| Sumario: | This article provides an accurate overview of how the personal name of the patriarch Jacob and his life have been looked upon by diverse groups of people throughout the ages. The study also reveals empirical evidence that in the past the interpretation of Jacob's name strongly impacted both the explanation of the entire life of the patriarch and the biblical narrative of the book of Genesis. For instance, the ancient Christian community predominantly had a highly positive view of the patriarch Jacob, and his personal life had been considered an iconic example of true faithfulness. Yet, since the post-Nicene period, Jacob's name had been mainly interpreted to mean ‘a deceiver'. The rationale for this statement was established on the incorrect etymological assumption that Jacob's name was built on the Hebrew noun ב קֵ עָ (‘aqev) for ‘heel', meaning ‘he cheats,' but modern archaeological, linguistic, and theological discoveries disproved this view completely. Therefore, the majority of well-respected scholars today agree that the name ‘Jacob' came from the Hebrew word בֹק עֲ יַ (Ya’aqov), a shortened from of the theophoric name בֹק עֲ יַ ןי עֵ (Ya’aqov-el), which means «May God Protect (You)!». Considering these insightful discoveries, the author thoughtfully promotes that an objective methodological re– evaluation of the entire life of the patriarch Jacob must be done by the scholarly community based on accurate linguistic analysis of the original text, the correct historical setting, and the author's intention in each particular passage.
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