Jacob

Jacob is considered a patriarch of the Israelites. According to the Book of Genesis, Jacob was the third Hebrew progenitor with whom God made a covenant. In the Hebrew Bible, he is the son of Isaac and Rebecca, the grandson of Abraham, Sarah and of Bethuel, and the younger twin brother of Esau. Jacob had twelve sons and at least one daughter, by his two wives, Leah and Rachel, and by their handmaidens Bilhah and Zilpah. His twelve sons became the "Tribes of Israel", and were first named in Genesis as: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, and Benjamin. He also had one daughter, Dinah. Before the birth of Benjamin, Jacob is renamed Israel by God. Etymologically, it has been suggested that the name "Israel" comes from the Hebrew words לִשְׂרות and אֵל. Popular English translations typically reference the face off with God, ranging from active "wrestles with God" to passive "God contends", but various other meanings have also been suggested. Some commentators say the name comes from the verb śārar, thereby making the name mean "God rules" or "God judges"; or "the prince of God" or "El fights/struggles".