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יְהוּדָה

𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤃𐤄

Yehudah

H3063 noun

SILEX Entry

Root ידה to thank, to praise, to confess

Definition

A personal name meaning 'Yehudah' or 'Judah'; used for (1) a son of Jacob/Israel and Leah, (2) the tribe formed by his descendants, (3) the territory allocated to that tribe, and (4) later geographic and political entities associated with that region. In early sources, it refers primarily to the individual and his descendants as a group (the Judahites); in monarchic and post-monarchic texts, it increasingly refers to the southern Israelite kingdom (the Kingdom of Judah) and then to the inhabitants of that territory (Judahites). The name itself may carry the idea of 'thanksgiving' or 'praise.'

Semantic Range

personal name (Judah/Yehudah), tribal designation (the tribe of Judah), geographic/territorial term (the territory or kingdom of Judah), collective identity (Judahites/Judeans), sometimes post-exilic provincial name (Yehud/Judea)

Root / Etymology

From the root ידה (y-d-h), meaning 'to thank, to praise,' likely with an assimilated divine element (–yah/-yahû) as a theophoric suffix. Thus, Yehudah probably means 'Yah(weh) is praised' or 'He is praised' (etymology from the root ידה plus a theophoric element, though occasionally interpreted as 'thankful').

Historical & Contextual Notes

יְהוּדָה is first attested as the name of one of Jacob/Israel's sons (Genesis 29:35), from which the tribe and territory draw their name. In the period of the united monarchy (Saul, David, Solomon), Yehudah referred specifically to the tribe allotted territory in the south. After the split of the monarchy, it designated the southern kingdom (the Kingdom of Judah), distinct from the northern Kingdom of Israel. In later biblical literature (second Temple and beyond), the term is used for the region of Yehud (Judea) and its inhabitants (Judeans). English translations sometimes anachronistically use 'Jew' for earlier periods; in the context of the Hebrew Bible, this term is best reserved for post-exilic or much later periods. The personal name is used for several individuals in the biblical text, in addition to the progenitor of the tribe. Related terms: יְהוּדִי (Yehudi, Judaean/Judean; later, Jew), יְהוּדָה as the place/kingdom. Contrasted with ישראל (Israel, i.e., northern kingdom and the wider confederation of tribes). The nuance of the term shifts from individual to collective to territorial across the biblical periods.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from יָדָה; celebrated; Jehudah (or Judah), the name of five Israelites; also of the tribe descended from the first, and of its territory; Judah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

ידה (y-d-h) — to thank, to praise, to confess

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1184 בַּעֲלֵי יְהוּדָה Yah is praised
H1937 הוֹדְוָה to Praise-of-Yah
H3029 יְדָא the one giving thanks
H3034 יָדָה I will acknowledge him
H3035 יִדּוֹ Thanking-One

Word Forms

8 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H3063-08 יְהוּדָ֑ה yehudah HNp Judah Yah Is Praised 682
H3063-07 וִֽ/יהוּדָ֔ה vihudah HC/Np and Judah And Yehudah 47
H3063-01 בִּ/יהוּדָ֥ה bihudah HR/Np in Judah in Yehudah (Praise-of-Yah) 39
H3063-02 לִֽ/יהוּדָ֤ה lihudah HR/Np to Judah to Yah-is-praised 32
H3063-03 מִֽ/יהוּדָ֔ה mihudah HR/Np from Judah from Yah-is-praised 11
H3063-05 וּ/בִ֣/יהוּדָ֔ה uvihudah HC/R/Np and in Judah and in Yehudah 5
H3063-04 וּ/מִ֣/יהוּדָ֔ה umihudah HC/R/Np and from Judah and from Praise‑Yah 2
H3063-06 וְ/לִ/יהוּדָ֖ה velihudah HC/R/Np and to Judah and to Yehudah 1

Occurrences in Scripture

819 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H3063-08 Genesis 29:35 יְהוּדָ֑ה yehudah HNp Judah Yah Is Praised
H3063-07 Genesis 35:23 וִֽ/יהוּדָ֔ה vihudah HC/Np and Judah And Yehudah
H3063-08 Genesis 37:26 יְהוּדָ֖ה yehudah HNp Judah Yah Is Praised
H3063-08 Genesis 38:1 יְהוּדָ֖ה yehudah HNp Judah Yah Is Praised
H3063-08 Genesis 38:2 יְהוּדָ֛ה yehudah HNp Judah Yah Is Praised
H3063-08 Genesis 38:6 יְהוּדָ֛ה yehudah HNp Judah Yah Is Praised
H3063-08 Genesis 38:7 יְהוּדָ֔ה yehudah HNp Judah's Yah Is Praised
H3063-08 Genesis 38:8 יְהוּדָה֙ yehudah HNp Judah Yah Is Praised
H3063-08 Genesis 38:11 יְהוּדָה֩ yehudah HNp Judah Yah Is Praised
H3063-08 Genesis 38:12 יְהוּדָ֑ה yehudah HNp of Judah Yah Is Praised
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