View source for Judah (son of Jacob)

{{Short description|Biblical figure and son of Jacob and Leah}}
{{Distinguish|Judas Iscariot}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Judah
| image              = Yehuda, son of Jacob.jpg
| caption            = Portrait of Judah from ''[[Judah and Tamar]]'' (1840) by [[Horace Vernet]]
| native_name        = {{Script/Hebrew|יְהוּדָה}}
| native_name_lang   = hbo
| birth_date         = {{circa|1600 BCE}}
| birth_place        = [[Paddan Aram]], [[Aram-Naharaim]]<br>(present-day [[Harran]], [[Turkey]])
| death_date         = <!-- | Religion         = [[Yahwism]] -->
| death_place        = Yehud, [[Canaan]]<br>(present-day [[Yehud, Israel]])
| resting_place_coordinates = {{coord|32.030797|N|34.887616|E|type:city_region:IL|display=inline,title}}
| spouse             = Aliyath
| children           = {{Collapsible list
| title = {{nobold|''Sons through Aliyath'':}}
| [[Er (biblical person)|Er]]
| [[Onan]]
| [[Shelah (son of Judah)|Shelah]]
}}
{{Collapsible list
| title = {{nobold|''Twin sons through his daughter-in-law [[Tamar (Genesis)|Tamar]]''}}
| [[Perez (son of Judah)|Perez]] and [[Zerah]]
}}
| mother             = [[Leah]]
| father             = [[Jacob]]
| relatives          = {{Collapsible list
| title = {{nobold|''See list''}}
| [[Reuben (son of Jacob)|Reuben]] (brother)
| [[Simeon (son of Jacob)|Simeon]] (brother)
| [[Levi]] (brother)
| [[Dan (son of Jacob)|Dan]] (half-brother)
| [[Naphtali]] (half-brother)
| [[Gad (son of Jacob)|Gad]] (half-brother)
| [[Asher]] (half-brother)
| [[Issachar]] (brother)
| [[Zebulun]] (brother)
| [[Dinah]] (sister)
| [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]] (half-brother)
| [[Benjamin]] (half-brother)
| [[Rebecca (biblical figure)|Rebecca]] (grandmother)
| [[Isaac]] (grandfather)
| [[Esau]] (uncle)
| [[Rachel]] (aunt/stepmother)
| [[Laban (Bible)|Laban]] (grandmothers-brother) and (grandfather)
| [[Abraham]] (great-grandfather)
| [[Sarah]] (great-grandmother)
}}
}}

'''Judah''' ({{Hebrew name|{{Script/Hebrew|יְהוּדָה}}|Yəhūda|Yŭhūḏā}})<ref>{{Cite book |last=Khan |first=Geoffrey |title=The Tiberian Pronunciation Tradition of Biblical Hebrew, Volume 1. |publisher=Open Book Publishers |year=2020 |isbn=978-1783746767}}</ref> was, according to the [[Book of Genesis]], the fourth of the six sons of [[Jacob]] and [[Leah]] and the founder of the [[Tribe of Judah]] of the [[Israelites]]. By extension, he is indirectly the [[eponym]] of the [[Kingdom of Judah]], the land of [[Judea]], and the word ''[[Jew (word)|Jew]]''.

According to the narrative in Genesis, Judah alongside [[Tamar (Genesis)|Tamar]] is a patrilineal ancestor of the [[Davidic line]]. The Tribe of Judah features prominently in [[Deuteronomist#Deuteronomistic history|Deuteronomistic history]], which most scholars agree was reduced to written form, although subject to [[Babylonian captivity|exilic]] and [[Second Temple period|post-exilic]] alterations and emendations, during the reign of the Judahist reformer [[Josiah]] from 641 to 609 BCE.<ref name="Finkelstein, pp. 369-373">{{cite book|last=Finkelstein|first=Israel|title=The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin |year=2002|url=https://archive.org/details/bibleunearthedar00fink |url-access=registration |pages=[https://archive.org/details/bibleunearthedar00fink/page/369 369]–373 |publisher=Touchstone|isbn=9780684869131}}</ref>

