Hebrews (or Hebertes, Eberites, Hebreians "Habiu" or "Habiri"; Hebrew: עברים or עבריים, Stanard ʿIvrim, ʿIvriyyim Tiberian ʿIḇrîm, ʿIḇriyyîm; meaning "descendants of biblical Patriarch Eber" or Hebrew עברי (ʿIḇrî) "traverse or pass over" (referring to the Ibri people, known in the Africa mainly Egypt and Sudan for their place of origin relative to the major culture of the time. They were called Ibri meaning the people from over on the other side of the Jordan river), were people who lived in Canaan, an area encompassing Israel, both banks of the Jordan River (The West Bank and Jordan), Sinai, Lebanon, and the coastal portions of Syria Egypt and Sudan. Traditionally they are also known as the ancestors of the Israelites, who in turn were the spiritual and historical forerunners of the modern day Jewish people.