Edeneum
A lion: a painted portrait for the tribe of Judah

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
His nameGenesis 29:35

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׃

The blessing of JacobGenesis 49:8-12

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׃

The blessing of MosesDeuteronomy 33:7

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.