether Jewish or not, are called «Israeli», while «Jew» is used as an ethno-religious designation.

Perception of offensivenessEdit

The word Jew has been used often enough in a disparaging manner by antisemites that in the late 19th and early 20th centuries it was frequently avoided altogether, and the term Hebrew was substituted instead (e.g. Young Men’s Hebrew Association). The German counterpart Jude was extensively used during the Nazi period as a part of its anti-semitic campaign (eventually leading to genocide).^[5] The word has become more often used in a neutral fashion, as it underwent a process known as reappropriation.^[6][7] Even today some people are wary of its use, and prefer to use «Jewish».^[8][9] Indeed, when used as an adjective (e.g. «Jew lawyer») or verb (e.g. «to jew someone»),^[10] the term Jew is purely pejorative. According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition (2000):

It is widely recognized that the attributive use of the noun Jew, in phrases such as Jew lawyer or Jew ethics, is both vulgar and highly offensive. In such contexts Jewish is the only acceptable possibility. Some people, however, have become so wary of this construction that they have extended the stigma to any use of Jew as a noun, a practice that carries risks of its own. In a sentence such as There are now several Jews on the council, which is unobjectionable, the substitution of a circumlocution like Jewish people or persons of Jewish background may in itself cause offense for seeming to imply that Jew has a negative connotation when used as a noun.^[11]

ReferencesEdit

Bible Question:

Who is a Jew according to the Bible?

Bible Answer:

The word Jew has different meanings to different groups and individuals. Therefore, this article is not attempting to explain the various views, but how the term Jew was used in both the Old and New Testaments. Consequently, the question we are interested in is “Who is a Jew according to the Bible?”  This brief study will reveal that the word had changed its meaning by the time of Christ.

Meaning of Jew in the Old Testament

Scripture teaches that after King Solomon’s death, the nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms: the kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah. The division occurred when King Solomon sinned by not loving God with all his heart (1 Kings 11:9-13). The fallout was internal strife within the kingdom between Rehoboam and Jeroboam resulting in the nation being split (1 Kings 12:16-24). Consequently, descendants of Israel either lived in the northern or southern kingdom.

The Hebrew word Jew occurs for the first time in 2 Kings 25:25 if we consider only the order of the books in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament. If we consider the chronological order of events, then the same Hebrew word is translated as Jewish in 1 Chronicles 4:17-18 after the nation of Israel was split and before either the Assyrian or Babylonian armies invaded.

The sons of Ezrah were Jether, Mered, Epher and Jalon. (And these are the sons of Bithia the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took) and she conceived and bore Miriam, Shammai and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. His Jewish wife bore Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.1 Chronicles 4:17-18  (NASB)

A quick reading of the preceding verses reveal that a man called Mered had two wives: Bithia and his Jewish wife in 1 Chronicles 4:18. Some Bible versions use “Judah” or “Judahite” instead of “Jewish.” Why have the other Bible versions done this? The answer is that the Hebrew word that the NASB translated as “Jewish” is yehudi. Yehudi occurs 82 times in the Old Testament. It is translated as “Jew,” “Jews” and “Jewish” 74 times but only as Judah, Judea or Judeans 7 times.  One time it is translated as “brothers.” The root meaning of the Hebrew word helps us understand why the word can be translated as Jew, Jews, Jewish, Judea or Judah. The root meaning of yehudi is “a descendant of or from the tribe of Judah.”[1] The Jewish Virtual Library makes this comment regarding the word Jew:

The word Jewish is the adjective form of Jew.[2] The word “Jew” (in Hebrew, “Yehudi”) is derived from the name Judah, which was the name of one of Jacob’s twelve sons. Judah was the ancestor of one of the tribes of Israel, which was named after him.[3]

The Jewish organization Chabad.org states this,

 . . .the Kingdom of Israel was conquered by Assyrian King Sennaherib, and the ten tribes were exiled and lost. The only remaining Israelites were the residents of the Kingdom of Judah, and the term “Yehudi” or “Jew” came to refer to all the Israelites, regardless of their tribal ancestry.[4]

After the Assyrian army invaded the northern kingdom and deported a vast number of its citizens in 722 B.C., only the southern kingdom of the original united nation remained. Note that the southern kingdom of Judah was not invaded. Consequently, many of the remaining worshpers of Yahweh in the north came down to Judah to worship (2 Chronicles 30:1-18). The passage reveals that remnants of Ephraim and Manasseh still lived in the ruins of the old northern kingdom.

Later, 2 Kings 25:25 uses the word Jew or Yehudi shortly after the invasion of the Babylonian army into Judah. The passage states that some Jews left for Egypt in order to avoid the Babylonians. The term Jew was not created by the Babylonians, contrary to the claims of some, but was in existence prior to their invasion.

