Judea means “land of the Jews.” The territory of Judea, formerly called Judah, began to be referred to as “Judea” only after the Babylonian captivity. Most of the Jews who returned from exile were from the tribe of Judah. Since the territory of Judah was nearly all that remained of the northern and southern kingdoms at the time of the exile, the returning captives were called “Judeans,” and their homeland became known as Judea.