Judahites

Judahites are the inhabitants associated with the tribe of Judah, one of the twelve tribes of ancient Israel. The name derives from Judah, a son of Jacob, and in biblical usage designates the people of the southern kingdom that bore his name. In later periods the term Judahites is often used interchangeably with Judeans and, in post-exilic times, with Jews.

Historically, Judahites formed the southern portion of the divided Israelite kingdom after the reign of Solomon. The southern kingdom, centered in Jerusalem, included the tribe of Judah and, at times, the tribe of Benjamin. It endured until 586 BCE, when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and deported many of its inhabitants. A remnant returned under Persian rule in the late 6th century BCE, and the community rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem, maintaining a distinct identity centered on the land, the person of the Davidic lineage, and adherence to Mosaic law. Under Hellenistic and later Roman rule, the region was known as Judea.

Culture and religion among Judahites emphasized worship at the Jerusalem Temple and observance of Mosaic commandments. Hebrew and Aramaic were the primary languages, and the community maintained religious and genealogical traditions that shaped later Jewish identity. The term Judahite is chiefly historical and scholarly today, describing an ancient ethnoreligious group whose descendants came to be known more broadly as Jews.