Judah
Hebrew originJudah is Jacob and Leah's fourth son; in Genesis 43 he pledges himself as surety for Benjamin, and in Genesis 44 he pleads with Joseph to take him as slave in Benjamin's place rather than return to their grieving father without the boy.
- Meaning
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- Occupation
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- First mention
- Genesis 29:35
Family
Parents
Jacob
Jacob is Isaac's second-born twin; in Genesis 45 his sons report that Joseph is …
Leah
Leah is Laban's elder daughter and Jacob's first wife; she is the mother of Dina…
Siblings
Reuben
Reuben is Jacob and Leah's firstborn son; in Genesis 37 he intervenes to save Jo…
Simeon
Simeon is Jacob and Leah's second son; detained in Egypt when his brothers first…
Levi
Levi is Jacob and Leah's third son; with Simeon he avenges Dinah by slaughtering…
Dan
Dan is Jacob's fifth son, born through Rachel's slave-girl Bilhah; Rachel names …
Naphtali
Naphtali is Jacob's sixth son, born through Rachel's slave-girl Bilhah; Rachel n…
Gad
Gad is Jacob's seventh son, born through Leah's slave-girl Zilpah; Leah names hi…
Asher
Asher is Jacob's eighth son, born through Leah's slave-girl Zilpah; Leah names h…
Issachar
Issachar is Jacob and Leah's fifth son directly, born after God heard Leah follo…
Zebulun
Zebulun is Jacob and Leah's sixth son directly; Leah names him hoping Jacob will…
Dinah
Dinah is Jacob and Leah's daughter; Genesis 34 recounts her violation by Shechem…
Joseph
Joseph is Jacob and Rachel's firstborn son; sold to Egypt in Genesis 37, made go…
Benjamin
Benjamin is Jacob and Rachel's youngest son; in Genesis 43-44 he travels to Egyp…
Esau
Esau is Isaac's firstborn twin, also called Edom and ancestor of the Edomites; G…
Scripture references
- Genesis 29:35
Again she conceived and gave birth to a son, and said, 'Now I shall praise Yahweh!' Accordingly, she named him Judah. Then she had no more children.
- Genesis 37:26
Then Judah said to his brothers, 'What do we gain by killing our brother and covering up his blood?
- Genesis 37:27
Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, then we shall not have laid hands on him ourselves. After all, he is our brother, and our own flesh.' His brothers agreed.
- Genesis 38:1
It happened at about that time that Judah left his brothers, to go down and settle with a certain Adullamite called Hirah.
- Genesis 38:2
There Judah saw the daughter of a Canaanite called Shua. He made her his wife and slept with her.
- Genesis 38:6
Judah took a wife for his first-born Er, and her name was Tamar.
- Genesis 38:26
Judah recognised them and said, 'She was right and I was wrong, since I did not give her to my son Shelah.' He had no further intercourse with her.
- Genesis 43:3
'But', Judah replied, 'the man expressly warned us, "You will not be admitted to my presence unless your brother is with you."
- Genesis 43:8
Judah then said to his father Israel, 'Send the boy with me, and let us be off and go, if we are to survive and not die, we, you, and our dependants.
- Genesis 43:9
I will go surety for him, and you can hold me responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and produce him before you, let me bear the blame all my life.
- Genesis 44:14
When Judah and his brothers arrived at Joseph's house he was still there, so they fell on the ground in front of him.
- Genesis 44:16
'What can we answer my lord?' Judah replied. 'What can we say? How can we clear ourselves? God himself has uncovered your servants' guilt. Here we are then, my lord's slaves, we no less than the one in whose possession the cup was found.'
- Genesis 44:18
At this, Judah went up to him and said, 'May it please my lord, let your servant have a word privately with my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, for you are like Pharaoh himself.
- Genesis 44:33
Let your servant stay, then, as my lord's slave in place of the boy, I implore you, and let the boy go back with his brothers.
- Genesis 44:34
How indeed could I go back to my father and not have the boy with me? I could not bear to see the misery that would overwhelm my father.'