==Etymology==
The Hebrew name for Judah, ''Yehuda'' (יהודה), literally "thanksgiving" or "praise," is the noun form of the root Y-H-D (יהד), "to thank" or "to praise."<ref>{{cite book|last=Exell|first=Joseph Samuel|title=Homiletical Commentary on the Book of Genesis|year=1892|publisher=Funk & Wagnalls|location=USA|pages=583}}</ref> His birth is recorded at ''Gen.'' 29:35; upon his birth, Leah exclaims, "This time I will praise the <small>LORD</small>/[[YHWH]]," with the Hebrew word for "I will praise," ''odeh'' (אודה) sharing the same root as ''Yehuda''. Alternatively, [[Edward Lipiński (orientalist)|Edward Lipiński]] connected [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] ''yĕhūdā'' with [[Arabic]] ''whd'' / ''wahda'' "cleft, ravine".<ref>Lipiński, Edward, "L'étymologie de Juda," Vetus Testamentum 23.3 (July 1973): p. 380-381</ref>

==Biblical references==
[[File:Rembrandt's school Tamar.JPG|thumb|''Judah (left) talking to [[Tamar (Genesis)|Tamar]] (right)'' (1606–1669), by [[Rembrandt]]]]

Judah is the fourth son of the patriarch [[Jacob]] and his first wife, [[Leah]]: his full brothers are [[Reuben (Bible)|Reuben]], [[Simeon (Hebrew Bible)|Simeon]] and [[Levi]] (all older), and [[Issachar]] and [[Zebulun]] (younger), and he has one full sister, [[Dinah]]. Through his father, he also has six half-brothers: [[Dan (son of Jacob)|Dan]] and [[Naphtali]] (whose mother is [[Bilhah]]), [[Gad (son of Jacob)|Gad]] and [[Asher]] (whose mother is [[Zilpah]]), and [[Joseph (Genesis)|Joseph]] and [[Benjamin]] (whose mother is [[Rachel]]). 

Following his birth, Judah's next appearance is in ''Gen'' 37, when he and his brothers cast [[Joseph (son of Jacob)|Joseph]] into a pit out of jealousy after Joseph approaches them, flaunting a [[coat of many colors]], while they are working in the field. It is Judah who spots a caravan of [[Ishmaelites]] coming towards them on its way to Egypt and suggests that Joseph be sold to the Ishmaelites rather than killed, after his brother Reuben suggests they do not kill him to begin with. (''Gen.'' 37:26-28, "What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? ... Let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our flesh.")

Judah marries the daughter of [[Shuah]], a [[Canaan]]ite. In {{bibleverse|Genesis|38|KJV|Genesis chapter 38}}, Judah and his wife have three children, [[Er (biblical figure)|Er]], [[Onan]], and [[Shelah (son of Judah)|Shelah]]. Er marries [[Tamar (Genesis)|Tamar]], but God kills him because he was wicked in His sight (''Gen.'' 38:7). Tamar becomes Onan's wife [[levirate marriage|in accordance with custom]], but he too is killed after he refuses to father children for his older brother's childless widow, and [[Coitus interruptus|spills his seed instead]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+38&version=NIV|title=Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 38 - New International Version}}</ref> Although Tamar should have married Shelah, the remaining brother, Judah did not consent, and in response Tamar deceives Judah into having intercourse with her by pretending to be a [[prostitute]]. When Judah discovers that Tamar is pregnant he prepares to have her killed, but recants and confesses when he finds out that he is the father (''Gen.'' 38:24-26).<ref>According to the [[Talmud]], Judah's confession atoned for some of his prior faults, and itself resulted in him being divinely rewarded by [[Jewish Eschatology|a share in the future world]] (''[[Sotah]]'' 7b) that he had used a prostitute. Tamar's sons by her father-in-law were the twins [[Pharez]] and [[Zerah]], the fourth and fifth sons of Judah. [[Pharez]] in turn was an ancestor of [[David]]. ({{Bibleverse||Genesis|38:1-30|}})</ref> Tamar is the mother of twins, [[Perez (son of Judah)|Perez]] (Peretz) and [[Zerah]] (Gen. 38:27-30). The former is the patrilinear ancestor of the [[Messiah in Judaism|messiah]], according to the Book of Ruth (4:18-22).

