# Jew

## Related Ideas:

Jewish, person of Judah

## Facts:

Jews are people who are descendants of Abraham's grandson Jacob. The word "Jew" comes from the word "Judah."

* People began to call the Israelites "Jews" after they returned to Judah from their exile in Babylon.
* Jesus the Messiah was Jewish. However, the Jewish religious leaders rejected Jesus and demanded that he be killed.
* Often the phrase "the Jews" refers to the leaders of the Jews, not all the Jewish people. In those contexts, some translations add "leaders of" to make this clear.

(See also: [Abraham](../names/abraham.md), [Jacob](../names/jacob.md), [Israel](../kt/israel.md), [Babylon](../names/babylon.md), [Jewish leaders](../other/jewishleaders.md))

## Bible References:

* [Acts 02:05](rc://en/tn/help/act/02/05)
* [Acts 10:28](rc://en/tn/help/act/10/28)
* [Acts 14:5-7](rc://en/tn/help/act/14/05)
* [Colossians 03:11](rc://en/tn/help/col/03/11)
* [John 02:14](rc://en/tn/help/jhn/02/14)
* [Matthew 28:15](rc://en/tn/help/mat/28/15)

## Examples from the Bible stories:

* __[20:11](rc://en/tn/help/obs/20/11)__ The Israelites were now called __Jews__ and most of them had lived their whole lives in Babylon.
* __[20:12](rc://en/tn/help/obs/20/12)__ So, after seventy years in exile, a small group of __Jews__ returned to the city of Jerusalem in Judah.
* __[37:10](rc://en/tn/help/obs/37/10)__ Many of the __Jews__ believed in Jesus because of this miracle.
* __[37:11](rc://en/tn/help/obs/37/11)__ But the religious leaders of the __Jews__ were jealous, so they gathered together to plan how they could kill Jesus and Lazarus.
* __[40:02](rc://en/tn/help/obs/40/02)__ Pilate commanded that they write, "King of the __Jews__" on a sign and put it on the cross above Jesus' head.
* __[46:06](rc://en/tn/help/obs/46/06)__ Right away, Saul began preaching to the __Jews__ in Damascus, saying, "Jesus is the Son of God!"

## Word Data:

* Strong's: H3054, H3061, H3062, H3064, H3066, G2450, G2451, G2452, G2453

## Forms Found in the English ULB:

Jew, Jewish, Jews, Jews', a person of Judah, the language of Judah, the people of Judah


