Jacob (Yaakob, "Held by the Heel," in Hebrew; Yaqub, in Arabic)

views updated

JACOB (Yaakob, "held by the heel," in Hebrew; Yaqub, in Arabic)

According to Biblical tradition, Jacob was the son of Isaac and Rebecca, and the father of the twelve sons who became the eponymous ancestors of the tribes of Israel. In most of the prophetic writings he was designated by the name Israel, which became the ethnic name of the people of Israel.

SEE ALSO Isaac.

More From encyclopedia.com