Judah

Judah is the fourth son of Jacob, and the Bible shows him changing. In Genesis 44 he stands before Joseph, whose identity he does not yet know, and offers himself in place of his younger brother: “let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord” (verse 33). Jacob later says “Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall praise” (Genesis 49:8). His tribe leads Israel’s camp in the wilderness and anoints David king. Matthew’s opening list of Jesus’ family includes Judah by his Greek name, Judas. Genesis 43 and 44 are the place to meet him.

59 verses

Genesis

Genesis 43:1

And the famine was sore in the land.

Genesis 43:2

And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food.

Genesis 43:3

And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

Genesis 43:4

If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food:

Genesis 43:5

But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you.

Genesis 43:6

And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother?

Genesis 43:7

And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down?

Genesis 43:8

And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones.

Genesis 43:9

I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever:

Genesis 43:10

For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time.

Genesis 44:14

And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground.

Genesis 44:15

And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine?

Genesis 44:16

And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found.

Genesis 44:17

And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father.

Genesis 44:18

Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh.

Genesis 44:19

My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother?

Genesis 44:20

And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him.

Genesis 44:21

And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him.

Genesis 44:22

And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die.

Genesis 44:23

And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more.

Genesis 44:24

And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord.

Genesis 44:25

And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food.

Genesis 44:26

And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us.

Genesis 44:27

And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons:

Genesis 44:28

And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since:

Genesis 44:29

And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave.

Genesis 44:30

Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life;

Genesis 44:31

It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.

Genesis 44:32

For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.

Genesis 44:33

Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.

Genesis 44:34

For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father.

Numbers

Numbers 1:26

Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the house of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war;

Numbers 1:27

Those that were numbered of them, even of the tribe of Judah, were threescore and fourteen thousand and six hundred.

Numbers 2:3

And on the east side toward the rising of the sun shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah pitch throughout their armies: and Nahshon the son of Amminadab shall be captain of the children of Judah.

Numbers 2:9

All that were numbered in the camp of Judah were an hundred thousand and fourscore thousand and six thousand and four hundred, throughout their armies. These shall first set forth.

Joshua

Joshua 18:6

Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God.

Judges

Judges 1:1

Now after the death of Joshua it came to pass, that the children of Israel asked the LORD, saying, Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?

Judges 1:2

And the LORD said, Judah shall go up: behold, I have delivered the land into his hand.

Judges 1:3

And Judah said unto Simeon his brother, Come up with me into my lot, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I likewise will go with thee into thy lot. So Simeon went with him.

1 Samuel

1 Samuel 11:8

And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand.

2 Samuel

2 Samuel 2:1

And it came to pass after this, that David enquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.

2 Samuel 2:2

So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail Nabal's wife the Carmelite.

2 Samuel 2:3

And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.

2 Samuel 2:4

And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that buried Saul.

2 Samuel 2:5

And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the LORD, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him.

2 Samuel 2:6

And now the LORD shew kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you this kindness, because ye have done this thing.

2 Samuel 2:7

Therefore now let your hands be strengthened, and be ye valiant: for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.

2 Samuel 2:8

But Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim;

2 Samuel 2:9

And made him king over Gilead, and over the Ashurites, and over Jezreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel.

2 Samuel 2:10

Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.

2 Samuel 2:11

And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months.

1 Chronicles

1 Chronicles 5:1

Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel,(for he was the firstborn; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birthright.

1 Chronicles 5:2

For Judah prevailed above his brethren, and of him came the chief ruler; but the birthright was Joseph's:)

1 Chronicles 28:4

Howbeit the LORD God of Israel chose me before all the house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel:

Ezra

Ezra 10:23

Also of the Levites; Jozabad, and Shimei, and Kelaiah,(the same is Kelita,) Pethahiah, Judah, and Eliezer.

Nehemiah

Nehemiah 12:34

Judah, and Benjamin, and Shemaiah, and Jeremiah,

Nehemiah 12:36

And his brethren, Shemaiah, and Azarael, Milalai, Gilalai, Maai, Nethaneel, and Judah, Hanani, with the musical instruments of David the man of God, and Ezra the scribe before them.

Matthew

Matthew 1:2

Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;

Matthew 1:3

And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;

From Easton's Bible Dictionary

Matthew George Easton, 1897

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).

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).

Read the full entry

From Smith's Bible Dictionary

William Smith, 1884

(praised, celebrated), the fourth son of Jacob and the fourth of Leah. (B.C. after 1753.) Of Judah’s personal character more traits are preserved than of any other of the patriarchs, with the exception of Joseph, whose life he in conjunction with Reuben saved. (Genesis 37:26-28) During the second visit to Egypt for corn it was Judah who understood to be responsible for the safety of Benjamin, ch. (Genesis 43:3-10) and when, through Joseph’s artifice, the brothers were brought back to the palace, he is again the leader and spokesman of the band. So too it is Judah who is sent before Jacob to smooth the way for him in the land of Goshen. ch. (Genesis 46:28) This ascendancy over his brethren is reflected in the last words addressed to him by his father. The families of Judah occupy a position among the tribes similar to that which their progenitor had taken among the patriarchs. The numbers of the tribe at the census at Sinai were 74,600. (Numbers 1:26,27) On the borders of the promised land they were 76,500. (Genesis 26:22) The boundaries and contents of the territory allotted to Judah are narrated at great length, and with greater minuteness than the others, in (Joshua 15:20-63) The north boundary, for the most part coincident with the south boundary of Benjamin, began at the embouchure of the Jordan and ended on the west at Jabneel on the coast of the Mediterranean, four miles south of Joppa. On the east the Dead Sea, and on the west the Mediterranean, formed the boundaries. The southern line is hard to determine, since it is denoted by places many of which have not been identified. It left the Dead Sea at its extreme south end, and joined the Mediterranean at the Wady el-Arish. This territory is in average length about 45 miles, and in average breadth about 50.

Based on Nave's Topical Bible by Orville J. Nave (1896). Dictionary entries from Easton's Bible Dictionary and Smith's Bible Dictionary. Public domain. KJV scripture text, public domain.