The word itself is the name of Jacob’s fourth son. His descendants became known as the tribe of Judah. After the division of the kingdom in the days of Rehoboam, the southern portion of the old kingdom was known as Judah.
This is the kingdom for which Jerusalem served as capital. With Jerusalem’s fall in 587 BC, Judah
went into exile. Those who returned picked up that old name in relation to themselves. In the present passage, then, the term refers simply to those who formed the restored people of Israel. The reference is to more than the people presently living in Jerusalem; it includes also the Judeans of the towns and villages in the hinterland. See further on Nehemiah 2:5.
10 In Judah it was said, “The strength of those who bear the burdens is failing. There is too much rubble. By ourselves we will not be able to rebuild the wall.”