Sivan 15 – Birth of Judah – Today in the Bible

Sivan 15 – Birth of Judah

June 10, 2025

03 – Sivan, Deuteronomy, Egypt, Genesis, Jacob, Jasher, Judah

Sivan 15, 5785; from sunset June 10, 2025, to sunset June 11, 2025

(The fifteenth day of the third month)

This is the name “Yehudah” (Judah) as seen in the Aleppo Codex in Deuteronomy 33 – Moses’ blessing upon the tribes.

Judah is the fourth son of Jacob and Leah. Judah’s name means “Praised” or “Let Him Be Praised.”

Birth:

And she conceived again and bore a son, and said, “Now I will praise the LORD.” Therefore she called his name Judah. Then she stopped bearing. – Genesis 29:35 (NKJ)

Major Life Events:

When Judah’s brother Joseph was sent to check on the brothers at tending the flocks in Shechem, they saw him coming and planned to kill Joseph because they were jealous of him. Judah suggested selling him into slavery instead killing him. (Genesis 37:26-27) Joseph was then carted off to Egypt to be a slave; but the LORD found favor with him and after some time had passed, Joseph found himself second only to Pharaoh in the land of Egypt.

After Joseph was sold, Judah moved away from his brothers and married a Canaanite woman, the daughter of a man named Shua (Genesis 38:1-2). The Testament of Judah [1] tells us that her name was Bessous. She bore him three sons, Er, Onan, and Shelah. Judah found a wife for Er, her name was Tamar. Er was wicked in the sight of the Lord and he was killed, leaving Tamar childless. She was then married to Onan in order for him to produce a child in his brother’s name. But Onan refused to do this. He had intercourse with Tamar but wasted his seed on the ground. The Lord also found this to be wicked and Onan was killed as well. Now it was up to Shelah to carry on his brothers’ names; but he was too young, so Judah sent Tamar back to her father’s home until he grew up. After Shelah came of age; Judah refused to send for Tamar. We all know the rest of the story, Tamar tricked Judah into impregnating her. She bore him twins; Perez and Zerah. Perez became the ancestor of King David and took his place in the genealogy of Jesus. (Genesis 38)

While Joseph was in Egypt, a severe famine came over the “whole world.” Judah and the older boys made the trip to Egypt to buy grain, leaving Benjamin (their youngest brother) behind with their father. We know the story, Joseph had Simeon put in prison in order to get them to bring Benjamin before him. Judah worked hard to convince his father to let Benjamin come with them the second time they needed grain. Benjamin made the journey with the other boys and found himself accused of theft. Judah then offered to take Benjamin’s place. At this act of selflessness, Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers and welcomed the whole family to Egypt to wait out the famine. (Genesis 39-45)

Jacob’s Prophecy:

And Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, and listen to Israel your father.” – Genesis 49:1-2 (NKJ)

“Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall praise; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s children shall bow down before you. Judah is a lion’s whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to him shall be the obedience of the people. Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.” – Genesis 49:8-12 (NKJ)

Moses’ Blessing:

And this he said of Judah: “Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people; let his hands be sufficient for him, and may You be a help against his enemies.” – Deuteronomy 33:7 (NKJ)

Death:

And it came to pass at that time that Judah the son of Jacob died in Egypt, in the eighty-sixth year of Jacob’s going down to Egypt, and Judah was a hundred and twenty-nine years old at his death, and they embalmed him and put him into a coffin, and he was given into the hands of his children. – Jasher[2] 62:23

¹ Testament of Judah 8:2 – a pseudepigraphic book which, even though fragments were found among the Dead Sea Scrolls, did not take its final form until the second century AD.

² The Book of Jasher, which means “Book of the Upright” or the “Book of the Just Man” is an unknown book mentioned in the Hebrew Bible (Joshua 10:13 and 2 Samuel 1:18). The Book of Jasher in circulation today is not the same one mentioned in the Bible. It’s fun to read but don’t take it as gospel truth.

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