Meanwhile, Joseph rises to a position of power in Egypt. Twenty years after being betrayed, he meets his brothers again without them recognizing him. The youngest brother, Benjamin, had remained in [[Canaan]] with Jacob, so Joseph takes [[Simeon (Hebrew Bible)|Simeon]] hostage and insists that the brothers return with Benjamin.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Genesis|42:24|}}, {{BibleVerse-nb||Genesis|42:34|}}</ref> Judah offers himself to Jacob as [[surety]] for Benjamin's safety, and manages to persuade Jacob to let them take Benjamin to [[Egypt]]. When the brothers return, Joseph tests them by demanding the [[slavery|enslavement]] of [[Benjamin]].<ref>{{Bibleverse||Genesis|44:1-17|}}</ref> Judah pleads for Benjamin's life, and Joseph reveals his true identity.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Genesis|44:18-34|}}</ref> Before he dies, Jacob [[Blessing of Jacob|blesses]] Judah as his lead heir, stating that his other sons "shall bow down before you" and that he shall hold "the ruler's staff."<ref>{{Bibleverse||Genesis|49:8-10|}}</ref>

== Textual criticism ==
===Relationship between the Joseph and Judah narratives===
[[File:John in Korovniki church - patriarch 13 Judah (c. 1654, Yaroslavl).jpg|thumb|''Patriarch Judah'', [[Russian Orthodoxy|Russian Orthodox]] depiction, {{circa|1654}}]]
Literary critics have focused on the relationship between the Judah story in chapter 38, and the [[Joseph (son of Jacob)|Joseph story]] in chapters 37 and 39. [[Victor P. Hamilton|Victor Hamilton]] notes some "intentional literary parallels" between the chapters, such as the exhortation to "identify" (38:25-26 and 37:32-33).<ref>[[Victor P. Hamilton]], ''The Book of Genesis, Chapters 18-50'' (NICOT; Eerdmans, 1995), 431-432.</ref> [[John Emerton|J. A. Emerton]], [[Regius Professor of Hebrew (Cambridge)|Regius Professor of Hebrew]] at the [[University of Cambridge]], regards the connections as evidence for including chapter 38 in the [[Jahwist|J corpus]], and suggests that the J writer dovetailed the Joseph and Judah traditions.<ref>J. A. Emerton, "Some problems," 349. Emerton also suggests (p. 360) that in J, this story "never stood anywhere but between the accounts of the selling of Joseph into slavery and the doings of Joseph in Egypt."</ref> [[Derek Kidner]] points out that the insertion of chapter 38 "creates suspense for the reader",<ref>[[Derek Kidner]], ''Genesis: An Introduction and Commentary'' (IVP, 2008 ), 187.</ref> but [[Robert Alter]] goes further and suggests it is a result of the "brilliant splicing of sources by a literary artist". He notes that the same verb ''identify'' will play "a crucial thematic role in the [[dénouement]] of the Joseph story when he confronts his brothers in Egypt, he recognizing them, they failing to recognize him".<ref>[[Robert Alter]], ''The Art of Biblical Narrative'' (Basic Books, 1981), 10.</ref> Similarly, [[J. P. Fokkelman]] notes that the "extra attention" for Judah in chapter 38, "sets him up for his major role as the brothers' spokesman in Genesis 44".<ref>[[J. P. Fokkelman]], ''Reading Biblical Narrative'' ([[Leiderdorp]]: Deo, 1999), 81.</ref>

===Foreshadowing the hegemony of Judah===
Other than Joseph (and perhaps [[Benjamin]]), Judah receives the most favorable treatment in Genesis among Jacob's sons, which according to biblical historians is a reflection on the historical primacy that the tribe of Judah possessed throughout much of Israel's history, including as the source of the [[Davidic line]].<ref name=Mann>{{cite book|last=Mann|first=Thomas W.|title=Book of the Torah: The Narrative Integrity of the Pentateuch|year=1988|publisher=John Knox Press|location=USA|isbn=9780804200851|pages=67, 76–80}}</ref> Although Judah is only the fourth son of [[Leah]], he is expressly depicted in Genesis as assuming a leadership role among the 10 eldest brothers, including speaking up against killing Joseph, negotiating with his father regarding Joseph's demand that Benjamin be brought down to Egypt, and pleading with Joseph after the latter secrets the silver cup into Benjamin's bag.<ref name=Kaminski>{{cite book |last=Kaminski |first=Carol M. |title=From Noah to Israel: Realization of the Primaeval Blessing After the Flood |year=2005 |publisher=Continuum |isbn=9780567539465|pages=114–116}}</ref>

