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). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
From the descendants of Judah: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name. Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Judah were 74,600.
"Now those who will be camping on the east, toward the sunrise, are the divisions of the camp of Judah under their standard. The leader of the people of Judah is Nahshon son of Amminadab. Those numbered in his division are 74,600. read more. Those who will be camping next to them are the tribe of Issachar. The leader of the people of Issachar is Nethanel son of Zuar. Those numbered in his division are 54,400. Next will be the tribe of Zebulun. The leader of the people of Zebulun is Eliab son of Helon. Those numbered in his division are 57,400. All those numbered of the camp of Judah, according to their divisions, are 186,400. They will travel at the front.
The standard of the camp of the Judahites set out first according to their companies, and over his company was Nahshon son of Amminadab.
These were the families of Judah according to those numbered of them, 76,500.
The men of Judah approached Joshua in Gilgal, and Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite said to him, "You know what the Lord said about you and me to Moses, the man of God, at Kadesh Barnea. I was forty years old when Moses, the Lord's servant, sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy on the land and I brought back to him an honest report. read more. My countrymen who accompanied me frightened the people, but I remained loyal to the Lord my God. That day Moses made this solemn promise: 'Surely the land on which you walked will belong to you and your descendants permanently, for you remained loyal to the Lord your God.' So now, look, the Lord has preserved my life, just as he promised, these past forty-five years since the Lord spoke these words to Moses, during which Israel traveled through the wilderness. Now look, I am today eighty-five years old. Today I am still as strong as when Moses sent me out. I can fight and go about my daily activities with the same energy I had then. Now, assign me this hill country which the Lord promised me at that time! No doubt you heard at that time that the Anakites live there in large, fortified cities. But, assuming the Lord is with me, I will conquer them, as the Lord promised." Joshua asked God to empower Caleb son of Jephunneh and assigned him Hebron. So Hebron remains the assigned land of Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this very day because he remained loyal to the Lord God of Israel. (Hebron used to be called Kiriath Arba. Arba was a famous Anakite.) Then the land was free of war.
Caleb son of Jephunneh was assigned Kiriath Arba (that is Hebron) within the tribe of Judah, according to the Lord's instructions to Joshua. (Arba was the father of Anak.) Caleb drove out from there three Anakites -- Sheshai, Ahiman, and Talmai, descendants of Anak. read more. From there he attacked the people of Debir. (Debir used to be called Kiriath Sepher.) Caleb said, "To the man who attacks and captures Kiriath Sepher I will give my daughter Acsah as a wife." When Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's brother, captured it, Caleb gave Acsah his daughter to him as a wife. One time Acsah came and charmed her father so that she could ask him for some land. When she got down from her donkey, Caleb said to her, "What would you like?" She answered, "Please give me a special present. Since you have given me land in the Negev, now give me springs of water. So he gave her both upper and lower springs. This is the land assigned to the tribe of Judah by its clans: These cities were located at the southern extremity of Judah's tribal land near the border of Edom: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur,
These cities were located at the southern extremity of Judah's tribal land near the border of Edom: Kabzeel, Eder, Jagur, Kinah, Dimonah, Adadah, read more. Kedesh, Hazor, Ithnan, Ziph, Telem, Bealoth, Hazor Hadattah, Kerioth Hezron (that is, Hazor), Amam, Shema, Moladah, Hazar Gaddah, Heshbon, Beth Pelet, Hazar Shual, Beer Sheba, Biziothiah, Baalah, Iim, Ezem, Eltolad, Kesil, Hormah, Ziklag, Madmannah, Sansannah, Lebaoth, Shilhim, Ain, and Rimmon -- a total of twenty-nine cities and their towns. These cities were in the lowlands: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah,
These cities were in the lowlands: Eshtaol, Zorah, Ashnah, Zanoah, En Gannim, Tappuah, Enam, read more. Jarmuth, Adullam, Socoh, Azekah, Shaaraim, Adithaim, and Gederah (or Gederothaim) -- a total of fourteen cities and their towns. Zenan, Hadashah, Migdal Gad, Dilean, Mizpah, Joktheel, Lachish, Bozkath, Eglon, Cabbon, Lahmas, Kitlish, Gederoth, Beth Dagon, Naamah, and Makkedah -- a total of sixteen cities and their towns. Libnah, Ether, Ashan, Iphtah, Ashnah, Nezib, Keilah, Aczib, and Mareshah -- a total of nine cities and their towns. Ekron and its surrounding towns and settlements; from Ekron westward, all those in the vicinity of Ashdod and their towns; Ashdod with its surrounding towns and settlements, and Gaza with its surrounding towns and settlements, as far as the Stream of Egypt and the border at the Mediterranean Sea. These cities were in the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh,
These cities were in the hill country: Shamir, Jattir, Socoh, Dannah, Kiriath Sannah (that is, Debir),
Anab, Eshtemoh, Anim, Goshen, Holon, and Giloh -- a total of eleven cities and their towns.
