Judah was the fourth son of Jacob. Despite being technically born fourth, Judah ended up the inheritor of the eldest son's portion. Despite losing two sons before his time, Judah went on to father descendants who would rule over ancient Israel and, in Christianity, give birth to the Messiah.
Judah's Family
In Abrahamic religions, the lineage of Judah begins with Abraham, whose descendants God promised to build into a great nation. Abraham had two sons of note: Ishmael from Hagar and Isaac from Sarah. Isaac married Rebekah and had twin sons, Esau and Jacob.
Jacob (who would later be known as Israel) fell in love with Rachel and promised to work for her father for seven years to secure her hand in marriage. Although Rachel's father agreed, he disguised Rachel's elder sister, Leah, as Rachel on their wedding night, and wheedled another seven years out of Jacob for him to marry Rachel as well.
Leah had six sons and one daughter from Jacob:
- Reuben
- Simeon
- Levi
- Judah
- Issachar
- Zebulun
- Dinah
Rachel struggled with fertility but had two sons:
- Joseph
- Benjamin
Additionally, Jacob had two concubines: Bilhah and Zilpah.
Bilhah gave birth to two sons on behalf of Rachel prior to Rachel's conceiving Joseph and Benjamin:
- Dan
- Naphtali
Zilpah also gave birth to two sons on behalf of Leah:
- Gad
- Asher
Although Judah was himself the fourth-eldest of his brothers, he became the inheritor of the eldest son's portion after his elder three brothers were somewhat disinherited: Reuben for sleeping with Bilhah, and Simeon and Levi for slaughtering an entire city of men in revenge for the prince of said city raping their sister Dinah.
Judah and Tamar
Judah married and had three sons: Er, Onan, and Shelah. Er died soon after marrying Tamar. As was custom in the ancient Near East, since Er hadn't fathered a son, Onan had a duty to marry Tamar and conceive a son with her for Er. Onan married Tamar and slept with her, but ejaculated out of her to deny her a child. For this, God killed Onan. Judah told Tamar that Shelah was too young to marry her, but would when Shelah came of age. However, Judah had no intention of letting Tamar marry Shelah, thereby condemning Tamar to the dark fate of poverty and misery that awaited childless widows in a patriarchal society.
When Tamar finally realized Judah was tricking her, she disguised herself as a prostitute and lurked near where Judah worked. Judah slept with her, and in payment she asked for a goat from his flock; he agreed, but in the meantime gave her his staff and signet seal. But when he went to deliver her a goat, he could not find her.
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When Judah heard that Tamar was pregnant out of wedlock, he ordered her to be burned alive. Tamar produced the staff and signet seal, and Judah realized his mistake. He acknowledged that "she is more righteous than I" and provided for her, though he never slept with her again (Genesis 38:26 NIV). Tamar gave birth to twins, Perez and Zerah.
Judah and Joseph
Because Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah, he greatly favored Joseph, his eldest son by Rachel. Out of jealousy, Joseph's brothers plotted to kill him. Reuben, the eldest, tried to persuade them to merely cast him into a pit with the intention of rescuing Joseph later, but when a group of slave-traders came by, Judah suggested they sell Joseph to them as a slave. They did so, and Judah and his siblings covered it up by tricking Jacob into believing Joseph had been killed by wild animals.
In Egypt, Joseph rose to be a grand advisor of Pharaoh. During a famine, his brothers (save for Benjamin) came to Egypt for food, but did not recognize him. Joseph kept Simeon as collateral and demanded they bring back Benjamin in exchange for grain. Jacob refused to risk Benjamin's life, as Benjamin was the only son he had left with Rachel. Despite Reuben's offer to protect Benjamin, it was Judah's offer that eventually persuaded Jacob:
"I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life." (Genesis 43:9, NIV).
Joseph was still not able to bring himself to reveal his identity to his brothers, and sent them away with grain; however, he planted a silver cup in Benjamin's sack to see if his brothers had really changed or if they treated Benjamin just as they had treated him.
When Joseph's servants chased them down, he told them that whoever had stolen the cup would become Joseph's slave, but the others would be free to go. After the cup was found in Benjamin's sack, the brothers returned with him to plead with Joseph. Instead of saving their own skin, Judah offered to take Benjamin's place as Joseph's slave. Joseph finally revealed his identity, and his brothers brought their father to Egypt to live for the rest of their days.
What is the Tribe of Judah? In the Bible, the Tribe of Judah is one of twelve tribes based on the descendants of Jacob's sons. However, it is important to note that the twelve tribes are not exactly all unique descendants of each respective son of Jacob: Levi's descendants became a priestly clan and had no distinct tribe or territory, while Joseph's sons Manasseh and Ephraim were blessed as if they were direct sons of Jacob rather than mere grandchildren.
