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A '''Semite''' is someone descended from [[Shem]], one of the sons of [[Noah]]. A [[Hebrew]] is someone descended from [[Heber]], one of the great-grandsons of Shem. So all Hebrews are Semites, but not all Semites are Hebrews. Six generations after Heber, [[Abraham]] was born to his line, so Abraham was both a Hebrew and a Semite, born of the line of Heber and Shem.

A '''Semite''' is someone descended from [[Shem|Sem/Shem]], one of the sons of [[Noah]]. A [[Hebrew]] is someone descended from [[Heber]], one of the great-grandsons of Shem. So all Hebrews are Semites, but not all Semites are Hebrews. Six generations after Heber, [[Abraham]] was born to his line, so Abraham was both a Hebrew and a Semite, born of the line of Heber and Shem.

[[Isaac]] was born of Abraham; then [[Jacob]] of Isaac. Jacob's name was changed to "[[Israel]]," and he fathered 12 sons. His sons and their descendants are called Israelites, and they would be both Semitic and Hebrew. However, this would not make either Abraham or Isaac "Israelites." Some, who interchange the words "[[Jew]]" and Israelite, call Abraham a Jew, even though Abraham was not even an Israelite, and the word "Jew" is not used in the [[Bible]] until 1,000 years after Abraham.

[[Isaac|Yitschak/Isaac]] was born of Abraham; then [[Jacob|Yacov/Jacob]] of Isaac. Yacov's name was changed to "[[Israel|Yshrael/Israel]]," and he fathered 12 sons. His sons and their descendants are called Israelites, and they would be both Semitic and Hebrew. However, this would not make either Abraham or Isaac "Israelites." Some, who interchange the words "[[Jew|Yew/Jew]]" and Israelite, call Abraham a Jew, even though Abraham was not even an Israelite, and the word "Jew" is not used in the [[Bible]] until 1,000 years after Abraham.

One of Jacob/Israel's children was [[Judah]]. His descendants were called [[Yehudim]]. In [[Greek]] this reads Ioudaioi.

One of Jacob/Israel's children was [[Judah|Yehudah/Judah]]. His descendants were called [[Judaism|Yehudim]]. In [[Greek]] this reads (capital "I") '''Ιουδαίον''' '''''I'''oudaion'' "'''''E-oo'''-day-on''", from  '''Ιουδαίοi''' '''''I'''oudaioi'' "'''''E-oo'''-day-oy''" <ref>See Strong's Greek number ''2453''.</ref>. The Greek letter '''''iota''''' "ee-o-ta" [ '''Ι , ι''' ] was transliterated by Latin [[scholar]]s as an "ee" '''I''', and by German and English scholars of the 16th century [[Reformation|Reformation period]] as representing the Germanic sound for '''J''', as in the German word '''ja''' ("''yah''—yes"). This came down unchanged through the English [[vernacular]] translations retained in spelling as a "J" by 16th century English scholars (immersed in Latin and German scholarship), and read by ordinary non-scholars as representing the English sound for '''J'''—"JAY" .

The confusing factor is that almost all Bible translations employ the word "Jew," which is a modern, shortened form of the word "Judahite." Every time you come to the word "Jew" in the Old Scriptures, you should read "Judahite;" and every time you come to the word "Jew" in the New Scriptures, you should read it as "Judean."

The confusing factor is that almost all Bible translations employ the word "Jew," which is a modern, shortened form of the word "Judahite." Every time you come to the word "Jew" in the Old Testament Scriptures, you should pronounce it as "Yew", and read it as "Judahite", understood as "Yehudahite"; and every time you come to the word "Jew" in the New Testament Scriptures, you should understand it as "Judean" and pronounce it as "Yudean", which is very close to the German word "Juden", which is, of course, pronounced "Yuden".

The descendants of Shem include [[Assyria]]ns, [[Chaldeans]], [[Aramaeans]], [[Sabaeans]], [[Arabs]], and [[Hebrews]].  Modern [[Semitic languages]] include Modern [[Arabic]], Modern [[Hebrew]], Maltese and the Ethiopic Semitic creoles.  Semitic religions include the [[Abrahamic religion]]s, namely, [[Judaism]], [[Christianity]], and [[Islam]].

The descendants of Sem/Shem include [[Assyria]]ns, [[Chaldeans]], [[Aramaeans]], [[Sabaeans]], [[Arabs]], and [[Hebrews]].  Modern [[Semitic languages]] include Modern [[Arabic]], Modern [[Hebrew]], Maltese and the Ethiopic Semitic creoles.  Semitic religions include the [[Abrahamic religion]]s, namely, [[Judaism]], [[Christianity]], and [[Islam]].

==See also==

==See also==

*[[Semitic languages]]

*[[Semitic languages]]

[[Category:Anthropology]]

[[Category:Anthropology]]