Goshen, Holon, and Giloh -- a total of eleven cities and their towns. Arab, Dumah, Eshan,
Janim, Beth Tappuah, Aphekah, Humtah, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior -- a total of nine cities and their towns.
Humtah, Kiriath Arba (that is, Hebron), and Zior -- a total of nine cities and their towns. Maon, Carmel, Ziph, Juttah,
Jezreel, Jokdeam, Zanoah, Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah -- a total of ten cities and their towns.
Kain, Gibeah, and Timnah -- a total of ten cities and their towns. Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor,
Halhul, Beth Zur, Gedor, Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon -- a total of six cities and their towns.
Maarath, Beth Anoth, and Eltekon -- a total of six cities and their towns. Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah -- a total of two cities and their towns.
Kiriath Baal (that is, Kiriath Jearim) and Rabbah -- a total of two cities and their towns. These cities were in the desert: Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah,
These cities were in the desert: Beth Arabah, Middin, Secacah, Nibshan, the city of Salt, and En Gedi -- a total of six cities and their towns. read more. The men of Judah were unable to conquer the Jebusites living in Jerusalem. The Jebusites live with the people of Judah in Jerusalem to this very day.
Simeon's assigned land was taken from Judah's allotted portion, for Judah's territory was too large for them; so Simeon was assigned land within Judah.
They assigned from the tribes of Judah and Simeon the cities listed below. They were assigned to the Kohathite clans of the Levites who were descendants of Aaron, for the first lot belonged to them. read more. They assigned them Kiriath Arba (Arba was the father of Anak), that is, Hebron, in the hill country of Judah, along with its surrounding grazing areas. (Now the city's fields and surrounding towns they had assigned to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his property.) So to the descendants of Aaron the priest they assigned Hebron (a city of refuge for one who committed manslaughter), Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, Holon, Debir, Ain, Juttah, and Beth Shemesh, along with the grazing areas of each -- a total of nine cities taken from these two tribes. From the tribe of Benjamin they assigned Gibeon, Geba, Anathoth, and Almon, along with the grazing areas of each -- a total of four cities. The priests descended from Aaron received thirteen cities and their grazing areas.
Now the descendants of the Kenite, Moses' father-in-law, went up with the people of Judah from the City of Date Palm Trees to Arad in the desert of Judah, located in the Negev. They went and lived with the people of Judah.
David replied to Saul, "Your servant has been a shepherd for his father's flock. Whenever a lion or bear would come and carry off a sheep from the flock,
So David left there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. When his brothers and the rest of his father's family learned about it, they went down there to him.
So they left and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Now David and his men were in the desert of Maon, in the Arabah to the south of Jeshimon.
When Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, they told him, "Look, David is in the desert of En Gedi."
In those days John the Baptist came into the wilderness of Judea proclaiming,
He was in the wilderness forty days, enduring temptations from Satan. He was with wild animals, and angels were ministering to his needs.