Judah

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10/6/2024, 9:08 PM Mike C update #116
11/16/2019, 11:04 AM Mike C update #105
5/31/2018, 2:36 PM Mike C update #99
12/8/2017, 12:41 PM Mike C update #97
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10/20/2016, 1:17 AM Mike C update #93
7/27/2015, 11:23 PM Mike C update #90
10/10/2012, 5:50 PM Mike C update #84
2/12/2007, 1:03 AM Mike C earliest recorded revision

Gender Masculine
Usage Biblical
Scripts יְהוּדָה(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced Pron. /ˈd͡ʒuː.də/(English)

Meaning & History

From the Hebrew name יְהוּדָה (Yehuḏa), probably derived from יָדָה (yaḏa) meaning "praise". In the Old Testament Judah is the fourth of the twelve sons of Jacob by Leah, and the ancestor of the tribe of Judah. An explanation for his name is given in Genesis 29:35. His tribe eventually formed the Kingdom of Judah in the south of Israel. King David and Jesus were among the descendants of him and his wife Tamar. This name was also borne by Judah Maccabee, the Jewish priest who revolted against Seleucid rule in the 2nd century BC, as told in the deuterocanonical Books of Maccabees.

The name appears in the New Testament with the spellings Judas and Jude.