According to the Hebrew Bible, the tribe of Judah was one of the twelve Tribes of Israel, named after Judah, the son of Jacob. Judah was the first tribe to take its place in the Land of Israel, occupying the southern part of the territory. Jesse and his sons, including King David, belonged to this tribe.
The Valley of Elah, near Adullam, in the territorial boundary of Judah
The lion is the symbol of the tribe of Judah. It is often represented in Jewish art, such as this sculpture outside a synagogue
The Twelve Tribes of Israel are, according to Hebrew scriptures, the descendants of the biblical patriarch Jacob, who collectively form the Israelite nation. The tribes were through his twelve sons through his wives, Leah and Rachel, and his concubines, Bilhah and Zilpah. In modern scholarship, there is skepticism as to whether there ever were twelve Israelite tribes, with the use of the number 12 thought more likely to signify a symbolic tradition as part of a national founding myth, although some scholars disagree with this view.
Mosaic depicting the twelve tribes and their Hebrew names, with symbolic images. Asher: a tree Dan: Scales of justice Judah: Kinnor, cithara and crown, symbolising King David Reuben: Mandrake (Genesis 30:14) Joseph: Palm tree and sheaves of wheat, symbolizing his time in Egypt Naphtali: gazelle (Genesis 49:21) Issachar: Sun, moon and stars (1 Chronicles 12:32) Simeon: towers and walls of the city of Shechem Benjamin: jug, ladle and fork Gad: tents, symbolizing their itinerancy as cattle-herders
Parentage of Jacob's twelve sons, per Genesis 35
The dying Jacob blesses his twelve sons (Adam van Noort)
The twelve tribes of Israel camped around the tabernacle. (Jan Luyken, 1673)
