Judah

The name of one of the sons of Jacob who gave his name to the tribe of Judah. After the split of the kingdoms, Judah became the name of the whole of the Southern Kingdom, which was ruled by David's descendants. Many of the inhabitants of Judah were taken into exile by the Babylonians around 597-586 BC but were allowed to return to the land in 538 BC. Judah (or Yehudah) is the Hebrew form of the name; Judea its Greek and Roman adaptation.