Judah

Judah was Jacob and Leah's fourth son, and though not the firstborn, he emerges as the de facto leader among his brothers, proposing they sell Joseph into slavery rather than kill him and later offering himself as a hostage in Benjamin's place to protect his father. His tribe became the dominant one in Israel's history, producing David's royal line and giving its name to the southern kingdom of Judah after the nation split, and Jacob's dying blessing over Judah promises that the scepter will not depart from his line until the coming of one to whom obedience belongs.