Judaea

Judah - (Easton's Bible Dictionary)

Praise, the fourth son of Jacob by Leah. The name originated in Leah's words of praise to the Lord on account of his birth: "Now will I praise [Heb. odeh] Jehovah, and she called his name Yehudah" (Gen. 29:35).

It was Judah that interposed in behalf of Joseph, so that his life was spared (Gen. 37:26, 27). He took a lead in the affairs of the family, and "prevailed above his brethren" (Gen. 43:3-10; 44:14, 16-34; 46:28; 1 Chr. 5:2).

Soon after the sale of Joseph to the Ishmaelites, Judah went to reside at Adullam, where he married a woman of Canaan. (See [325]ONAN; [326]TAMAR.) After the death of his wife Shuah, he returned to his father's house, and there exercised much influence over the patriarch, taking a principal part in the events which led to the whole family at length going down into Egypt. We hear nothing more of him till he received his father's blessing (Gen. 49:8-12).

Judea - (Easton's Bible Dictionary)

After the Captivity this name was applied to the whole of the country west of the Jordan (Hag. 1:1, 14; 2:2). But under the Romans, in the time of Christ, it denoted the southernmost of the three divisions of Palestine (Matt. 2:1, 5; 3:1; 4:25), although it was also sometimes used for Palestine generally (Acts 28:21).

The province of Judea, as distinguished from Galilee and Samaria, included the territories of the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Dan, Simeon, and part of Ephraim. Under the Romans it was a part of the province of Syria, and was governed by a procurator.

joo-de'-a, ju-de'-a (Ioudaia): The "land of the Jews," the Greco-Roman equivalent of Judah. As most of the Israelites returning from the captivity belonged to the tribe of Judah, they came to be called Jews and their land Judea. In Tobit 1:18 the name is applied to the old kingdom of Judah. For a general description of the physical geography and early history of this region see JUDAH. The limits of this district varied greatly, extending as the Jewish population increased, but in many periods with very indefinite boundaries.

Under the Persian empire, Judea (or Judah) was a district administered by a governor who, like Zerubbabel (Hag 1:14; 2:2), was probably usually a Jew. Even as late as Judas Maccabeus, Hebron and its surroundings--the very heart of old Judah was under the domination of the Edomites, whom, however, Judas conquered (1 Macc 5:65); in the time of his brother Jonathan (145 BC), three tetrarchies of Samaria, Aphaerema, Lydda and Ramathaim, were added to Judea (1 Macc 10:30,38; 11:34); in some passages it is referred to at this time as the "land of Judah" (Iouda) (1 Macc 10:30,33,37). The land was then roughly limited by what may be called the "natural boundaries of Judah" (see JUDAH).

Strabo (xvi.11, 21) extends the name Judea to include practically all Palestine; as does Lu (4:44 m; 23:5; Ac 2:9; 10:37, etc.). In several New Testament references (Mt 4:25; Mr 1:5; 3:7; Lu 5:17; Joh 3:22; Ac 1:8), Judea is contrasted with its capital Jerusalem. The country bordering on the shores of the Dead Sea for some miles inland was known as the Wilderness of Judea (see JUDAH; JESHIMON) (Mt 3:1), or "the wilderness" (Mr 1:4; Lu 3:2); here John the Baptist appeared as a preacher. According to Mt 19:1 (but compare Mr 10:1, where the Revised Version (British and American) has "Judaea and beyond Jordan"), some cities beyond Jordan belonged to Judea. That this was an actual fact we know from Ptolemy (v.16,9) and Josephus (Ant., XII, iv, 11).

According to Josephus (BJ, III, iii, 5), Judea extended from Anuath-Borkaeos (i.e. Khan Berkit near Khan es Saweh, close to the most northerly frontier of Judah as described in JUDAH (which see)) to the village Jordan, possibly Tell `Arad, near Arabia in the South. Its breadth was from Joppa in the West to Jordan in the East. The seacoast also as far north as Ptolemais (`Akka), except Jamnia, Joppa and (according to the Talm) Caesarea, belonged to this province.

After the death of Herod the Great, Archelaus received Judea, Samaria and Idumea as his ethnarchy, but on his deposition Judea was absorbed into the Roman province of Syria, the procurator of which lived at Caesarea.

Of later history it is only necessary to notice that in the 5th century Judea became part of the land known as Palaestina Prima; that at the time of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem (12th century) all the hill country of Judah from Sinjil to Tekoa was the royal domain, while the southern section to Beersheba belonged to the Seigneur de Abraham (i.e. of Hebron); and lastly that a district, the rough equivalent of the kingdom of Judah, though larger, and of the Judea described by Josephus (BJ, III, iii, 5), though slightly smaller, forms today the Mutaserraflic of el Kuds, an administrative area where more than in any spot in the world the problem of the "land of the Jews" is today increasingly acute.

