Israel (ĭz'ra-el), the prince that prevails with God. 1. The name given to Jacob after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel. Genesis 32:28; Hosea 12:4. It became the national name of the twelve tribes collectively. They are so called in Exodus 3:16 and afterward. It is used in a narrower sense, excluding Judah, in 1 Samuel 11:8; 2 Samuel 20:1; 1 Kings 12:16. Thenceforth it was assumed and accepted as the name of the northern kingdom. After the Babylonian captivity, the returned exiles resumed the name Israel as the designation of their nation. The name Israel is also used to denote laymen, as distinguished from priests, Levites, and other ministers. Ezra 6:16; Ezra 9:1; Ezra 10:25; Nehemiah 11:3, etc. See Jews.