Reference: Judah, Tribe Of
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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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and Judah's sons Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. (Technically, Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan.) Perez's sons were Hezron and Hamul.
The genealogies of Judah's descendants were recorded individually, according to their tribes and ancestral houses, as were the names of all the men 20 years and above who could serve in the army. Those registered with the tribe of Judah numbered 74,600.
"The encampment of Judah is to settle east toward the sunrise under their standard. The leader of Judah is to be Amminadab's son Nahshon. Those in his division number 74,600. read more. "The tribe of Issachar is to encamp beside Judah. The leader of Issachar is to be Zuar's son Nethanel. Those in his division number 54,400. "Next is to be the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of Zebulun is to be Helon's son Eliab. Those in his division number 57,400. All those numbered by division in the camp of Judah total 186,400. They are to be the first to travel."
The standard of the camp of Judah was the first to travel, accompanied by its army with Amminadab's son Nahshon in charge.
After this, the descendants of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal. Jephunneh the Kenizzite's son Caleb told him, "You know the promise that the LORD gave Moses the man of God concerning the two of us in Kadesh-barnea. I was 40 years old when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from Kadesh-barnea to scout the land. I brought back an honest report to him. read more. As it happened, my fellow Israelis who went up with me terrified the people, but I fully followed the LORD my God. Moses made a promise to me on that day when he said, "The land that you covered on foot will certainly be your inheritance. It will belong to your descendants forever, because you have fully followed the LORD my God.' "Look how the LORD has let me survive, as you can see, these 45 years since the time when the LORD said this through Moses, while Israel was wandering through the wilderness. And look! I'm here today my eighty-fifth birthday! I'm still as strong today as I was the day Moses commissioned me. I'm as strong today as I was then, and I can go out to battle and come back successful. Now then, give me that hill country about which the LORD spoke back on that day, because you yourself heard back then that the Anakim were there, with great reinforced cities. Perhaps the LORD will be with me and I will expel them, just as the LORD said." So Joshua blessed him and gave Hebron to Jephunneh's son Caleb for his inheritance. Therefore Hebron became the inheritance of Jephunneh the Kenizzite's son Caleb, and it remains so today, because he fully followed the LORD God of Israel. Hebron used to be known as Kiriath-arba, after the greatest man among the Anakim. After all of this, the land enjoyed rest from war.
Now Joshua gave an allotment among the descendants of Judah to Jephunneh's son Caleb, just as God told Joshua, Kiriath-arba, which was named after the ancestor of Anak (that is, Hebron). From there Caleb drove the three descendants of Anak, Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai the Anakim. read more. Then he went up from there to attack the inhabitants of Debir. (Debir was formerly known as Kiriath-sepher.) Then Caleb announced, "I will give my daughter Achsah in marriage to the one who attacks Kiriath-sepher and captures it." Othniel, the son of Caleb's brother Kenaz, captured it, so Caleb gave him his daughter Achsah as his wife. Sometime later, she came to Othniel and persuaded him to ask her father for a field. As she dismounted from her donkey, Caleb asked her, "What do you want?" She replied, "Give me a blessing. Since you have given me the land of the Negev, give me also some springs of water." So he gave her the upper and lower springs. Here's a list of cities allotted for the tribe of the descendants of Judah according to their families: The cities to the far south of the tribe of the descendants of Judah (toward the border of Edom in the south) included Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
The cities to the far south of the tribe of the descendants of Judah (toward the border of Edom in the south) included Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, read more. Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, Hazor-hadattah, Kerioth-hezron (also known as Hazor), Amam, Shema, Moladah, Hazar-gaddah, Heshmon, Beth-pelet, Hazar-shual, Beer-sheba, Biziothiah, Baalah, Iim, Ezem, Eltolad, Chesil, Hormah, Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon, for a total of 29 cities and villages. The lowland cities included Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
The lowland cities included Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, Zanoah, En-gannim, Tappuach, Enam, read more. Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, Shaaraim, Adithaim, Gederah, and Gederothaim, for a total of fourteen cities and villages. Also included were Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal-gad, Dilan, Mizpeh, Joktheel, Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, Cabbon, Lahmam, Chitlish, Gederoth, Beth-dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah, for a total of sixteen cities and villages. Also included were Libnah, Ether, Ashan, Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, Keilah, Achzib, and Mareshah, for a total of nine cities and villages. Also included were Ekron, with its towns and villages, from Ekron to the Mediterranean Sea, including everything by the edge of Ashdod, along with their villages, Ashdod and its towns and villages, Gaza and its towns and villages as far as the River of Egypt, and the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. The hill country included Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,
The hill country included Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, Dannah, Kiriath-sannah (also known as Debir),
Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, Goshen, Holon, Giloh, for a total of eleven cities and villages.
