Zerah (Son of Judah)

Biblical Record

Birth. Zerah was one of twins born to Judah, the son of Jacob, and Tamar, Judah's daughter-in-law. The account of his birth appears in Genesis 38:27–30. During the delivery, one child put out his hand first, and the midwife tied a scarlet thread on it, saying, "This came out first" (Genesis 38:28). The child then drew back his hand, and his brother came out first; this child was named Perez ("breach"). The child with the scarlet thread came out afterward and was named Zerah. The text explains the meaning of Perez's name but not of Zerah's. Scholars generally associate the name with a Hebrew word meaning "to rise" or "to dawn" (as of the sun or light).

Later references. Zerah is listed among the sons of Judah when Jacob's household went down to Egypt (Genesis 46:12). Nothing further is recorded about his life. From that point on, Scripture speaks chiefly of his descendants.

• The Zerahites: Numbers 26:20 records his descendants as the Zerahites (KJV "the family of the Zarhites"), a family within the tribe of Judah.
• Sons: 1 Chronicles 2:6 lists five sons: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara.
• Achan: Achan, who took of the devoted things at Jericho, was a descendant of Zerah (Joshua 7:1, 7:17–18; 22:20).
• After the return from exile: Descendants of Zerah also appear among those who lived in Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 9:6; Nehemiah 11:24).

Significance in Scripture

Within the genealogy of the tribe of Judah, one of the twelve tribes of Israel, the line of Zerah runs alongside the line of Perez. The royal house of David descended from the line of Perez.

In the New Testament, the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:3 records, "And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar." Although the genealogy continues through Perez, the name of his twin brother Zerah is recorded as well.

Interpretation and Issues

Interpreting the birth scene. The scene in which the child who first put out his hand is born second is often read alongside the recurring pattern in Genesis, seen in Esau and Jacob, of the younger brother taking precedence over the elder. The episode is also sometimes interpreted in connection with the question of the birthright. Allegorical interpretations treating the twins as symbols of two peoples are reported to date from the patristic period. Some sermons connect Zerah's scarlet thread with the scarlet cord of Rahab, but this is a matter of interpretation rather than something the text states directly.

The identity of Ethan and Heman. Opinions differ as to whether "Ethan the Ezrahite," together with Heman, Chalcol, and Darda, mentioned in 1 Kings 4:31, should be identified with the sons of Zerah in 1 Chronicles 2:6. Some scholars regard "Ezrahite" as a variant form of "Zerahite" and take them to be the same individuals. Others consider them different persons, for example distinguishing them from Heman and Ethan, the Levitical worship leaders named in the superscriptions of Psalms 88 and 89.

Others with the same name. Several individuals in Scripture bear the name Zerah and should be distinguished from him:

• Zerah, the grandson of Esau (Genesis 36:13)
• Zerah, the son of Simeon (Numbers 26:13)
• Zerah the Cushite (KJV "Ethiopian") (2 Chronicles 14:9)