poetic
Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
name for
Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
used in the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach" . '' hypocoristicon of the name ''Israel'' (יִשְׂרָאֵל ''Yiśrāʾēl''). The vocalization of this name reflects the Phoenician Shift, so may be reborrowed from a dialect spoken by non-Israelite Canaanite speakers. From the Hebrew root י-שׂ-ר (*י-שׁ-ר in Phoenician) with hypocoristic suffix ון- replacing אֵל 'God'.
Biblical accounts
''Jeshurun'' appears four times in the Hebrew Bible: three times in
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy (; ) is the fifth book of the Torah (in Judaism), where it is called () which makes it the fifth book of the Hebrew Bible and Christian Old Testament.
Chapters 1–30 of the book consist of three sermons or speeches delivered to ...
and once in
Isaiah
Isaiah ( or ; , ''Yəšaʿyāhū'', "Yahweh is salvation"; also known as Isaias or Esaias from ) was the 8th-century BC Israelite prophet after whom the Book of Isaiah is named.
The text of the Book of Isaiah refers to Isaiah as "the prophet" ...
. It can refer to the people of Israel 33:26 , the
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel () is the traditional Jewish name for an area of the Southern Levant. Related biblical, religious and historical English terms include the Land of Canaan, the Promised Land, the Holy Land, and Palestine. The definition ...
(), or the
Patriarch
The highest-ranking bishops in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Roman Catholic Church (above major archbishop and primate), the Hussite Church, Church of the East, and some Independent Catholic Churches are termed patriarchs (and ...
Jacob
Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...
(whom an
angel
An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
renamed Israel in ):
* 'But Jeshurun grew fat and kicked; you grew fat, you grew thick'. ()
* '
Moses
In Abrahamic religions, Moses was the Hebrews, Hebrew prophet who led the Israelites out of slavery in the The Exodus, Exodus from ancient Egypt, Egypt. He is considered the most important Prophets in Judaism, prophet in Judaism and Samaritani ...
commanded a law for us, a heritage of the congregation of Jacob. He was King in Jeshurun, when the leaders of the people were gathered, all the tribes of Israel together'. ()
* 'There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to help you'. ()
* ‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant, and thou, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen'. ( Isaiah 44:2).
The word ''Jeshurun'' may have a relationship to the same root as the
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
word meaning 'upright' or 'righteous', ''yashar''.
Numbers
A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The most basic examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers can ...
appears to use the word ''yashar'' (in its plural form ''yesharim'') as a play on the word "Jeshurun" to refer to the people of Israel. (). refers to a Book of Jasher (or Book of Jashar), translated in some versions as "the Book of the Upright".
Classical interpretation
In the
Midrash
''Midrash'' (;"midrash" . ''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''. ; or ''midrashot' ...
, Rabbi Berekiah in the name of Rabbi Simon interpreted Jeshurun to mean the Patriarch Israel. (
Genesis Rabba
Genesis Rabbah (, also known as Bereshit Rabbah and abbreviated as GenR) is a religious text from Judaism's classical period, probably written between 300 and 500 CE with some later additions. It is an expository midrash comprising a collection of ...
h 77:1.) Similarly, Rabbi Berekiah in the name of Rabbi Judah b. Rabbi Simon interpreted Jeshurun as "the noblest and best among you." (Genesis Rabbah 77:1.)
Aha bar Jacob stated that the breastplate of the
High Priest of Israel
In Judaism, the High Priest of Israel (, lit. ‘great priest’; Aramaic: ''Kahana Rabba'') was the head of the Israelite priesthood. He played a unique role in the worship conducted in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple in Jerusalem, ...
contained the Hebrew words "The tribes of Jeshurun," thus supplying the otherwise missing Hebrew letter
teth
Teth, also written as or Tet, is the ninth letter of the Semitic abjads, including Phoenician ''ṭēt'' 𐤈, Hebrew, Aramaic
''ṭēṯ'' 𐡈, and Syriac ''ṭēṯ'' ܛ, and Arabic ''ṭāʾ'' . It is also related to the Ancient North ...
in the word "''Shivtei''" ("tribes"). (See Babylonian
Talmud
The Talmud (; ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law (''halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of Haskalah#Effects, modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the cen ...
, Yoma 73b for full explanation of "otherwise missing"; see also Exodus Rabbah 38:9.)
John Calvin
John Calvin (; ; ; 10 July 150927 May 1564) was a French Christian theology, theologian, pastor and Protestant Reformers, reformer in Geneva during the Protestant Reformation. He was a principal figure in the development of the system of C ...
reflected that "by using the word 'upright' for Israel, he authorironically taunts them with having departed from rectitude, and, reminding them of the high dignity conferred upon them, more severely reproves their sin of unfaithfulness".
Nineteenth century theologian Charles H. Waller argued that "Jeshurun is a diminutive—a term of endearment: either 'the child of the upright', or 'the beloved Israel'". He suggested that "the letters of the diminutive of Israel, if slightly abbreviated, would make 'Jeshurun'". However,
Joseph Benson
Joseph Benson (26 January 1749 – 16 February 1821) was an early English Methodist minister, one of the leaders of the movement during the time of Methodism's founder John Wesley.
Life
The son of John Benson and Isabella Robinson, his wife, he ...
noted that "some consider the word as being derived from שׁור, ''shur'', to see, and think the appellation was given them because they were so highly favoured with divine manifestations". Benson himself dismissed this view, suggesting that "it is much more probable that it is derived from ישׁר, ''jashar'', to be right, upright, or righteous, and that they are called Jeshurun, because they were a people professing righteousness, and were governed by righteous laws".Benson, J. Commentary on the Old and New Testaments with Critical, Explanatory, And Practical Notes on Deuteronomy 33, accessed 16 January 2016