Boys · Hebrew · Old Testament · rising · Patriarchal
Judah
/JOO-duh/
יְהוּדָה
"Praised; praise; let God be praised"
Genesis 29:35
RoleFourth son of Jacob; tribal patriarch; ancestor of David and Jesus
Etymology
From the Hebrew root 'yadah' (יָדָה), meaning to praise, to give thanks, to throw (as in throwing up hands in praise). Leah named him saying, 'This time I will praise the Lord.'
Who they were
Judah is the son whose line leads to Jesus, but his story is far from tidy. He suggested selling Joseph into slavery rather than killing him — pragmatic mercy, but still betrayal. He married a Canaanite woman and fathered three sons. When his eldest died, Judah gave his second son to the widow Tamar, as custom required. That son died too. Judah promised his third son but never delivered, effectively trapping Tamar in permanent widowhood. Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute, slept with Judah, and became pregnant. When Judah discovered her pregnancy and ordered her burned, she produced his own signet ring and cord. Judah's response — 'She is more righteous than I' — is one of the Bible's great moments of self-recognition. Through Tamar's twins, Perez and Zerah, the line continued to David and to Jesus. Jacob's blessing on Judah in Genesis 49 is royal and messianic: 'The sceptre will not depart from Judah until he to whom it belongs shall come.' Judah's name means praise. His story means that the line of the Messiah passes through failure, recognition, and grace.
Family
Character qualities
- Growth from selfishness to self-awareness
- Willingness to acknowledge wrong
- Royal destiny through a broken line
Key verse
Genesis 49:10
Where they appear
Themes
Variants & related forms
Jude · Yehuda · Judas (same name, different associations)
Read their story
Judah's story begins in Genesis.
The full passage is at Genesis 29:35. Any modern translation will do — the NLT and NIV are the most readable; the ESV and NKJV stay close to the wording the church has used for centuries.
Find a Bible to read it in →