Wikipedia's first sentence called it “name given to the biblical patriarch jacob”. Today it says “country in west asia”. Sections present on October 6, 2023 no longer exist: “Places; Music”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2005 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2005
Israel ( Hebrew ישׂראל Yisra'el or Yiśrā’ēl , meaning "one who has struggled with God") was the name given to the biblical patriarch Jacob . Some bible commentators have claimed that Israel is another name for Isaac rather than Jacob , or that it may mean either. This appears to be based on Amos 7:9, 16. But against this theory Genesis 32:22-28 clearly gives this name to Jacob, not to Isaac. From this name are derived: The Israelites , the descendants of Jacob's 12 children The Children of Israel , a Biblical term for the Israelites The Kingdom of Israel , the kingdom established by Israelites (1020 BC - 722 BC) The Land of Israel , the land of the Israelite Kingdom The State of Israel , the state established by Jews in the Land of Israel or Palestine (1948 - present) Benai Israel , the native Jews of India . Israel is also a common given name. Famous people named Israel include: Israel , Australian singer Israel "Izzy" Asper , Canadian media magnate Israel ben Eliezer , Polish rabbi Israel Kamakawiwo'ole , Hawaiian singer Israel Kirzner , American economist Israel Putnam , American general Israel Regardie , British occultist Israel Shahak , Israeli author Israel Shamir , Israeli journalist Israel Isidore Baline , American composer Israel Newton Stiles , an American lawyer. Israel Newton and Sons Ltd , an engineering firm (including boilermaking ) in Yorkshire in England . Topics referred to by the same term This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Israel . If an internal link incorrectly led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 16139523.
The opening as it stood in 2010 10 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Look up Israel in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.Israel is a country in Western Asia located on the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea.Israel or Izrael may also refer to: In religion : Jacob , was given the name Israel by God. Israelites , the descendants of Jacob. See also Promised Land and Holy Land .Israel, West Virginia , an unincorporated community in Preston County, West Virginia, United States In history the Kingdom of Israel (disambiguation) : Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy) (1020 BCE - 931 BCE), the kingdom established by the Israelites and uniting them under a single king Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) (931 BCE - 722 BCE), the secessionist kingdom of northern Israelites Kingdom of Israel (Hasmonean) (140 BCE - 37 BCE), established by the Hasmoneans or "Maccabees" Kingdom of Israel (Herod the Great) (37 BCE - 4 BCE), client kingdom ruled by Herod the Great and his heirs In other people : Israel (name) , a given name and family name Israel (Bishop of Caucasian Albania) , bishop of Caucasian Albania in the latter part of the seventh century Israel (footballer) (b. 1987), Spanish association football player, full name Israel David Bascón Gigato Israel (singer) (b. 1983), Australian singer Israel Kamakawiwoʻole , a Hawaiian singer Israel of Axum , Emperor of Ethiopia in the sixth century In music : "Israel" (song) , a 1981 song by Siouxsie & the Banshees Izrael (band) , a Polish reggae band "Israel", a jazz composition by John Carisi
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 370620460.
The opening as it stood in 2015 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Look up Israel in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Look up ישראל in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Israel or Izrael may also refer to: Palestine. In the Torah (sometimes referred to as the Hebrew Bible ) and derived traditions: The biblical patriarch Jacob , renamed as such The Israelites in antiquity, the descendants of Jacob/Israel By extension, the Jewish people Israel (region), The geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands.Land of Israel , in Judaism, the land promised by God to the Israelites in the southern Levant Palestine , a historical geographic region A historical state, see Kingdom of Israel (disambiguation) : Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy) (1020 BCE - 931 BCE), the kingdom established by the Israelites and uniting them under a single king Kingdom of Israel (Samaria) (931 BCE - 722 BCE), the secessionist kingdom of northern Israelites The state ruled by the Hasmoneans or "Maccabees" (140–37 BCE), primarily known as Judea (or cognates) but also called Israel in the First Book of Maccabees The state ruled by Herod the Great and his heirs (37–4 BCE), primarily known as Judea (or cognates) but also called Israel in the Gospels and Acts Other placenames : Israel, West Virginia , an unincorporated community People : Israel (name) , a given name and family name In music : "Israel" (Siouxsie and the Banshees song) , 1980 "Israel" (Bee Gees song) Izrael (band) , a Polish reggae band Israel (jazz) , a jazz composition by John Carisi Israel Kamakawiwoʻole , Hawaiian musician
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 667570068.
The opening as it stood in 2020 3 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Look up Israel in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Look up ישראל in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Israel is a country in Western Asia.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 926323714.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Look up Israel or ישראל in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Israel is a country in Western Asia.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1177089676.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Look up Israel or ישראל in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Israel is a country in West Asia.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1298201960. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “name given to the biblical patriarch jacob”. Today it says “country in west asia”. Sections present on October 6, 2023 no longer exist: “Places; Music”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
name given to the biblical patriarch jacob
Now
country in west asia
Sections that no longer exist
Present on October 6, 2023, absent today, with no near-matching heading in the current article and the article shorter overall, so this is not a renamed heading or a topic absorbed into a fuller treatment. 2 sections of 400 characters or more gone since October 6 2023, with the article 643 characters shorter.
Places
Music
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