Judah's position is further enhanced through the downfall of his older brothers: Reuben, the eldest, cedes his birthright through sexual misconduct with Jacob's concubine [[Bilhah]] (''Gen.'' 35:22), and the bloody revenge taken by Simeon and Levi following the [[Dinah#The rape of Dinah|rape of Dinah]] (''Gen.'' chap. 34)<ref name=Mann /> disqualifies them as leaders.<ref name=Kaminski /> The eternal legacy of these events are foreshadowed in the deathbed [[blessing of Jacob]] (''Gen.'' 49:1-33), which has been attributed according to the [[documentary hypothesis]] to the pro-Judah [[Yahwist]] source.<ref name=Cross>{{cite book|last=Cross|first=Frank Moore|title=Studies in Ancient Yahwistic Poetry|year=1997|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|isbn=9780802841599|pages=45–53}}</ref>  In Jacob's blessing, Reuben has "not the excellency" to lead "because thou went up to thy father's bed, then defiled [it]"; meanwhile, Simeon and Levi are condemned as "cruel" and "weapons of violence [are] their kinship." (''Gen.'' 49.:3-7.)  On the other hand, Judah is praised as "a lion's whelp" whose brothers "shall bow down before thee", and "the sceptre shall not depart from Judah" (Genesis 49:10), the latter a clear reference to the aspirations of the [[Kingdom of Israel (united monarchy)|united monarchy]].<ref name=McKeown>{{cite book|last=McKeown|first=James|title=Genesis: The two horizons Old Testament commentary|year=2008|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|isbn=9780802827050|pages=183–186}}</ref>

Hebraist Gary Rendsburg argues that the original Biblical audience would have noticed the parallels between Judah and Tamar on the one hand and David and Bathsheba on the other.<ref name=Rendsburg>{{cite book|last=Rendsburg|first=Gary|title=How the Bible Was Written|year=2019|publisher=Hendrickson Publishing|isbn=9781683071976|pages=455–456}}</ref> In particular, Rendsburg notes the similarity between Bathsheba (בַּת-שֱבַע, bat-šɛbaʿ, ‘Bathsheba) and Judah's wife the daughter of Shua', whose name is not given (בַּת-שוּעַ, bat…šua, the daughter of … Shua).<ref name=Rendsburg />

Archaeologist and scholar Israel Finkelstein argues that these and other pro-Judah narrative strands likely originated after the demise of the [[Kingdom of Israel (Samaria)|Kingdom of Israel]] in the eighth century BCE: "[I]t was only after the fall of Israel that Judah grew into a fully developed state with the necessary complement of professional priests and trained scribes able to undertake such a task. When Judah suddenly faced the non-Israelite world on its own, it needed a defining and motivating text. That text was the historical core of the Bible, composed in Jerusalem in the course of the seventh century BCE. And because Judah was the birthplace of ancient Israel's central scripture, it is hardly surprising that the biblical text repeatedly stresses Judah's special status from the very beginnings of Israel's history.... [In Genesis], it was Judah, among all of Jacob's sons, whose destiny was to rule over all the other tribes in Israel."<ref name=Finkelstein>{{cite book|last=Finkelstein|first=Israel|title=The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Sacred Texts|year=2002|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=9780743223386|pages=Chap. 9}}</ref>

===The story of Judah and Tamar in the historical context===
Emerton notes that it is "widely agreed" that the story of Judah and Tamar "reflects a period after the settlement of the Israelites in Canaan".<ref>J. A. Emerton, "Some problems in Genesis xxxviii", ''[[Vetus Testamentum]]'' 25 (1975), 345.</ref> He also suggests the possibility that it contains "[[Etiology|aetiological]] motifs concerned with the eponymous ancestors of the clans of Judah".<ref name="Emerton1979">J. A. Emerton, "Judah and Tamar," ''[[Vetus Testamentum]]'' 29  [1979], 405.</ref> Emerton notes that [[August Dillmann|Dillman]] and [[Martin Noth|Noth]] considered the account of the deaths of Er and Onan to "reflect the dying out of two clans of Judah bearing their names, or at least of their failure to maintain a separate existence". However, this view was "trenchantly criticized" by [[Thomas L. Thompson]].<ref name="Emerton1979" />

Along with the account of [[Lot (biblical person)|Lot]] and [[Lot's daughters|his daughters]] (Genesis 19:30–38), Tamar and Judah is one of two instances of "[[sperm theft|sperm stealing]]" in the Bible, in which a woman seduces a male relative under false pretenses in order to become pregnant.<ref>Yaron, Shlomith. [https://web.archive.org/web/20210918161343/https://www.baslibrary.org/bible-review/17/1/10 "Sperm stealing: a moral crime by three of David's ancestresses"]. Bible Review 17:1, February 2001</ref>