E. W. G. Masterman

joo-de'-a: In Ezr 5:8 for "Judah"; thus the Revised Version (British and American). In the New Testament the form is JUDAEA (which see).

See JUDAH, KINGDOM OF.

Definition

Judah was Jacob’s fourth son. He was Leah’s fourth son. His descendants became one of the tribes of Israel.

• The tribe descended from him was known as the “tribe of Judah” or “Judah.”
• His name sounds similar to the Hebrew word meaning “praise.”
• The tribe of Judah settled in the southern part of Canaan, including the mountainous area to the south of the city of Jerusalem. When used as the name of a region of land, the term “Judah” refers to the land given to the tribe of Judah.
• In the Old Testament, the name Judah is sometimes used to refer to the whole southern kingdom of Israel (similar to how the name Ephraim is sometimes used to refer to the whole northern kingdom).
• King David, King Solomon, and all the kings of the southern kingdom were descendants of Judah. Jesus, too, was a descendant of Judah.
• The words “Jew” and “Judea” come from the name “Judah.”

(Translation suggestions: How to Translate Names)

(See also: twelve tribes of Israel, Judah (kingdom), Jew, Judea, Jacob, Leah)

Bible References

• 1 Chronicles 2:1-2
• 1 Kings 1:9
• Genesis 29:35
• Genesis 38:2
• Luke 3:33
• Ruth 1:2

Word Data

• Strong’s: H3063

Definition

The tribe of Judah was the largest of the twelve tribes of Israel. The kingdom of Judah was made up of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

• After King Solomon died, the nation of Israel was divided into two kingdoms: Israel and Judah. The kingdom of Judah was the southern kingdom, located west of the Salt Sea.
• The capital city of the kingdom of Judah was Jerusalem.
• Eight kings of Judah obeyed Yahweh and led the people to worship him. The other kings of Judah were evil and led the people to worship idols.
• Over 120 years after Assyria defeated Israel (the northern kingdom), Judah was conquered by the nation of Babylon. The Babylonians destroyed the city and the temple, and took most of the people of Judah to Babylon as captives.

(See also: Judah, Salt Sea)

Bible References

• 1 Samuel 30:26-28
• 2 Samuel 12:8
• Hosea 5:14
• Jeremiah 7:33
• Judges 1:16-17

Examples from the Bible stories

• __18:7 Only two tribes remained faithful to him (Rehoboam). These two tribes became the kingdom of Judah__.
• __18:10 The kingdoms of Judah__ and Israel became enemies and often fought against each other.
• __18:13 The kings of Judah were descendants of David. Some of these kings were good men who ruled justly and worshiped God. But most of Judah’s__ kings were evil, corrupt, and they worshiped idols.
• __20:1 The kingdoms of Israel and Judah__ both sinned against God.
• __20:5 The people in the kingdom of Judah__ saw how God had punished the people of the kingdom of Israel for not believing and obeying him. But they still worshiped idols, including the gods of the Canaanites.
• __20:6 About 100 years after the Assyrians destroyed the kingdom of Israel, God sent Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Babylonians, to attack the kingdom of Judah__.
• __20:9 Nebuchadnezzar and his army took almost all of the people of the kingdom of Judah__ to Babylon, leaving only the poorest people behind to plant the fields.

Word Data

• Strong’s: H4438, H3063

Definition

The term “Judea” refers to an area of land in ancient Israel. It is sometimes used in a narrow sense and other times in a broad sense.

• Sometimes “Judea” is used in a narrow sense to refer only to the province located in the southern part of ancient Israel just west of the Dead Sea. Some translations call this province “Judah.”
• Other times “Judea” has a broad sense and refers to all the provinces of ancient Israel, including Galilee, Samaria, Perea, Idumea and Judea (Judah).
• If translators want to make the distinction clear, the broad sense of Judea could be translated as “Judea Country” and the narrow sense could be translated as “Judea Province,” or “Judah Province” since this is the part of ancient Israel where the tribe of Judah had originally lived.

(Translation suggestions: How to Translate Names)

(See also: Galilee, Edom, Judah, Judah, Samaria)

Bible References

• 1 Thessalonians 2:14
• Acts 2:9
• Acts 9:32
• Acts 12:19
• John 3:22-24
• Luke 1:5
• Luke 4:44
• Luke 5:17
• Mark 10:1-4
• Matthew 2:1
• Matthew 2:5
• Matthew 2:22-23
• Matthew 3:1-3
• Matthew 19:1

Word Data

• Strong’s: G24530