Judah, the fourth son of Jacob and Leah, was born in Charan on the 15th of Sivan, of the year 2196 from creation (1565 BCE). He passed away on the same date 119 years later, in Egypt.
Judah took the leadership role both in selling Joseph into slavery and in the brothers' later attempts to find him and free him, and to protect Benjamin. On his deathbed, Jacob conferred the leadership of Israel upon Judah, proclaiming: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the legislator from between his feet, until Shiloh (the Moshiach) comes..." The royal house of David, as well as many of the great sages and leaders of Israel throughout the generations of Jewish history, trace their lineage to Judah.
Judah had five sons: Er and Onan, who died without children; Shelah; and his twins from Tamar, Peretz and Zerach. Their decendants formed the Tribe of Judah, the most populous and prestigious of the twelve tribes of Israel.
After the death of King Solomon in 797 BCE, the people of Israel split into two kingdoms: ten trbes formed the Kingdom of Israel in the north, with Shomrom (Samaria) as the capitol; only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to Solomon's son, Rechavam, and formed the Kingdom of Judea in the south, in the areas surrounding the capital Jerusalem. Eventually, the Northern Kingdom was conquered by Assaria and the ten tribes living there were exiled and lost to the Jewish people; the inhabitants of Judea were also exiled (to Babylonia) but subsequently returned to the Holy Land and rebuilt Jerusalem and the Holy Temple. Over time, the terms "Judean" and "Jew"--which originally referred to a member of the tribe of Judah—became synponymous with "Israelite" and was used to refer to the descendants of all of Jacob's twelve sons—i.e., the Jewish people.
In 722 B.C.E., Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel, either taking captive or driving out members of the 10 Tribes. Although there are other terms used, this is commonly referred to as the Assyrian exile. Some accounts say that the 10 Tribes, at this time, were “lost to history.” In reality, they were scattered throughout the known world, including the significant number who settled in the Northern Kingdom.
Then, in approximately 586 B.C.E, the Southern Kingdom fell to Babylon. The Temple was destroyed, and the Tribes of Judah were removed from the Land, largely to Babylon. Around 445 B.C.E., Nehemiah led a remnant of the Jewish people back to Jerusalem and rebuilt its walls and gates.
Then, more than 500 years later after the time of Yeshua, in 70 C.E., the Romans destroyed the Second Temple and, again, Jewish people scattered into the world at large. While all historical occurrences that caused dispersals of the chosen people – even to modern times – are referred to as general diaspora, this specific event is called “the Diaspora.”
Before the Assyrian invasion of Israel, some from the Northern Tribes had migrated to the Southern Kingdom and joined the Tribes of Judah. This remnant was eventually taken captive or scattered along with the Southern Tribes.
God promised the Jewish people that He would make the two nations one again and bring them back into the Land of Israel. In 1948, He fulfilled this prophecy when Israel was reborn as a single nation (Ezekiel 37:15‒17, 21‒22). Many Jewish people, however, remain scattered throughout the world.
Judah and Benjamin – the linked brothers
Judah was Jacob’s fourth son, born to Leah. Benjamin was the youngest, and his mother, Rachel, died moments after he was born.
When the families of Israel suffered a great famine, Judah promised his father that he would protect Benjamin on the journey to Egypt for grain. When Joseph threatened to keep Benjamin as a slave for stealing the planted silver cup, Judah pleaded to be held instead so the youngest brother could return to their father.
After Joshua led the Israelites in conquering the Promised Land, the Tribes of Judah and Benjamin settled near each other. Benjamin’s descendants took up residence in a small area northwest of the Dead Sea. Judah’s large territory was south of Benjamin’s, west of the Dead Sea, and included Jerusalem.
Tribe of Benjamin history
Benjamin’s was the smaller of the two Tribes of Judah and the least of the 12 Tribes as well. When Jacob neared his death, he pronounced blessings on each of his sons. He declared Benjamin a “ravening wolf devouring spoils and dividing plunder” – a fighter and warrior (Genesis 49:27).
Ehud, a Benjamite in the period of the judges, was a mighty warrior who freed Israel from the Moabites when he rallied the people to take control of the Jordan River’s crossings and strike down the men of Moab. With this, Ehud won 80 years of peace for Israel (Judges 3:12‒20).
Saul, Israel’s first king, was from the Tribe of Benjamin (1 Samuel 9:15‒27), as were Mordecai and Esther (Esther 2:5‒7) and the apostle Paul (Romans 11:1).
Tribe of Judah history
Judah was considered the foremost of the 12 Tribes of Israel. Jacob’s blessing on Judah identified his family as the royal line that would rule Israel eternally.
“The scepter will not pass from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs will come. To him will be the obedience of the peoples” (Genesis 49:10).
