Who
The twin brother of Perez, born to Judah and Tamar. At the birth one child “put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand” (Genesis 38:28); but the hand was drawn back and Perez broke out first. “Afterward his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah” (Genesis 38:30). Matthew names both twins (1:3), though the line runs through Perez. The Zerahites were a clan of Judah; Achan, who took the devoted things at Jericho, was of them (Joshua 7:1). The Fathers read the twins as two peoples, the scarlet-marked firstcomer yielding to the one who broke through first.
Key verses
- Genesis 38:28
When she travailed, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This came out first.”
- Genesis 38:30
Afterward his brother came out, who had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.
- Matthew 1:3
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron. Hezron became the father of Ram.
Where the Bible names him
Family
Discussed by
Comments on the verses that name him (8 of 31).
- Jerome on Mark 14:1–2Catena Aurea on Mark
Let us now sprinkle our book, and our thresholds, with blood, and put the scarlet thread around the house of our prayers, and bind scarlet on our hand, as was done to Zarah [Gen 38:30], that we may be able to say…
- Glossa Ordinaria on Matthew 1:3–6Catena Aurea on Matthew
Passing over the other sons of Jacob, the Evangelist follows the family of Judah, saying, “But Judah begat Phares and Zara of Thamar.”
- Augustine of Hippo on Matthew 1:3–6Catena Aurea on Matthew
Neither was Judah himself first-born, nor of these two sons was either his first-born; he had already had three before them. So that he keeps in that line of descent, by which he shall arrive at David, and from him…
- Jerome on Matthew 1:3–6Catena Aurea on Matthew
It should be noted, that none of the holy women are taken into the Saviour’s genealogy, but rather such as Scripture has condemned, that He who came for sinners being born of sinners might so put away the sins of…
- Ambrose of Milan on Matthew 1:3–6Catena Aurea on Matthew
But Luke has avoided the mention of these, that he might set forth the series of the priestly race immaculate. But the plan of St. Matthew did not exclude the righteousness of natural reason; for when he wrote in his…
- John Chrysostom on Matthew 1:3–6Catena Aurea on Matthew
Besides this, it shews that all are equally liable to sin; for here is Thamar accusing Judah of incest, and David begat Solomon with a woman with whom he had committed adultery. But if the Law was not fulfilled by…
- Ambrose of Milan on Matthew 1:3–6 (2)Catena Aurea on Matthew
Observe that Matthew does not name both without a meaning; for though the object of his writing only required the mention of Phares, yet in the twins a mystery is signified; namely, the double life of the nations,…
- Pseudo-Chrysostom on Matthew 1:3–6Catena Aurea on Matthew
By Zarah is denoted the people of the Jews, which first appeared in the light of faith, coming out of the dark womb of the world, and was therefore marked with the scarlet thread of the circumciser, for all supposed…