The word "Ivri," which was Abraham's name and later became the name for his descendants, first appears in the third Torah chapter, where it says: "And the fugitive came and told Abraham, 'Ivri'" (Genesis 14:13).
What does this word, from which the Russian word "Jew," the English word "Gibrui," and so on, derive? Let's turn to the commentaries on Scripture. The renowned Tanakh commentator, Rabbi Ovadia Sforno, suggests that the fugitive mentioned in the text was unaware that Abraham was related to Lot, the exile. This fugitive nevertheless decided to inform Abraham that Lot had been taken captive, knowing that Abraham, like Lot, was a "Hebrew," meaning he shared the ideas of Eber, who was the great-grandson of Shem and a distant ancestor of Abraham, who preached faith in the one God. Thus, according to Sforno, "Hebrew" is not the name of a member of an ethnic group, but rather the name of a follower of Eber's ideology.
Rashi holds a different opinion on the etymology of the word "Hebrew." Rashi cites a Midrash stating that Abraham was nicknamed "Hebrew" by the Canaanites (then inhabitants of the Holy Land), which can be translated as "otherworldly," because he came to Canaan from beyond the Euphrates River.
Both of these interpretations of the name "Hebrew" are entirely justified in relation to Abraham's descendants, who inherited this name from him. After all, the Jews became a nation by accepting the Divine teaching (the Torah) at Mount Sinai, the fundamental principles of which Ever had preached long before. And only this teaching has preserved and continues to preserve the Jews as a people, despite the fact that they speak different languages and live in different countries, often assimilating and participating in the creation of the cultures of the peoples among whom they live. As for the interpretation of the word "Ivri" ("Jew") as meaning "otherworldly," as is evident from the statements of representatives of other nations, both enemies and well-wishers, about the Jews, this is precisely how all other nations perceive them.