Israelite
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Israelite
A historical term for a member of the people of Israel, especially in biblical or ancient contexts.
Die Israeliten zogen laut der Bibel vierzig Jahre durch die Wüste.
According to the Bible, the Israelites wandered through the desert for forty years.
'Israelit' (Israelite) is a noun of the N-declension. This means that it takes the ending '-en' in all cases except the nominative singular.
Die Gesetze wurden von einem weisen Israeliten geschrieben.
The laws were written by a wise Israelite.
In the meaning of a member of the ancient people of Israel, you will find the word almost exclusively in historical or religious texts, especially in connection with the Bible.
Im Religionsunterricht lesen wir die Geschichte der Israeliten in Ägypten.
In religious education class, we read the story of the Israelites in Egypt.
The term 'Israelit' (Israelite) for a person of Jewish faith is outdated today and is hardly used in everyday language anymore. It sounds old-fashioned and is found mainly in historical documents.
Im 19. Jahrhundert bezeichnete man jüdische Bürger oft als Israeliten.
In the 19th century, Jewish citizens were often referred to as Israelites.
A common historical collocation is the term 'israelitische Kultusgemeinde' (Israelite religious community). This was an official term for Jewish communities in many German-speaking countries in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
Das Gebäude gehörte früher der israelitischen Kultusgemeinde Wien.
The building formerly belonged to the Israelite religious community of Vienna.
Jew
'der Jude' and 'der Israelit' can both mean a Jewish person or a member of the people of Israel. The difference is mainly in the context. 'der Jude' is the normal word today for a Jewish man or, depending on the sentence, for a Jewish person in general. 'der Israelit' fits mainly in biblical or historical texts. As a term for Jewish people today, 'Israelit' sounds outdated. Learners may confuse the words because they are used similarly in some old texts. In modern everyday sentences, 'Jude' is usually more natural.
Im Geschichtsunterricht lesen wir einen Text über einen Israeliten aus der Antike.
In history class, we are reading a text about an Israelite from antiquity.
Der Autor ist Jude und schreibt über jüdisches Leben in Deutschland.
The author is Jewish and writes about Jewish life in Germany.