Goshen, Holon, Giloh, for a total of eleven cities and villages. Also included were Arab, Dumah, Eshan,
Janum, Beth-tappuach, Aphekah, Humtah, Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron), and Zior, for a total of nine cities and villages.
Humtah, Kiriath-arba (also known as Hebron), and Zior, for a total of nine cities and villages. Also included were Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,
Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah, for a total of ten cities and villages.
Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah, for a total of ten cities and villages. Also included were Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor,
Also included were Halhul, Beth-zur, Gedor, Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon, for a total of six cities and villages.
Maarath, Beth-anoth, and Eltekon, for a total of six cities and villages. Also included were Kiriath-baal (also known as Kiriath-jearim) and Rabbah, for a total of two cities and villages.
Also included were Kiriath-baal (also known as Kiriath-jearim) and Rabbah, for a total of two cities and villages. The wilderness included Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah,
The wilderness included Beth-arabah, Middin, Secacah, Nibshan, Salt City, and En-gedi, for a total of six cities and villages. read more. Now as for the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, the descendants of Judah could not expel them, so Jebusites live with the descendants of Judah in Jerusalem to this day.
The inheritance of the tribe of Simeon was contained in part of the territory of Judah; that is, because the portion allotted to the tribe of Judah was large enough for both tribes, the tribe of Simeon obtained an inheritance within that of Judah.
From the tribes of the descendants of Judah and Simeon, they gave these cities, delineated by name: for the descendants of Aaron, one of the families of the descendants of Kohath, of the descendants of Levi, since the lot fell in their favor first. read more. They gave them Kiriath-arba, also known as Hebron, (Arba was named after the ancestor of Anak), in the hill country of Judah, along with its surrounding pasture lands. But the fields adjoining the city and its surrounding villages were given to Jephunneh's son Caleb. So they gave Hebron to the descendants of Aaron the priest to serve as a city of refuge for unintentional killers, along with its pasture lands, Libnah with its pasture lands, Jattir with its pasture lands, Eshtemoa with its pasture lands, Holon with its pasture lands, Debir with its pasture lands, Ain with its pasture lands, Juttah with its pasture lands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasture lands, for a total of nine cities from these two tribes. From the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with its pasture lands, Geba with its pasture lands, Anathoth with its pasture lands, and Almon with its pasture lands, for a total of four cities. All of the cities allocated to the priests, who were descendants of Aaron, numbered thirteen, along with their pasture lands.
The descendants of the Kenites, the tribe from which Moses' father-in-law came, accompanied the descendants of Judah from the city of the palms to the Judean wilderness, which is in the desert area south of Arad, and lived with the people there.
David told Saul, "Your servant has been a shepherd for his father. When a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock,
David left from there and escaped to the Cave of Adullam. His brothers and all his father's family heard about this and went down to him there.
The people from Ziph got up and left Saul, while David and his men were in the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah south of Jeshimon.
When Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, "Look, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi."
About this time, John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the Judean wilderness,
He was in the wilderness for 40 days being tempted by Satan. He was among wild animals, and angels were ministering to him.