
The Twelve Tribes · IV of XII
יהודה
Judah
The royal tribe, and the first to march. The house of David descends from Judah, and the lion stands for it still.
- Mother
- Leah
- Born
- The fourth son of Jacob
- Stone
- נֹפֶךְ · turquoise
- Banner
- Like the sky
- Emblem
- A lion Genesis 49:9
- In the camp
- The east, at its head
She conceived again and bore a son, and said: This time I will thank [odeh] the Lord
Therefore, she called his name Judah. And she ceased bearing.
וַתַּהַר עוֹד וַתֵּלֶד בֵּן וַתֹּאמֶר הַפַּעַם אוֹדֶה אֶת־יְהֹוָה עַל־כֵּן קָרְאָה שְׁמוֹ יְהוּדָה וַתַּעֲמֹד מִלֶּדֶת׃
Judah, you, your brothers shall acknowledge you your hand shall be at the neck of your enemies, your father’s sons shall prostrate themselves to you,
Judah is a lion cub; from prey, my son, you rose up. He crouched, lay like a lion; and like a great cat, who shall rouse him?
the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff, from between his feet, until Shilo, arrives. To him, nations shall assemble.
He shall bind his foal to the vine and to the branch of the vine his jenny’s foal. He launders his garments in wine. And in the blood of grapes, his clothes.
Red-eyed from wine, and white-toothed from milk.
יְהוּדָה אַתָּה יוֹדוּךָ אַחֶיךָ יָדְךָ בְּעֹרֶף אֹיְבֶיךָ יִשְׁתַּחֲווּ לְךָ בְּנֵי אָבִיךָ׃
גּוּר אַרְיֵה יְהוּדָה מִטֶּרֶף בְּנִי עָלִיתָ כָּרַע רָבַץ כְּאַרְיֵה וּכְלָבִיא מִי יְקִימֶנּוּ׃
לֹא־יָסוּר שֵׁבֶט מִיהוּדָה וּמְחֹקֵק מִבֵּין רַגְלָיו עַד כִּי־יָבֹא שִׁילֹה וְלוֹ יִקְּהַת עַמִּים׃
אֹסְרִי לַגֶּפֶן עִירֹה וְלַשֹּׂרֵקָה בְּנִי אֲתֹנוֹ כִּבֵּס בַּיַּיִן לְבֻשׁוֹ וּבְדַם־עֲנָבִים סוּתֹה׃
חַכְלִילִי עֵינַיִם מִיָּיִן וּלְבֶן־שִׁנַּיִם מֵחָלָב׃
And this for Judah, and he, said: Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah, and to his people bring him; his hands are mighty for him, and You will be a helper against his adversaries.
וְזֹאת לִיהוּדָה וַיֹּאמַר שְׁמַע יְהֹוָה קוֹל יְהוּדָה וְאֶל־עַמּוֹ תְּבִיאֶנּוּ יָדָיו רָב לוֹ וְעֵזֶר מִצָּרָיו תִּהְיֶה׃
The English is the Steinsaltz Tanakh, the words of the verse only; the Hebrew is the Masoretic text. The banner, the stone and the emblem follow Bamidbar Rabbah 2:7.