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{{Tribe of Israel}}
The '''Tribe of Judah''' ({{Hebrew Name|יהודה|Yehūḏāh}}) was one of the twelve [[Tribes of Israel]]. Its members were descended from [[Judah]], the fourth son of [[Jacob]] by [[Leah]], and were called '''Judahites''' ({{Hebrew Name|יהודים|Yehūḏīm}}).

== Symbols ==
The gemstone of the tribe of Judah was the [[garnet]], which appeared first in the second row of the [[Breastplate of Judgment]]. The tribe of Judah also adopted the [[lion]] as their symbol, based on Jacob's deathbed blessing of Judah.

== In the wilderness ==
The tribe of Judah camped to the east of the [[Tabernacle]] and marched in the first rank, next to the tribes of [[tribe of Issachar|Issachar]] and [[tribe of Zebulun|Zebulun]].

== In the land ==
The territory of Judah was a sizable territory in the southern portion of the Promised Land. King [[David]] used [[Hebron]] as his capital for seven and one-half years.

== Representative descendants ==
# Two ancestors of this line were [[Salmon (Bible)|Salmon]], who married [[Rahab]], priestess of [[Asherah]] in [[Jericho]], and [[Boaz]], who married [[Ruth]] of [[Moab]].
# King [[ruled by::David]] founded a dynasty that never broke until the [[Fall of Jerusalem]] to [[Nebuchadnezzar II]].
# This tribe was a separate kingdom for seven and one-half years under King [[David]] until King [[Ishbosheth]] was assassinated and the remaining tribes transferred their allegiance to him. After the death of [[Solomon]], this tribe was the lead tribe of the [[Kingdom of Judah]]. Only the [[tribe of Benjamin]] joined it. The [[Levite]]s defected to the Kingdom of Judah after their expulsion from the [[Kingdom of Israel]]. The Levites, alone among the tribes, had no landholdings of their own.
# Through this tribe runs an unbroken line of descent to [[Joseph of Nazareth]], foster father to [[Jesus Christ]] ({{Bible ref|book=Matthew|chap=1|verses=1-17}}).
# The [[Mary|Virgin Mary]] was from the tribe of Judah and a descendant of [[David]] through the line of [[Nathan (son of David)|Nathan]] ({{Bible ref|book=Luke|chap=3|verses=23-38}}).
# Jesus was born in [[Bethlehem]], an otherwise undistinguished town in the territory of Judah ({{Bible ref|book=Matthew|chap=1|verses=1-17}}; {{Bible ref|book=Luke|chap=3|verses=23-38}}).

{{treeJudah}}

== External Links ==
* [http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/judahtribeof.html ''WebBible™ Encyclopedia'' - Tribe of Judah]

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[[Category:Tribe of Judah]]
[[Category:Tribes of Israel]]
[[Category:Israelites]]
[[Category:Biblical group]]

[[fr:Tribu de Juda]]
[[pt:Tribo de Judá]]