Person Old Testament
Zerah
Also known as Zerahite =ESV, NIV; Zarhites =KJV, Zohar
Zerah (or Zohar), a son of Simeon, was the ancestor of the Zerahite clan. Mentioned in 4 verses across 4 books, first at Genesis 46:10.
Why it matters. Son of Simeon; ancestor of the Zerahites
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Zerah
Zerah, also known as Zohar, was one of the sons of Simeon, the second son of Israel (or 'Jacob') and Leah. He is mentioned in the genealogies of Simeon in Gen.46.10, Exo.6.15, Num.26.13, and 1Ch.4.24. Zerah's descendants formed the Zerahite clan within the tribe of Simeon. In the census taken in the wilderness of Sinai (Num.26.20), the Zerahites were counted among the clans of Simeon. The Zerahites are also mentioned in the story of Achan (Jos.7.17), who was from the tribe of Judah but was identified as a descendant of Zerah. In 1Ch.27.11,13, Sibbecai, one of David's military commanders, is described as a Zerahite. The repeated mention of Zerah and his descendants in various contexts highlights the importance of family lineage and clan identity within the tribes of Israel.
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.
- Parents
- Simeon
Appears in Scripture
Named in 4 verses across 4 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.