JUDAH, TERRITORY OF (יְהוּדָ֑ה; LXX Ιουδα). The land given the tribe of Judah in connection with the Conquest, described in Joshua 15:1-63. The grant extended to the Mediterranean Sea, but that portion actually was never occupied.

The hill country of Judah is characterized by a semi-dissected plateau, trending N-S, primarily a pastoral land, but supporting some agriculture on its small fields and terraced hillsides. Its natural boundaries provided defenses on three sides, only the N being militarily vulnerable. In the W the hills rise abruptly from the Shephelah, traversed by a series of steep valleys leading upward to the central high land. The desert of the Negev lay across the S, and on the E was the formidable wilderness of Judea, with its rugged terrain rising sharply from the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley.

The Biblical writers give a detailed treatment of the settlements within this territory. Of special importance were the frontiers, with their towns (Josh 15:1-12). This is followed by a listing of the places in the Negev (21-32), the lowlands (33-47), the hill country (48-60), and the wilderness (61-62). The adjacent portions of Benjamin (Josh 18:11-28), and Dan (19:40-48), also played a large part in the continuing history of Judah. The rugged barrenness of this environment greatly influenced the life and lit. of its inhabitants.