Israelite tribe, kingdom, and province

Judah

Named in 1,021 verses across 47 books, first in Genesis 29:35.

יְהוּדָהJudah

דָּוִדDavid

יְהוּדִיJew

יְהוּדַיJew

ἸουδάJudah

ἸούδαςJudah

ἸουδαῖοςJew

ἸουδαΐζωJew

Also called David, Jew.

The name means “the praise of the Lord; confession.” Hitchcock's Bible Names, 1869

Father: Israel
Mother: Leah
Brothers and sisters: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Dinah, Joseph, Benjamin
Married to: Bath-shua, Tamar
Children: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, Zerah
People: Tribe of Judah

About Judah Written by AI

Judah, Jews, and Judea are terms used throughout the Bible to refer to the Israelite tribe, the southern kingdom, and the Roman province, depending on the historical context. Judah was the fourth son of Israel (or 'Jacob') and Leah (Genesis 29:35) and became the founder of one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribe of Judah played a prominent role in Israel's history, with notable figures such as Caleb, Othniel, and King David coming from this tribe. After the reign of Solomon, the kingdom of Israel split into two: the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah (1Kings 12). The southern kingdom, which included the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, remained loyal to the Davidic dynasty and the worship of God in Jerusalem. The kingdom of Judah lasted from about 930 BC until the Babylonian conquest in 586 BC. Following the Babylonian exile, many Jews returned to the land of Judah, now a province of the Persian Empire (Ezra 1-6). During the Second Temple period, Judea became a province of the Roman Empire. In the New Testament, the terms "Jews" and "Judea" are often used to refer to the Jewish people and the region they inhabited. The history of Judah, the Jews, and Judea is a central focus of the biblical narrative, with many of the key events, prophecies, and teachings revolving around this people and their relationship with God. The prophets, such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, often addressed their messages to Judah and warned of judgment for disobedience while also offering hope for restoration. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is born in Judea and is recognized as the King of the Jews (Matthew 2:2). The early Christian church began in Jerusalem, and many of the first converts were Jews (Acts 2). Throughout the Bible, God's covenant relationship with the people of Judah, the Jews, and the inhabitants of Judea remains a central theme, highlighting His faithfulness, judgment, and redemptive purposes for all nations through the Jewish Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Drafted by an AI model for STEPBible's TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Check it against the verses below.

Easton's Bible Dictionary, 1897

This entry is on the name Judah, and may cover more than one person or place by that name.

Praise, the fourth son of Jacob by Leah. The name originated in Leah’s words of praise to the Lord on account of his birth: “Now will I praise [Heb. odeh] Jehovah, and she called his name Yehudah” (Gen. 29:35).

It was Judah that interposed in behalf of Joseph, so that his life was spared (Gen. 37:26, 27). He took a lead in the affairs of the family, and “prevailed above his brethren” (Gen. 43:3-10; 44:14, 16-34; 46:28; 1 Chr. 5:2).

Read the rest of the entry

Soon after the sale of Joseph to the Ishmaelites, Judah went to reside at Adullam, where he married a woman of Canaan. (See ONAN; TAMAR.) After the death of his wife Shuah, he returned to his father’s house, and there exercised much influence over the patriarch, taking a principal part in the events which led to the whole family at length going down into Egypt. We hear nothing more of him till he received his father’s blessing (Gen. 49:8-12).

M. G. Easton, Illustrated Bible Dictionary, third edition (1897), public domain, from CrossWire. Shown as written; its Scripture quotes are from older translations.

Where the Bible names him

Genesis 29:35
And once more she conceived and gave birth to a son and said, “This time I will praise the LORD.” So she named him Judah. Then Leah stopped having children.
Genesis 35:23
The sons of Leah were Reuben the firstborn of Jacob, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.
Genesis 37:26
Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?
Genesis 38:1
About that time, Judah left his brothers and settled near a man named Hirah, an Adullamite.
Genesis 38:2
There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua, and he took her as a wife and slept with her.
Genesis 38:6
Now Judah acquired a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar.
Genesis 38:7
But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the LORD; so the LORD put him to death.
Genesis 38:8
Then Judah said to Onan, “Sleep with your brother’s wife. Perform your duty as her brother-in-law and raise up offspring for your brother.”
Genesis 38:11
Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house.
Genesis 38:12
After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had finished mourning, he and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went up to his sheepshearers at Timnah.
Genesis 38:15
When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute because she had covered her face.
Genesis 38:20
Now when Judah sent his friend Hirah the Adullamite with the young goat to collect the items he had left with the woman, he could not find her.
Genesis 38:22
So Hirah returned to Judah and said, “I could not find her, and furthermore, the men of that place said, ‘No shrine prostitute has been here.’”
Genesis 38:23
“Let her keep the items,” Judah replied. “Otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you could not find her.”
Genesis 38:24
About three months later, Judah was told, “Your daughter-in-law Tamar has prostituted herself, and now she is pregnant.” “Bring her out!” Judah replied. “Let her be burned to death!”
Genesis 38:26
Judah recognized the items and said, “She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.” And he did not have relations with her again.
Genesis 43:3
But Judah replied, “The man solemnly warned us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’
Genesis 43:8
And Judah said to his father Israel, “Send the boy with me, and we will go at once, so that we may live and not die—neither we, nor you, nor our children.
Genesis 44:14
When Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph’s house, he was still there, and they fell to the ground before him.
Genesis 44:16
“What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “How can we plead? How can we justify ourselves? God has exposed the iniquity of your servants. We are now my lord’s slaves—both we and the one who was found with the cup.”
Genesis 44:18
Then Judah approached Joseph and said, “Sir, please let your servant speak personally to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are equal to Pharaoh himself.
Genesis 46:12
The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
Genesis 46:28
Now Jacob had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When Jacob’s family arrived in the land of Goshen,
Genesis 49:8
Judah, your brothers shall praise you. Your hand shall be on the necks of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down to you.
Genesis 49:9
Judah is a young lion—my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him?
Genesis 49:10
The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.
Exodus 1:2
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah;
Exodus 31:2
“See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
Exodus 35:30
Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
Exodus 38:22
Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made everything that the LORD had commanded Moses.
Numbers 1:7
from Judah, Nahshon son of Amminadab;
Numbers 1:26
From the sons of Judah, according to the records of their clans and families, counting the names of all those twenty years of age or older who could serve in the army,
Numbers 1:27
those registered to the tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.
Numbers 2:3
On the east side, toward the sunrise, the divisions of Judah are to camp under their standard: The leader of the Judahites is Nahshon son of Amminadab,
Numbers 2:9
The total number of men in the divisions of the camp of Judah is 186,400; they shall set out first.
Numbers 7:12
On the first day Nahshon son of Amminadab from the tribe of Judah drew near with his offering.
Numbers 10:14
First, the divisions of the camp of Judah set out under their standard, with Nahshon son of Amminadab in command.
Numbers 13:6
from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;
Numbers 26:19
The sons of Judah were Er and Onan, but they died in the land of Canaan.
Numbers 26:20
These were the descendants of Judah by their clans: The Shelanite clan from Shelah, the Perezite clan from Perez, and the Zerahite clan from Zerah.