== Jewish tradition ==
=== Rabbinic commentaries ===
[[File:Judah (Francisco de Zurbarán).jpg|thumb|Judah, from the series ''[[Jacob and His Twelve Sons]]'' {{circa|1640|1645}} by [[Francisco de Zurbarán]]]]

The text of the [[Torah]] argues that the name of ''Judah'', meaning ''to thank'' or ''admit'', refers to Leah's intent to thank [[Hashem]], on account of having achieved four children, and derived from ''odeh'', meaning ''I will give thanks''. In [[classical rabbinical literature]], the name is interpreted as a combination of ''Yahweh'' and a [[dalet]] (the letter ''d''); in [[Gematria]], the dalet has the numerical value ''4'', which these rabbinical sources argue refers to Judah being Jacob's fourth son.<ref>''[[Nashim|Sotah]]'' 10b</ref> Since Leah was matriarch, Jewish scholars think the text's authors believed the tribe was part of the original Israelite confederation; however, it is worthy of note<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia">''Jewish Encyclopedia''</ref> that the tribe of Judah was not purely Israelite, but contained a large admixture of non-Israelites, with a number of [[Kenizzite]] groups, the [[Jerahmeelite]]s, and the [[Kenites]], merging into the tribe at various points.<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia"/>

[[classical rabbinical literature|Classical rabbinical sources]] refer to the passage "...&nbsp;a ruler came from Judah", from {{Bibleverse|1|Chronicles|5:2|HE}}, to imply that Judah was the leader of his brothers, terming him ''the king''.<ref>''[[Genesis Rabbah]]'' 84:16</ref><ref>''[[Testament of Judah]]'' 1</ref> This passage also describes Judah as the ''strongest of his brothers'' in which rabbinical literature portray him as having had extraordinary physical strength, able to shout for over 400 [[parasang]]s, able to crush iron into dust by his mouth, and with hair that stiffened so much, when he became angry, that it pierced his clothes.<ref>''[[Genesis Rabbah]]'' 93:6–7</ref>

Classical rabbinical sources also allude to a war between the [[Canaanites]] and Judah's family (not mentioned in the [[Hebrew Bible]]), as a result of their destruction of [[Shechem]] in revenge for the rape of [[Dinah]];<ref>in great detail in the [[Sefer haYashar (midrash)|midrashic ''Book of Jasher'']], ''Vayishlah''</ref><ref>''[[Pseudo-Jonathan]]'' (on {{Bibleverse||Genesis|48:22|}})</ref><ref>''[[Midrash Vayissa'u]]''</ref><ref>''[[Book of Jubilees]]'' 34:1-9</ref><ref>''[[Testament of Judah]]'' 3-7</ref> Judah features heavily as a protagonist in accounts of this war. In these accounts Judah kills [[Jashub]], king of [[List of minor biblical places#Tappuah|Tappuah]], in hand-to-hand combat, after first having deposed Jashub from his horse by throwing an extremely heavy stone (60 [[shekel]]s in weight) at him from a large distance away (the [[Midrash Wayissau]] states 177⅓ cubits, while other sources have only 30 [[cubits]]);<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia"/> the accounts say that Judah was able to achieve this even though he was himself under attack, from arrows which Jashub was shooting at him with both hands.<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia"/> The accounts go on to state that while Judah was trying to remove Jashub's armour from his corpse, nine assistants of Jashub fell upon him in combat, but after Judah killed one, he scared away the others;<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia"/> nevertheless, Judah killed several members of Jashub's army (42 men according to the [[Sefer haYashar (midrash)|midrashic ''Book of Jasher'']], but 1000 men according to the ''[[Testament of Judah]]'').<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia"/>

According to some classical sources, Jacob suspected that Judah had killed Joseph,<ref>''[[Midrash Genesis Rabbah]]'' 95:1; ''Midrash Tanhuma''</ref> especially, according to the [[Midrash Tanhuma]], when Judah was the one who had brought the blood stained coat to Jacob.<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia"/>

[[File:Konstantin Flavitsky 001.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|''The children of Jacob sell their brother Joseph'' by [[Konstantin Flavitsky]], 1855. Judah was the one who suggested that Joseph be sold, rather than killed.]]

