Ju·dah 1 (jo?o?d?) In the Bible, a son of Jacob and Leah and the forebear of one of the tribes of Israel.[Hebrew y?hûdâ.]Ju·dah 2 (jo?o?d?) An ancient kingdom of southern Palestine between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It lasted from the division of Palestine around 930 bc until the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 bc.[Hebrew y?hûdâ.]American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.Judah (?d?u?d?) n1. (Bible) the fourth son of Jacob, one of whose descendants was to be the Messiah (Genesis 29:35; 49:8?12)2. (Bible) the tribe descended from him3. (Bible) 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: JudaCollins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014Ju?dah (?d?u d?) n. 1. the fourth son of Jacob and Leah. Gen. 29:35. 2. one of the 12 tribes of Israel, traditionally descended from him. 3. the Biblical kingdom of the Hebrews in S Palestine, including the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. Compare Israel (def. 4). Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.