Whether or not we have Judah’s natural leadership qualities, we share with him a tendency to be blind toward our own sin. Too often, however, we don’t share his willingness to admit mistakes. From Judah we can learn that it is not wise to wait until our errors force us to admit to wrongdoing. It is far better to admit our mistakes openly, to shoulder the blame, and to seek forgiveness.
1- Strengths and accomplishments
- Was a natural leader—outspoken and decisive2- Weaknesses and mistakes
- Thought clearly and took action in high-pressure situations
- Was willing to stand by his word and put himself on the line when necessary
- Was the fourth son of 12, through whom God would eventually bring David and Jesus, the Messiah
- Suggested to his brothers they sell Joseph into slavery3- Lessons from his life
- Failed to keep his promise to his daughter-in-law, Tamar
- God is in control, far beyond the immediate situation4- Vital statistics
- Procrastination often makes matters worse
- Judah’s offer to substitute his life for Benjamin’s is a picture of what his descendant Jesus would do for all people
- Where: Canaan and Egypt5- Key verses
- Occupation: Shepherd
- Relatives: Parents: Jacob and Leah. Wife: The daughter of Shua (1 Chronicles 2:3). Daughter-in-law: Tamar. Eleven brothers, at least one sister, and at least five sons
"Judah, your brothers will praise you. You will defeat your enemies. All your relatives will bow before you. Judah is a young lion that has finished eating its prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness—who will dare to rouse him? The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs, the one whom all nations will obey" (Genesis 49:8–10).
Judah’s story is told in Genesis
29:35—50:26. He is also mentioned in 1
Chronicles 2—4.
Judah, son of Jacob
1. The fourth son of Jacob and Leah, and the head of the tribe bearing his name, which signifies ‘praise.’ It was Judah who advised the selling of Joseph rather than taking his life: so his descendants, the Jews, delivered the Lord into the hands of the Gentiles. He sinned in the matter of Tamar his daughter-in-law; was ready enough to have her punished till it was shewn that he also was guilty. Thus is traced the terribly corrupt history of the family of whom according to election Christ was to be born. Though not the eldest son he began to take a chief place in the family. He was able to persuade his father to let Benjamin be taken into Egypt, and when appeals were to be made to Joseph it was Judah who made them. When Jacob blessed his sons, the predictions shew that in Judah was centred the royal line. The sceptre should not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh came, &c. #Ge 49:8-12. From Judah sprang David and a long succession of kings. Christ as born of the tribe of Judah, is referred to as "the Lion of the tribe of Juda." #Re 5:5. In #Lu 3:33 Heb 7:14 Re 5:5 7:5, the name is given as JUDA: and in #Mt 1:2,3, it is JUDAS.
The tribe held a prominent position. In the journeyings of the Israelites, Judah took the lead, and at the first and second census their numbers were 74,600 and 76,500. Their allotted portion was large. Its east border embraced the whole of the Dead Sea, and extended to Gath and the land of the Philistines on the west. Its northern boundary was about 31° 48’ N, and in the south it extended to the Desert of Paran. Jerusalem was near the border between Judah and Benjamin. In #Jos 18:28 it is one of the cities mentioned as falling to Benjamin; but in #Jos 15:63 and #Jud 1:8 it is referred to Judah. David and his successors being of this tribe, Jerusalem became their dwelling place.
2. 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" #Ge 29:35 It was Judah that interposed in behalf of Joseph, so that his life was spared #Ge 37:26,27 He took a lead in the affairs of the family, and "prevailed above his brethren" #Ge 43:3-10 44:14,16-34 46:28 1Ch 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 Easton on ONAN 2787 See Easton on TAMAR 3579 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 #Ge 49:8-12
Judah, Tribe of
Judah and his three surviving sons went down with Jacob into Egypt #Ge 46:12 Ex 1:2 At the time of the Exodus, when we meet with the family of Judah again, they have increased to the number of 74,000 males #Nu 1:26,27 Its number increased in the wilderness #Nu 26:22 Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, represented the tribe as one of the spies #Nu 13:6 34:19 This tribe marched at the van on the east of the tabernacle #Nu 2:3-9 10:14 its standard, as is supposed, being a lion’s whelp. Under Caleb, during the wars of conquest, they conquered that portion of the country which was afterwards assigned to them as their inheritance. This was the only case in which any tribe had its inheritance thus determined #Jos 14:6-15 15:13-19 The inheritance of the tribe of Judah was at first fully one-third of the whole country west of Jordan, in all about 2,300 square miles #Jos 15:1ff. But there was a second distribution, when Simeon received an allotment, about 1,000 square miles, out of the portion of Judah #Jos 19:9 That which remained to Judah was still very large in proportion to the inheritance of the other tribes. The boundaries of the territory are described in #Jos 15:20-63 This territory given to Judah was divided into four sections.
1. The south (Heb. negeb), the undulating pasture-ground between the hills and the desert to the south #Jos 15:21 This extent of pasture-land became famous as the favourite camping-ground of the old patriarchs.
2. The "valley" #Jos 15:33 or lowland (Heb. shephelah), a broad strip lying between the central highlands and the Mediterranean. This tract was the garden as well as the granary of the tribe.
3. The "hill-country," or the mountains of Judah, an elevated plateau stretching from below Hebron northward to Jerusalem. "The towns and villages were generally perched on the tops of hills or on rocky slopes. The resources of the soil were great. The country was rich in corn, wine, oil, and fruit; and the daring shepherds were able to lead their flocks far out over the neighbouring plains and through the mountains." The number of towns in this district was thirty-eight #Jos 15:48-60
4. The "wilderness," the sunken district next the Dead Sea #Jos 15:61 "averaging 10 miles in breadth, a wild, barren, uninhabitable region, fit only to afford scanty pasturage for sheep and goats, and a secure home for leopards, bears, wild goats, and outlaws" #1Sa 17:34 22:1 Mr 1:13 It was divided into the "wilderness of En-gedi" #1Sa 24:1 the "wilderness of Judah" #Jud 1:16 Mt 3:1 between the Hebron mountain range and the Dead Sea, the "wilderness of Maon" #1Sa 23:24 It contained only six cities. Nine of the cities of Judah were assigned to the priests #Jos 21:9-19
Judah, Kingdom of
When the disruption took place at Shechem, at first only the tribe of Judah followed the house of David. But very soon after the tribe of Benjamin joined the tribe of Judah, and Jerusalem became the capital of the new kingdom #Jos 18:28 which was called the kingdom of Judah. It was very small in extent, being only about the size of the Scottish county of Perth. For the first sixty years the kings of Judah aimed at re-establishing their authority over the kingdom of the other ten tribes, so that there was a state of perpetual war between them. For the next eighty years there was no open war between them. For the most part they were in friendly alliance, co-operating against their common enemies, especially against Damascus. For about another century and a half Judah had a somewhat checkered existence after the termination of the kingdom of Israel till its final overthrow in the destruction of the temple (B.C. 588) by Nebuzar-adan, who was captain of Nebuchadnezzar’s body-guard #2Ki 25:8-21 The kingdom maintained a separate existence for three hundred and eighty-nine years. It occupied an area of 3,435 square miles.
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