Since rabbinical sources held Judah to have been the leader of his brothers, these sources also hold that the other nine brothers blamed him to be responsible for this deception, even if it was not Judah himself who brought the coat to Jacob.<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia"/> Even if Judah had been trying to save Joseph, the classical rabbinical sources still regard him negatively for it; these sources argue that, as the leader of the brothers, Judah should have made more effort and carried Joseph home to Jacob on his (Judah's) own shoulders.<ref>''[[Genesis Rabbah]]'' 85:4</ref> These sources argue that Judah's brothers, after witnessing Jacob's grief at the loss of Joseph, deposed and [[excommunication|excommunicated]] Judah, as the brothers held Judah entirely responsible, since they would have brought Joseph home if Judah had asked them to do so.<ref>''[[Exodus Rabbah]]'' 42:2; ''Tanhumah'', Vayeshev, 12</ref> Divine punishment, according to such classical sources, was also inflicted on Judah in punishment; the death of Er and Onan, and of his wife, are portrayed in by such classical rabbis as being acts of divine retribution.<ref>''[[Tanhuma]]'', ''Vayiggash'' 10</ref>

When Benjamin was held in bondage following the accusation of stealing Joseph's cup, Judah offered himself among his brethren as a bondman in replace of him, but Joseph was strict that the punishment is only applied to the one who was guilty, not to the innocent ones.<ref>Ginzberg, Louis (1909). ''[http://www.swartzentrover.com/cotor/e-books/misc/Legends/Legends%20of%20the%20Jews.pdf The Legends of the Jews Volume II: Judah Pleads and Threatens]'' (Translated by Henrietta Szold) Philadelphia: Jewish Publication Society.</ref>

According to classical rabbinical literature, because Judah had proposed that he should take any blame ''forever'', this ultimately led to his bones being rolled around his coffin without cease, while it was being carried during [[the Exodus]], until [[Moses]] interceded with God, by arguing that Judah's confession (in regard to cohabiting with Tamar) had led to [[Reuben (Bible)|Reuben]] confessing his own incest.<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia"/> Apparently, Judah learned a lesson from his experience with Tamar that he must be responsible for those around him and this eventually prepares him for his future reconciliatory encounter with Joseph.<ref name="Laufer2008">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xNgfC9aZ1LMC&pg=PA69|title=The Genesis of Leadership: What the Bible Teaches Us about Visions, Values and Leading Change|author=Nathan Laufer|date=February 2008|publisher=Jewish Lights Publishing|isbn=978-1-58023-352-1|pages=69–}}</ref>

''[[Genesis Rabbah]]'', and particularly the midrashic ''book of Jasher'', expand on this by describing Judah's plea{{clarify|date=August 2014}} as much more extensive than given in the Torah, and more vehement.<ref>''Sefer haYashar'' (midrashic), ''Vayiggash''</ref><ref>''Genesis Rabbah'' 93:7</ref>

The classical rabbinical literature argues that Judah reacted violently to the threat against Benjamin, shouting so loudly that [[Hushim]], who was then in Canaan, was able to hear Judah ask him to travel to [[Egypt]], to help Judah destroy it;<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia"/> some sources have Judah angrily picking up an extremely heavy stone (400 shekels in weight), throwing it into the air, then grinding it to dust with his feet once it had landed.<ref>''Sefer haYashar''</ref> These rabbinical sources argue that Judah had [[Naphtali]] enumerate the [[Nome (Egypt)|districts of Egypt]], and after finding out that there were 12 (historically, there were actually 20 in [[Lower Egypt]] and 22 in [[Upper Egypt]]), he decided to destroy three himself and have his brothers destroy one of the remaining districts each;<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia"/> the threat of destroying Egypt was, according to these sources, what really motivated Joseph to reveal himself to his brothers.<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia"/>

=== Testament of Judah ===
{{main|Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs}}
Before his death, Judah told his children about his bravery and heroism in the wars against the kings of [[Canaan]] and the family of Esau, also confessed his shortcomings caused by [[wine]] that led him astray in his relationship with Bathshua and Tamar.<ref name="testament">[http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/patriarchs-charles.html The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, R. H. Charles]</ref> Judah admonished his sons not to love gold, and not to look upon the beauty of women, for through these things, the sons of Judah will fall into misery. In his last words, he reminded them to observe the whole law of the Lord.<ref name="testament"/>

