The aim of this study is to undertake a fresh look into the concept of Israel in the Old Testament and its divine purpose in the context of the overarching theology of the Hebrew Bible. The working method used in this research is a theological and exegetical analysis of relevant Hebrew text along with incorporating historical and socio-archaeological background studies.
The conclusion that is reached is that Old Testament Israel was a cosmopolitan community of people connected through biological links, intermarriage relationships, and political alliances. In a spiritual sense, the term Israel served as a characterizing title granted to Jacob first, to his descendants next, and then to all who accepted Yahweh as their God and demonstrated a genuine change in their moral lives according to His statutes.
","abstract_html":"<p>The aim of this study is to undertake a fresh look into the concept of Israel in the Old Testament and its divine purpose in the context of the overarching theology of the Hebrew Bible. The working method used in this research is a theological and exegetical analysis of relevant Hebrew text along with incorporating historical and socio-archaeological background studies.</p> <p>The conclusion that is reached is that Old Testament Israel was a cosmopolitan community of people connected through biological links, intermarriage relationships, and political alliances. In a spiritual sense, the term Israel served as a characterizing title granted to Jacob first, to his descendants next, and then to all who accepted Yahweh as their God and demonstrated a genuine change in their moral lives according to His statutes.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Arutyunyan, Gregory"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy","degree_level":"Dissertation","degree_discipline":"Religion, Old Testament Studies PhD","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Richard M. Davidson","Randall W. Younker","Paul Z. Gregor"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2025-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T00:54:19Z","subjects":["Israel","Divine Purpose","Old Testament","Biblical Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/1861","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Richard M. Davidson","Randall W. Younker","Paul Z. Gregor"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Arutyunyan, Gregory"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-03-31T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Religion, Old Testament Studies PhD"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Doctor of Philosophy"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Israel","Divine Purpose","Old Testament","Biblical Studies"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/1861"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The aim of this study is to undertake a fresh look into the concept of Israel in the Old Testament and its divine purpose in the context of the overarching theology of the Hebrew Bible. The working method used in this research is a theological and exegetical analysis of relevant Hebrew text along with incorporating historical and socio-archaeological background studies.
The conclusion that is reached is that Old Testament Israel was a cosmopolitan community of people connected through biological links, intermarriage relationships, and political alliances. In a spiritual sense, the term Israel served as a characterizing title granted to Jacob first, to his descendants next, and then to all who accepted Yahweh as their God and demonstrated a genuine change in their moral lives according to His statutes.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Concept of Israel in the Old Testament and its Divine Purpose: an Exegetical and Theological Analysis"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Richard M. Davidson","Randall W. Younker","Paul Z. Gregor"],"dc:creator":["Arutyunyan, Gregory"],"dc:date.available":["2026-03-31T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The aim of this study is to undertake a fresh look into the concept of Israel in the Old Testament and its divine purpose in the context of the overarching theology of the Hebrew Bible. The working method used in this research is a theological and exegetical analysis of relevant Hebrew text along with incorporating historical and socio-archaeological background studies.
The conclusion that is reached is that Old Testament Israel was a cosmopolitan community of people connected through biological links, intermarriage relationships, and political alliances. In a spiritual sense, the term Israel served as a characterizing title granted to Jacob first, to his descendants next, and then to all who accepted Yahweh as their God and demonstrated a genuine change in their moral lives according to His statutes.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/dissertations/1861"],"dc:subject":["Israel","Divine Purpose","Old Testament","Biblical Studies"],"dc:title":["The Concept of Israel in the Old Testament and its Divine Purpose: an Exegetical and Theological Analysis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Religion, Old Testament Studies PhD"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation"],"thesis:degree_name":["Doctor of Philosophy"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T00:54:19Z"}