Person Old and New Testament
Perez
Also known as Perez =ESV, NIV, KJV; Pharez =KJV, Perezite =ESV, NIV; Pharzites =KJV, NIV; Phares =KJV
Perez, son of Judah and Tamar, was an ancestor of King David and Jesus Christ. Mentioned in 15 verses across 7 books, first at Genesis 38:29.
Why it matters. Son of Judah, ancestor of David and Jesus
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Perez
Perez was the son of Judah and Tamar, born in unusual circumstances described in Genesis 38. He was the twin brother of Zerah and was named Perez (meaning "breach" or "breaking forth") because he broke out first during the delivery (Gen.38.29). Perez became the ancestor of a prominent clan within the tribe of Judah (Num.26.20-21). He is mentioned in the genealogy of King David (Rut.4.12,18; 1Ch.2.4-5) and is an ancestor of several notable figures, including Hezron, Caleb, and Nahshon (1Ch.2.5,9,10). The descendants of Perez were among those who settled in Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile (Neh.11.4,6). Most significantly, Perez is listed in the genealogies of Jesus Christ in both Mat.1.3 and Luk.3.33, highlighting his important role in the lineage of the Messiah.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 15 verses across 7 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.