The kingdom maintained a separate existence for three hundred and
eighty-nine years. It occupied an area of 3,435 square miles. (See ISRAEL,
KINGDOM OF.)
- JUDAH, TRIBE OF Judah and his three surviving sons went down with
Jacob into Egypt (Genesis 46:12; Exodus 1:2). At the time of the Exodus,
when we meet with the family of Judah again, they have increased to the
number of 74,000 males (Numbers 1:26, 27). Its number increased in the
wilderness (26:22). Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, represented the tribe as
one of the spies (13:6; 34:19). This tribe marched at the van on the east of
the tabernacle (Numbers 2:3-9; 10:14), its standard, as is supposed, being a
lion’s whelp. Under Caleb, during the wars of conquest, they conquered
that portion of the country which was afterwards assigned to them as their
inheritance. This was the only case in which any tribe had its inheritance
thus determined (Joshua 14:6-15; 15:13-19).
The inheritance of the tribe of Judah was at first fully one-third of the
whole country west of Jordan, in all about 2,300 square miles (Joshua 15).
But there was a second distribution, when Simeon received an allotment,
about 1,000 square miles, out of the portion of Judah (Joshua 19:9). That
which remained to Judah was still very large in proportion to the
inheritance of the other tribes. The boundaries of the territory are
described in Joshua 15:20-63.
This territory given to Judah was divided into four sections. (1.) The south
(Hebrews negeb), the undulating pasture-ground between the hills and the
desert to the south (Joshua 15:21.) This extent of pasture-land became
famous as the favourite camping-ground of the old patriarchs. (2.) The
“valley” (15:33) or lowland (Hebrews shephelah), a broad strip lying
between the central highlands and the Mediterranean. This tract was the
garden as well as the granary of the tribe. (3.) The “hill-country,” or the
mountains of Judah, an elevated plateau stretching from below Hebron
northward to Jerusalem. “The towns and villages were generally perched
on the tops of hills or on rocky slopes. The resources of the soil were
great. The country was rich in corn, wine, oil, and fruit; and the daring
shepherds were able to lead their flocks far out over the neighbouring
plains and through the mountains.” The number of towns in this district
was thirty-eight (Joshua 15:48-60). (4.) The “wilderness,” the sunken
district next the Dead Sea (Joshua 15:61), “averaging 10 miles in breadth, a
wild, barren, uninhabitable region, fit only to afford scanty pasturage for