Reference: Judah, Tribe Of
Easton
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 (). 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). 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" (Jg 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).
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The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
Of the sons of Judah, their generations, by their families, by their fathers' houses, according to the number of names, from twenty years old and upward, all able to go to war: Those of the tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.
On the east side toward the sunrise shall they of the standard of the camp of Judah encamp by their companies; Nahshon son of Amminadab being the leader of the sons of Judah. Judah's host as numbered totaled 74,600. read more. Next to Judah the tribe of Issachar shall encamp, Nethanel son of Zuar being the leader of the sons of Issachar. Issachar's host as numbered totaled 54,400. Then the tribe of Zebulun, Eliab son of Helon being the leader of the sons of Zebulun. Zebulun's host as numbered totaled 57,400. All these [three tribes] numbered in the camp of Judah totaled 186,400. They shall set forth first [on the march].
In the first place went the standard of the camp of the sons of Judah by their companies; and over their host was Nahshon son of Amminadab.
Then the people of Judah came to Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, You know what the Lord said to Moses the man of God concerning me and you in Kadesh-barnea. Forty years old was I when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh-barnea to scout out the land. And I brought him a report as it was in my heart. read more. But my brethren who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt; yet I wholly followed the Lord my God. And Moses swore on that day, Surely the land on which your feet have walked shall be an inheritance to you and your children always, because you have wholly followed the Lord my God. And now, behold, the Lord has kept me alive, as He said, these forty-five years since the Lord spoke this word to Moses, while the Israelites wandered in the wilderness; and now, behold, I am this day eighty-five years old. Yet I am as strong today as I was the day Moses sent me; as my strength was then, so is my strength now for war and to go out and to come in. So now give me this hill country of which the Lord spoke that day. For you heard then how the [giantlike] Anakim were there and that the cities were great and fortified; if the Lord will be with me, I shall drive them out just as the Lord said. Then Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Caleb son of Jephunneh for an inheritance. So Hebron became the inheritance of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel. The name of Hebron before was Kiriath-arba [city of Arba]. This Arba was the greatest of the Anakim. And the land had rest from war.
And to Caleb son of Jephunneh, [Joshua] gave a part among the people of Judah, as the Lord commanded [him]; it was Kiriath-arba, which is Hebron, [named for] Arba the father of Anak. And Caleb drove from there the three sons of Anak -- "Sheshai and Ahiman and Talmai -- "the descendants of Anak. read more. He went up from there against the people of Debir. Debir was formerly named Kiriath-sepher. Caleb said, He who smites Kiriath-sepher and takes it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter as wife. And Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, took it; and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife. When Achsah came to Othniel, she got his consent to ask her father for a field. Then she returned to Caleb and when she lighted off her donkey, Caleb said, What do you wish? Achsah answered, Give me a present. Since you have set me in the [dry] Negeb, give me also springs of water. And he gave her the [sloping field with] upper and lower springs. This is the inheritance of the tribe of Judah according to their families. The cities of the tribe of Judah in the extreme south toward the boundary of Edom were: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
The cities of the tribe of Judah in the extreme south toward the boundary of Edom were: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, read more. Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (Hazor), Amam, Shema, Moladah, Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet, Hazar-shual, Beersheba, Biziothiah, Baalah, Iim, Ezem, Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah, Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon. All the cities were twenty-nine [later thirty-six] with their villages. In the lowland: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
In the lowland: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuah, Enam, read more. Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their villages. Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad, Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, Cabbon, Lahmas, Chitlish, Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah; sixteen cities with their villages. Libnah, Ether, Ashan, Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah; nine cities with their villages. Ekron, with its towns and villages. From Ekron to the sea, all that lay beside Ashdod, with their villages; Ashdod, with its towns and its villages; Gaza, with its towns and its villages, as far as the Brook of Egypt, and the Great [Mediterranean] Sea with its coastline. In the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,
In the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (that is, Debir),
Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, Goshen, Holon, and Giloh; eleven cities with their villages.
Janim, Beth-tappuah, Aphekah, Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior; nine cities with their villages.
Humtah, Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior; nine cities with their villages. Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,
Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages.
Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their villages. Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor,
Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor, Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages.
Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon; six cities with their villages. Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim) and Rabbah; two cities with their villages.
Kiriath-baal (that is, Kiriath-jearim) and Rabbah; two cities with their villages. In the wilderness: Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah,
In the wilderness: Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah, Nibshan, the City of Salt, and En-gedi; six cities with their villages. read more. But the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the people of Judah could not drive out; so the Jebusites dwell with the people of Judah at Jerusalem to this day.
Out of the part assigned to the Judahites was the inheritance of the tribe of Simeon, for the portion of the tribe of Judah was too large for them. Therefore the tribe of Simeon had its inheritance in the midst of Judah's inheritance.
They gave from the tribes of Judah and Simeon the cities here mentioned by name, Which went to the families of the descendants of Aaron, of the Kohathite branch of the Levites, for the lot fell to them first. read more. They gave them [the city of] Kiriath-arba, Arba being the father of Anak, which city is Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, with its pasturelands round about it. But the city's fields and villages they gave to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his own. Thus to the descendants of Aaron the priest they gave Hebron, the city of refuge for the slayer, with its pasturelands (suburbs), and together with their suburbs, Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Holon, Debir, Ain, Juttah, and Beth-shemesh; nine cities, each with its suburbs, out of those two tribes. Out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon, Geba, Anathoth, and Almon; four cities, each with its suburbs. The cities of the sons of Aaron, the priests, were thirteen, with their suburbs.
And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up with the Judahites from the City of Palms (Jericho) into the Wilderness of Judah, which lies in the South (the Negeb) near Arad; and they went and dwelt with the people.
And David said to Saul, Your servant kept his father's sheep. And when there came a lion or again a bear and took a lamb out of the flock,
So David departed and escaped to the cave of Adullam: and when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him.
So they arose and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the Arabah south of Jeshimon.
When Saul returned from following the Philistines, he was told, Behold, David is in the Wilderness of En-gedi.
In those days there appeared John the Baptist, preaching in the Wilderness (Desert) of Judea
And He stayed in the wilderness (desert) forty days, being tempted [all the while] by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels ministered to Him [continually].