Judah

Judah was the son of Jacob whose tribe became the royal line of David — and of the Messiah, "the Lion of the tribe of Judah."

Overview

• Judah was the fourth son of Jacob (Israel), and the tribe descended from him became the leading, royal tribe of Israel.
• Jacob's blessing set kingship upon Judah — "a ruler shall not fail from Juda... until there come the things stored up for him; and he is the expectation of nations" (Genesis 49.10).
• From Judah came King David and the royal line, and at last the Messiah; Christ is called "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Revelation 5.5).

Summary

Judah, the fourth son of Jacob and Leah, gave his name to the tribe from which Israel's kings would come. The dying Jacob's prophecy set Judah apart for rule — "a ruler shall not fail from Juda, nor a prince from his loins, until there come the things stored up for him; and he is the expectation of nations" (Genesis 49.10) — words the tradition reads as pointing forward to the Messiah. The tribe's territory held Jerusalem and Bethlehem; from it sprang King David and his dynasty, and when the kingdom later split, the southern kingdom took Judah's name — the root of the word "Jew." The New Testament presents Jesus as the promised heir of this line, "the Lion who is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David" (Revelation 5.5), in whom Jacob's ancient blessing finds its fulfillment. Cross-link King David, Jacob, Messiah, Prophecies Fulfilled in Christ.

Sources

[^1]: Genesis 49.10 (Brenton) — Jacob's blessing on Judah: "a ruler shall not fail from Juda. and he is the expectation of nations.". [^2]: Revelation 5.5 (WEB) — Christ as "the Lion who is of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David.".