After the Babylonian exile of 605 B.C., the word Yehudi appears again in Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Jeremiah and Daniel to describe those who lived in Judah. When the Babylonians invaded the kingdom of Judah, Jews were living in many nations. The prophet Jeremiah mentions some of the locations (Jeremiah 40:11-15; 44:1).

In summary, the Old Testament uses the term Jew to refer to descendants from the kingdom of Judah. By the time of the Maccabees, the Hebrew word referred to any descendant of the original entire nation. They were also called Hebrews.

Meaning of Jew in the New Testament

In the New Testament the two terms Jews and Hebrews were used interchangeably in a generic sense for those who were living in the northern or southern kingdom (Matthew 2:2; John 4:9; 7:1; Acts 6:1; 18:2, 24; Philippians 3:5). Gentile converts to Judaism were not regarded as racial Jews. In the gospels the term Jew was also used to refer to the religious leaders (John 1:19). The word was broadened in its usage.

Paul the apostle clearly viewed himself to be a descendant of Benjamin, and yet said he was a member of the nation of Israel, a Hebrew of the Hebrews (Philippians 3:4-6).

. . . though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. Philippians 3:4-6 (NASB)

Then in Acts 21:39, the apostle called himself a Jew. He wrote  this about the time that he wrote the book of Philippians.

Paul replied,  “I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.” Acts 21:39 (NASB)

The apostle was a Jew and a Hebrew by birth. He called himself a Jew and He was also a Jew by spiritual birth. In Romans 9:3-5, Paul refers to his brothers as fellow Israelites. Then in Romans 9:6-8, he refers to those who believe in Christ as the true descendants of Abraham (Galatians 3:6-29; Philippians 3:3). That is, he considered them to be spiritual Jews.

Later Paul wrote that there were only Jews or Gentiles in the body of Jesus Christ. Paul was speaking spiritually and not according to a person’s genetic heritage.

Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also . . . Romans 3:29 (NASB)

A true Jew in a spiritual sense, is one who has faith in Jesus Christ (Romans ).

Today, some are Jews by birth and some by spiritual birth also. The word Jew is used differently in the Bible as a result of the passage of time. In Jesus’ day, the word Jew referred to all descendants of Jacob or Israel and that definition will continue into the millennial kingdom.

Meaning of Jew in the Millennial Kingdom

When the book of Zechariah prophesies about the future millennial kingdom in Zechariah 8, the Hebrew word Yehudi is used to describe the descendants of Jacob or Israel in the millennial kingdom (Zechariah 8:23). It should be noted that in Zechariah 8:11-13, God tells the remnant of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah that they will be together in the millennial kingdom. In Zechariah 8:15 God says that He plans good for both Israel and Judah in the context of the millennial kingdom. Zechariah 8 reveals that the ten northern tribes are lost. God knows who they are and descendants of those tribes will be in the millennial kingdom. Earlier in Zechariah 2:6, 10-13; 8:6-8 God says that He will gather many from distant nations and they will be His people.

There are numerous prophecies about Jesus Christ in Zechariah. One of them is Zechariah 11:12-13 which prophesies the betrayal of Jesus by Judas (Matthew 26:15). Then immediately in the next verse we are told that the second staff will be cut into pieces (Zechariah 11:14). That refers to the discord that would occur following the rejection of Jesus Christ. Jews will kill other Jews who are Christians, and in A.D. 70 they will attack one another when the Roman army invades the land. Therefore, the verse should not be understood to imply that Israel does not have a future in the millennial kingdom. Zechariah 8:13 reveals that Yehudi will refer to all Jews in the millennial kingdom. Jerusalem will be the capital city of the kingdom (Zechariah 14:8-21). Any remnant of Jacob living in the millennial kingdom will be called a Jew.

Conclusion:

Who is a Jew biblically? The answer is that anyone who is a physical descendant of Jacob or Israel. Some teach that the real Jews are those who have been spiritually reborn. Such teaching misses the obvious that there are Jews by physical birth and there are those who are Jews spiritually (Romans 2:29; 9:6; Galatians 3:28-29).

We should rejoice that the kingdom God the Father planned from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34) will finally be realized and the promises (Genesis 49:10; Numbers 24:17; 2 Samuel 7:15-17) that God made to His chosen people (Zechariah 13:9) will be fulfilled. Christians are beneficiaries too, since we will be able to share in the enjoyment (Zechariah 8:20-23) of the Jewish king, the Jewish kingdom and Jerusalem, the capital (Joel 3:17; Zechariah 14:8-9).

References:

1. Willem A. VanGemeren. Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis. vol. 2. Zondervan Publishing House. 1997. pp. 415-416.
2. Gilchrist, P. R. (1999). 850 יָהַד. R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer Jr., & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (electronic ed., p. 369). Chicago: Moody Press. (The authors write, “יְהוּדִי (yĕhûdî). Jew, Jewish, an adjective used fourteen times. Its plural yĕhûdîm “Jews, men of Judah” is used seventy-one times substantively.”)
3. Jewish Virtual Library. “Judaism: Who Is A Jew?”
4. “What is the Meaning of the Name “Jew”? www.chabad.org.

