Biblical Hebrew Forum

["George Athas" <gathas AT hotkey.net.au>]

  So, could the search for the land of Judah as a polity be a red herring? 
  Could it be that we have the references there already, where Jerusalem 
  is mentioned?
Sorry for coming in late on this one. I believe the Tel Dan inscription does 
just this. The word BYTDWD, which has been usually understood as a reference 
to the Davidic dynasty, on closer examination turns out to be a reference to 
Jerusalem: "Bayt-Dawid" (Aramaic version of Hebrew "Ir-Dawid", City of David).

Best regards,

GEORGE ATHAS
Lecturer in Biblical Languages
Southern Cross College
Sydney, Australia