the fourth son of Jacob, one of whose descendants was to be the Messiah (Genesis 29:35; 49:8–12)
2.
the tribe descended from him
3.
the tribal territory of his descendants which became the nucleus of David's kingdom and, after the kingdom had been divided into Israel and Judah, the southern kingdom of Judah, with Jerusalem as its centre
Douay spelling: Juda
Judah in American English
(ˈdʒudə)
noun
1.
a masculine name: dim. Jude; fem. Judith
2. Bible
a.
Jacob's fourth son, whose mother was Leah: Gen. 29:35
b.
the tribe descended from him, the strongest of the twelve tribes of Israel: Num. 1:26
3.
the kingdom in the S part of Palestine formed by the tribes of Judah and Benjamin after they broke with the other ten tribes: 1 Kings 11:31; 12: 17-21