Suggested Links:

Was Noah a Jew? If not, where did he come from?
Was Noah Jewish?
Why is it that our clergy persist in calling Abraham and Jesus Jews?

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Alexander » Jew » Ephesus

Some of the crowd concluded it was Alexander, since the Jews had put him forward; and having motioned with his hand, Alexander was intending to make a defense to the assembly.

Anan » Jew » A jew, returned from babylonian captivity

Ahiah, Hanan, Anan,

Anathoth » Jew » A jew, who returned from babylon

Hariph, Anathoth, Nebai,

Baanah » Chief » Jew » Excile

who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah.The number of men of the people of Israel:

These came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah.The number of the men of the people of Israel:

Malluch, Harim, Baanah.

Barkos » Jew » A jew whose descendants returned from exile

the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,

the sons of Barkos, the sons of Sisera, the sons of Temah,

Benjamin » Jew » Purified » Jerusalem walls

Judah, Benjamin, Shemaiah, Jeremiah,

Bilshan » Jew » Of captivity

who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah.The number of men of the people of Israel:

These came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah.The number of the men of the people of Israel:

Binnui » Jew

the sons of Bani, 642;

Binnui » Jew » Of captivity

the sons of Binnui, 648;

Jehudi » Jew » A jew, an official at jehoiakim’s court who read jeremiah’s scroll to the king

Then all the officials sent Jehudi the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, saying, “Take in your hand the scroll from which you have read to the people and come.” So Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and went to them.

Then the king sent Jehudi to get the scroll, and he took it out of the chamber of Elishama the scribe. And Jehudi read it to the king as well as to all the officials who stood beside the king.

When Jehudi had read three or four columns, the king cut it with a scribe’s knife and threw it into the fire that was in the brazier, until all the scroll was consumed in the fire that was in the brazier.

Jesaiah » Jew » Returned » Excile

and of the sons of Elam, Jeshaiah the son of Athaliah and 70 males with him;

Machnadebai » Jew

Machnadebai, Shashai, Sharai,

Malchiah » Jew » Repaired » Jerusalem walls

After him Malchijah, one of the goldsmiths, carried out repairs as far as the house of the temple servants and of the merchants, in front of the Inspection Gate and as far as the upper room of the corner.

Malchiah » Jew » A jew who stood by ezra when he read the book of the law to the people

Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam on his left hand.

Meremoth » Jew » Divorced » Gentile wife

Vaniah, Meremoth, Eliashib,

Miamin » Jew » Divorced » Gentile wife

Of Israel, of the sons of Parosh there were Ramiah, Izziah, Malchijah, Mijamin, Eleazar, Malchijah and Benaiah;

Mishael » Jew » A jew who stood by ezra when he read the law to the people

Ezra the scribe stood at a wooden podium which they had made for the purpose. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right hand; and Pedaiah, Mishael, Malchijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah and Meshullam on his left hand.

Mispereth » Jew » A jew who returned with zerubbabel from babylon

who came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Azariah, Raamiah, Nahamani, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispereth, Bigvai, Nehum, Baanah.The number of men of the people of Israel:

These came with Zerubbabel, Jeshua, Nehemiah, Seraiah, Reelaiah, Mordecai, Bilshan, Mispar, Bigvai, Rehum and Baanah.The number of the men of the people of Israel:

Rehum » Jew

Rehum, Hashabnah, Maaseiah,

Shallum » Jew » A jew who repaired a portion of the wall of jerusalem

Next to him Shallum the son of Hallohesh, the official of half the district of Jerusalem, made repairs, he and his daughters.

Shallun » Jew » A jew who repaired a gate of jerusalem

Shallum the son of Col-hozeh, the official of the district of Mizpah, repaired the Fountain Gate. He built it, covered it and hung its doors with its bolts and its bars, and the wall of the Pool of Shelah at the king’s garden as far as the steps that descend from the city of David.

Shechaniah » Jew » A jew who proposed the putting away (divorce) of gentile wives to ezra

Shecaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, said to Ezra, “We have been unfaithful to our God and have married foreign women from the peoples of the land; yet now there is hope for Israel in spite of this.

Shemaiah » Jew » A jew who returned from babylon with ezra

and of the sons of Adonikam, the last ones, these being their names, Eliphelet, Jeuel and Shemaiah, and 60 males with them;

Shobek » Jew » A jew who sealed the covenant with nehemiah

Hallohesh, Pilha, Shobek,

Zaccai » Jew » A jew whose descendants returned from the babylonian exile

the sons of Zaccai, 760;

the sons of Zaccai, 760;