Zerah

About Zerah

Zerah was the son of Judah and Tamar, and the twin brother of Perez. His birth is recorded in Genesis 38, where it is noted that he put out his hand first during delivery, and the midwife tied a scarlet thread on his wrist. However, his brother Perez was actually born first, breaking out before him.

Zerah's descendants are mentioned in various genealogies throughout the Old Testament. Most notably, Achan, the man who sinned by taking the devoted things during the conquest of Jericho, was from the tribe of Judah and the family of Zerah. The descendants of Zerah are also mentioned among those who lived in Jerusalem after the exile. In 1Chronicles 27, it is recorded that Shamhuth, from the clan of Zerah, was in charge of the fifth division of David's army.

His descendants the Izrahites or Ezrahites included very wise men (1Ki.4.31). Ethan is also credited with composing Psalm 89 (Psalm 1Ki.89.1). Another notable Ezrahite was Heman, who was a singer and musician in the time of David and is mentioned as the author of Psalm 88 (Psalm 1Ki.88.1; 1Ch.6.33).

Zerah is also included in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1, highlighting his significance 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.