This Messianic prophecy declares that the Messiah would come from Judah’s line. Yeshua (Jesus), who descended from the tribe of kings through David and Solomon, fulfilled this prophecy, being the King of Kings who will reign forever.
Jacob’s blessing also referred to Judah as a lion’s cub (Genesis 49:9). This is the origin of one of Yeshua’s names; in Revelation 5:5, He is called the Lion of Judah.
Where are the Tribes of Judah today?
Ancient conquests by Assyria, Babylon and Rome dispersed Jewish people from their Land, and intense persecution in the following centuries scattered the Jewish people further. Today, members of the Tribes of Judah and Israel reside all around the world. Jewish populations live on every major continent and have been found in Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mexico, South America, China, India, Somaliland, Afghanistan, Nigeria and beyond.
The tribes of Israel were constituted when Judah blessed each of his sons, except Joseph, at the end of his life. God led Jacob to bless Joseph’s sons, and they each became the half-tribes. Some of the tribes received blessings, and others curses, based on the behavior of the brother who became the forefather of the tribe.
The man Judah, for whom the tribe was named, lived a complicated life, one that shows both the depravity of the human heart as well as God’s capacity to redeem anyone. He was the fourth born son of Jacob’s first wife, Leah. He joined his brothers in assaulting one of his younger brothers, Joseph, out of jealousy. In fact, it was his idea to sell the boy into slavery.
“Then Judah said to his brothers, ‘What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.’ And his brothers listened to him” (Genesis 37:26-27).
He grew up after this moment, and had three sons with a Canaanite woman, stepping out of the bounds of God’s will for the descendants of Abraham. He married a woman named Tamar to his oldest son, who died, and then to his second who also died. He promised Tamar his youngest son, but failed to do so. When his Canaanite wife died, he was in the same area as Tamar, who he sent away to live with her father, a shameful thing for him to do. Having been promised a child from Judah’s line, Tamar disguised herself and conceived twins with Judah himself. The moment that Tamar proved the children were his was a turning point in his life; “Then Judah identified them and said, ‘She is more righteous than I, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.’ And he did not know her again” (Genesis 38:26).
After this moment, every time Judah appears in accounts of his life and his brother Joseph, he is seen doing the right thing, being the leader among his brothers.
At the end of Jacob’s life, he gave the greatest blessing to Judah.
“Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion's cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk” (Genesis 49:8-12).
The tribe of Judah did become the most preeminent among the tribes, and many began to look there for this king, who would hold a scepter that would never depart.
12 Things to Know about the Tribe of Judah
1. Judah is the anglicized word for Yehuda, which means praise or thanksgiving; it is probably related to what Leah said when her fourth son was born, “And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, ‘This time I will praise the Lord.’ Therefore she called his name Judah” (Genesis 29:35a).
2. It was prophesied the Messiah would come from the Tribe of Judah.
3. When Israel entered the promised land, Judah received extensive lands as recorded in the Book of Joshua.
4. God often called Judah into battle first.
5. At its height, Judah was a separate kingdom and ran almost the whole territory of that kingdom, except for a small portion given to the Tribe of Benjamin.
6. David was from the Tribe of Judah.
7. After David and Solomon’s deaths, Judah was the only tribe that remained loyal to the memory and the ways of David.
8. Just as the line of Judah was continued through children Judah had with someone who was not Hebrew, others in his line would marry outside their culture including Boaz, who married Ruth, a Moabite and a descendent of Lot.
9. The tribe of Judah over time came to be represented through a lion.
10. The modern word for the Hebrew people - Jew - comes from the name of Judah.
11. Jesus was a member of the tribe of Judah both through his mother’s lineage, and even through his earthly step-father Joseph, though Joseph was not his biological father.
12. Jesus fulfills the prophecy and blessing given to Judah at its inception. Even in Revelation, Jesus is referred to as the one who fulfilled those promises: “And one of the elders said to me, ‘Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals’” (Revelation 5:5).
Despite the importance of Judah throughout the history of Israel, it was not without its faults. Just like the Kingdom of Israel to the north, it fell to conquest, often experiencing bitter battles when they would fall into sin. Jerusalem, which resides within the territory allotted to the tribe, was conquered by other empires, ultimately falling into the hands of the Assyrians, the Babylonians, and the Romans who ruled over the territory during the life of Jesus.
Ultimately, the true significance of the tribe of Judah was not in the kings who reigned in Judah, or the many battles they won, but in the fulfillment of God’s divine plan to provide a Savior for the whole world. While many looked to the tribe and its great men, God was working through people like Tamar, Ruth, Boaz, and David and Bathsheba to create the family lineage for Jesus’ earthly life. God elevated the fourth son of an unloved wife to lead a family, and Jesus lived a humble, albeit sinless, life while here on earth, but will ultimately reign forever as the rightful king of the whole world.
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