===Dating the lifetime of Judah===
According to [[Classical rabbinical literature]], Judah was born on 15 [[Sivan]] (early June);<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia" /> classical sources differ on the date of death, with the [[Book of Jubilees]] advocating a death at age 119, 18 years before [[Levi]],<ref>Jubilees 28:15</ref> but the [[Sefer haYashar (midrash)|midrashic Book of Jasher]] advocating a death at the age of 129.<ref>''Sefer haYashar'' (midrashic), ''Shemot''</ref>

The marriage of Judah and births of his children are described in a passage widely regarded as an abrupt change to the surrounding narrative.<ref>{{Bibleverse||Genesis|38|}}</ref> The passage is often regarded as presenting a significant chronological issue, as the surrounding context appears to constrain the events of the passage to happening within 22 years,<ref>compare Genesis 37:2 (''...&nbsp;young man of 17 ...''){{Snd}} with Genesis 41:46 (''...&nbsp;was 30 years old ...''), 41:53 (''...&nbsp;7 years ...''), and 45:6 (''...&nbsp;for 2 years ...'')</ref> and the context together with the passage itself requires the birth of the grandson of Judah and of his son's wife,<ref>Genesis 46:12 ('' ... sons of Pharez ... '')</ref> and the birth of that son<ref>Genesis 38:3 (''...&nbsp;gave birth to Er ...'')</ref> to have happened within this time (to be consistent, this requires an average of less than 8 years gap per generation). According to textual scholars, the reason for the abrupt interruption this passage causes to the surrounding narrative, and the chronological anomaly it seems to present, is that it derives from the [[Jahwist]] source, while the immediately surrounding narrative is from the [[Elohist]].<ref name="Jewish Encyclopedia" /><ref>[[Thomas Kelly Cheyne|Cheyne]] and [[John Sutherland Black|Black]], ''[[Encyclopedia Biblica]]''</ref><ref>[[Richard Elliott Friedman]], ''Who wrote the Bible?''</ref>

== Family Tree ==
{{Family Tree of Judah and Tamar}}

== Tomb ==
[[File:PikiWiki Israel 3581 yehuda tomb in yehud.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|Tomb attributed to Judah in [[Yehud, Israel]]]]
Local Muslim and [[Samaritans|Samaritan]] traditions placed the tomb of Judah (''Nabi Huda ibn Sayyidna Ya'qub'', "the prophet Judah, son of our lord Jacob") at [[al-'Abbasiyya|al-Yahudiya]], present-day [[Yehud, Israel|Yehud]].<ref>Conder and Kitchener, 1882, SWP II, p. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp02conduoft#page/219/mode/1up 219]</ref><ref name="Benvenisti276">Benvenisti, 2001, p. [[iarchive:sacredlandscapeb00benvrich/page/n305|276]]</ref> Today, it is a destination of Jewish pilgrimage.<ref name="Benvenisti276" />

Another local tradition, held by [[Druze]] and Muslims, places the tomb of Judah in "Nabi Yehuda", a maqam located near [[Omrit|Horvat Omrit]] in the [[Hula Valley]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=אתר הסקר הארכיאולוגי של ישראל |url=https://survey.antiquities.org.il/#/MapSurvey/2177/site/24095 |access-date=2022-06-06 |website=survey.antiquities.org.il}}</ref><ref>עולם התנ"ך, ספר יהושע, מאת גרשון גליל ויאיר זקוביץ. "דברי הימים" הוצאה לאור בע"מ, 1999, עמ' 187</ref><ref>79‒80; Thomson 1859: 389</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Lion of Judah]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*[[Hugo Winckler|Winckler, Hugo]]; ''Geschichte Israels'' (Berlin, 1895)
*[[Eduard Meyer|Meyer, Eduard]]; ''Die Israeliten und ihre Nachbarstämme'' (Halle, 1906)
*[[Paul Haupt|Haupt, Paul]]; ''Studien ... Welthausen gewidmet'' (Giessen, 1914)
*[[Gary Rendsburg|Rendsburg, Gary]]; ''How the Bible is Written'' (Peabody, 2019)

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline|Judah son of Jacob}}

{{Sons of Jacob}}
{{Adam to David}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Founders of biblical tribes]]
[[Category:Children of Jacob]]
[[Category:Book of Genesis people]]
[[Category:Tribe of Judah]]
[[Category:Book of Jubilees]]