The '''Hebrews''' were [[God]]'s chosen people. They were the ancestors of the [[Israelites]], who would eventually fulfill the Promise of entering the promised land that God had given to them in covenant with [[Abraham]] and later with [[Jacob]]. The term was usually used to denote a group based on ethnicity, whereas more modern usage of [[Jew]]s blurs [[ethnicity]] and [[religion]]. The Hebrews were expected to follow God as children of the Promise. The term is usually used in the [[Bible]] before there was a nation of Israel. It is a common usage in the [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]]<ref>Exodus 3:18</ref><ref>Exodus 5:3</ref><ref>Exodus 7:16</ref><ref>Exodus 9:1</ref> in the [[Old Testament]] to describe the descendants of [[Jacob]] who were put under bondage in [[Egypt]]. | The '''Hebrews''' were [[God]]'s chosen people. They were the ancestors of the [[Israelites]], who would eventually fulfill the Promise of entering the promised land that God had given to them in covenant with [[Abraham]] and later with [[Jacob]]. The term was usually used to denote a group based on ethnicity, whereas more modern usage of [[Jew]]s blurs [[ethnicity]] and [[religion]]. The Hebrews were expected to follow God as children of the Promise. The term is usually used in the [[Bible]] before there was a nation of Israel. It is a common usage in the [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]]<ref>Exodus 3:18</ref><ref>Exodus 5:3</ref><ref>Exodus 7:16</ref><ref>Exodus 9:1</ref> in the [[Old Testament]] to describe the descendants of [[Jacob]] who were put under bondage in [[Egypt]]. |