◄ 415. El Elohe Yisrael ►
Lexical Summary
El Elohe Yisrael: God, the God of Israel

Original Word: אֵל אֱלהֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
Part of Speech: Proper Name
Transliteration: El 'elohey Yisra'el
Pronunciation: el el-oh-HAY yis-rah-EL
Phonetic Spelling: (ale el-o-hay' yis-raw-ale')
KJV: El-elohe-israel
NASB: El-Elohe-Israel
Word Origin: [from H410 (אֵל - God) and H430 (אֱלוֹהִים - God) and H3478 (יִשׂרָאֵל - Israel)]

1. the mighty god of Israel
2. El-Elohi-Yisrael, the title given to a consecrated spot by Jacob

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
El-elohe-israel

From 'el and 'elohiym and Yisra'el; the mighty god if Jisrael; El-Elohi-Jisrael, the title given to a consecrated spot by Jacob -- El-elohe-israel.

see HEBREW 'el

see HEBREW 'elohiym

see HEBREW Yisra'el

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from el, elohim and Yisrael
Definition
"the mighty God of Israel," an altar of Jacob
NASB Translation
El-Elohe-Israel (1).

Topical Lexicon
Biblical Occurrence

Genesis 33:20 records the solitary appearance of the title: “There he set up an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel” (Berean Standard Bible). Spoken by Jacob after he had reconciled with Esau and encamped near Shechem, the name means “God, the God of Israel,” uniting Jacob’s new covenant name with the divine title El/Elohim in a single confession of faith.

Historical Setting

• Location. The altar stood on land Jacob purchased from the sons of Hamor (Genesis 33:19), marking the patriarch’s first legal claim inside Canaan.
• Timing. Jacob had recently wrestled with the Angel at Peniel (Genesis 32:24-30) and received the name Israel. By building this altar he publicly owned the God who had just renamed him.
• Shechem’s later importance. Joshua renewed covenant vows there (Joshua 24:1-25), Joseph’s bones were buried there (Joshua 24:32), the kingdom divided there (1 Kings 12:1-20), and Jesus revealed Himself to the Samaritan woman at nearby Sychar (John 4:5-26). Jacob’s altar thus anchors a site that repeatedly summons God’s people back to covenant faithfulness.

Theological Significance

1. Personal appropriation of covenant promises. Jacob moves from “the God of my father” (Genesis 31:5) to “God, the God of Israel,” embracing the covenant for himself.
2. Affirmation of monotheism amid Canaanite polytheism. The juxtaposition of El (a common Semitic term for deity) with Elohei Yisrael identifies the one true God in distinction from local “els.”
3. Corporate implications. By linking God’s name to “Israel,” the title anticipates the nation’s collective identity. What began as Jacob’s testimony becomes Israel’s creed: “the LORD God of Israel” (Exodus 5:1; Psalm 68:35).
4. Worship centered on revelation. Jacob erected an altar rather than a pillar, underscoring sacrifice and communion, not mystical encounter alone.

Connection to the Patriarchal Altars

• Genesis 12:7 – Abram at Shechem: “He built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.”
• Genesis 26:25 – Isaac at Beersheba: “He built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD.”
• Genesis 33:20 – Jacob at Shechem: “El-Elohe-Israel.”

These three altars trace the unfolding self-disclosure of God to the patriarchs and the progressive deepening of their response—from promise, to continuity, to personal appropriation.

Foreshadowing and Messianic Resonance

By binding God’s name to Israel, the title hints at the ultimate union of God with His people consummated in Immanuel (“God with us,” Isaiah 7:14) and realized in Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:23). Jacob’s altar anticipates the day when the true Israel, the Messiah, would offer Himself as the once-for-all sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10).

Practical Ministry Applications

• Identity in God. Just as Jacob embraced his new name by worship, believers ground their identity in Christ by acknowledging Him publicly (Romans 10:9-10).
• Memorial of reconciliation. The altar followed Jacob’s peace with Esau, reminding believers that worship and relational integrity belong together (Matthew 5:23-24).
• Territorial faith. Purchasing ground and erecting an altar symbolizes staking God’s claim in everyday life—homes, workplaces, communities.
• Passing the testimony. Jacob’s confession became Israel’s heritage; parents and leaders today build “altars” of remembrance so succeeding generations may know “the mighty acts of the LORD” (Psalm 145:4).

Summary

El-Elohe-Israel encapsulates a pivotal moment when the patriarch, newly named Israel, publicly declared that the sovereign God who led Abraham and Isaac was now irrevocably his own. The name fuses divine sovereignty with covenant identity, anticipates the nation’s vocation, foreshadows the advent of Christ, and calls every believer to personal, public, and covenantal allegiance to “God, the God of Israel.”

Links
Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts
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