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Judah יְהוּדָה

Male Tribe of Judah H3063G 43 books

Israelite tribe, kingdom, and province

Biography

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 (Gen.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 (1 Kings 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 (Mat.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.

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In Scripture

43 biblical books ; 27 with study content
Genesis 5 verses
  • Genesis 29:35

    "She conceived again, and bore a son. She said, “This time I will praise Yahweh.” Therefore she named him Judah. Then she stopped bearing."

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  • Genesis 35:23

    "The sons of Leah: Reuben (Jacob’s firstborn), Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun."

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  • Genesis 37:26

    "Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?"

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  • Genesis 38:1

    "At that time, Judah went down from his brothers, and visited a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirah."

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  • Genesis 38:2

    "There, Judah saw the daughter of a certain Canaanite man named Shua. He took her, and went in to her."

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Exodus 4 verses
  • Exodus 1:2

    "Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah,"

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  • Exodus 31:2

    "“Behold, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah."

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  • Exodus 35:30

    "Moses said to the children of Israel, “Behold, Yahweh has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah."

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  • Exodus 38:22

    "Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that Yahweh commanded Moses."

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Numbers 5 verses
  • Numbers 1:7

    "Of Judah: Nahshon the son of Amminadab."

  • Numbers 1:26

    "Of the children of Judah, their generations, by their families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all who were able to go out to war:"

  • Numbers 1:27

    "those who were counted of them, of the tribe of Judah, were seventy-four thousand six hundred."

  • Numbers 2:3

    "Those who encamp on the east side toward the sunrise shall be of the standard of the camp of Judah, according to their divisions. The prince of the children of Judah shall be Nahshon the son of Amminadab."

  • Numbers 2:9

    "All who were counted of the camp of Judah were one hundred eighty-six thousand four hundred, according to their divisions. They shall set out first."

Deuteronomy 3 verses
  • Deuteronomy 27:12

    "“These shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, when you have crossed over the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin."

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  • Deuteronomy 33:7

    "This is for Judah. He said, “Hear, Yahweh, the voice of Judah. Bring him in to his people. With his hands he contended for himself. You shall be a help against his adversaries.”"

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  • Deuteronomy 34:2

    "and all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, to the Western Sea,"

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Joshua 1 verse
  • Joshua 7:1

    "But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the devoted things; for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of the devoted things. Therefore Yahweh’s anger burned against the children of Israel."

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Names & Aliases

Form Language Script Strong's
Named Hebrew יְהוּדָה H3063G
(same form as previous) Hebrew יְהוּדָה H3063G
Group Hebrew יְהוּדִי H3064
Form (verb) Hebrew יָהַד H3054
(same form as previous) Hebrew יְהוּדִי H3064
(same form as previous) Hebrew יְהוּדִי H3064
(same form as previous) Hebrew יְהוּדִי H3064
Aramaic Hebrew יְהוּדַי H3062
Greek Greek Ἰουδά G2448
Spelled Greek Ἰούδας G2455N
Group Greek Ἰουδαῖος G2453
(same form as previous) Greek Ἰουδαῖος G2453
(same form as previous) Greek Ἰουδαῖος G2453
(same form as previous) Greek Ἰουδαῖος G2453
Spelled Greek Ἰουδαΐζω G2450
Spelled Greek Ἰουδαϊκός G2451
Spelled Greek Ἰουδαϊκῶς G2452