Person

Judah (patriarch)

Maleb. 1755 BC

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. 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).

Relationships

Siblings Asher, Benjamin (patriarch), Dan, Dinah, Gad, Issachar, Joseph (son of Jacob), Levi (patriarch), Reuben, Simeon, Zebulun, Naphtali

Children Er, Onan, Shelah, Pharez, Zerah

Parents Jacob (Israel), Leah

Member of Tribe of Judah, Genealogy of Jesus

Events Birth of Judah, Joseph sold to Egypt, Birth of Perez, 7 years of famine, Joseph's brothers return to Egypt

Active in Egypt

Appears in Genesis, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings

Key verses

Genesis 49:10

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs. To him will the obedience of the peoples be.

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.

2 Kings 17:13

Yet Yahweh testified to Israel, and to Judah, by every prophet, and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.”

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 were Hezron and Hamul.

Judges 1:16

The children of the Kenite, Moses’ brother-in-law, went up out of the city of palm trees with the children of Judah into the wilderness of Judah, which is in the south of Arad; and they went and lived with the people.

1 Kings 13:1

Behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by Yahweh’s word to Beth El: and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense.