Judahite

Judahite is a historical demonym used to denote a person from the ancient Kingdom of Judah or a member of the Tribe of Judah. After the division of the Israelite monarchy, around the 10th century BCE, Judahites formed the population of the southern kingdom, with political and religious life centered in Jerusalem and the Temple. In biblical literature, the term is used to distinguish inhabitants of Judah from the northern Israelites and, in later periods, from the broader sense of Jewish identity.

The term is primarily encountered in English translations of the Hebrew Bible and in scholarly works. In Hebrew, related terms derive from Yehuda (Judah) and are connected to Yehudi, meaning Jew; Greek translations use Ioudaios. Over time, as the post-exilic community developed, the identity of Judahites contributed to the emergence of the broader Jewish identity. In modern usage, Judahite is mainly of historical or philological interest, with more common labels being Judean, Jew, or Jewish person, depending on context.

Notable figures and political entities associated with Judah include the rulers of the southern kingdom—such as Rehoboam, Hezekiah, and Josiah—and prophets who operated within Judah. The term helps distinguish southern kingdom material from that of the northern Israelite territories in studies of biblical history and ancient Near Eastern chronology.