Son of Judah and Tamar; twin brother of Perez
Zerah
ZEE-rah
Twin son of Judah and Tamar whose hand emerged first at birth and was marked with a scarlet thread by the midwife, though his brother Perez was ultimately born first; ancestor of a major clan of Judah.
Life and work
Zerah was born to Judah and Tamar as the twin of Perez. During labor, his hand appeared first and the midwife bound a scarlet thread on it to mark him as the firstborn, but he drew the hand back and his brother was delivered ahead of him; he was named Zerah upon his birth (Genesis 38:27-30). Beyond this account, no further deeds of Zerah are recorded in Scripture. His descendants formed the clan of the Zerahites, one of the major families of the tribe of Judah counted in the wilderness census (Numbers 26:20), and a descendant named Achan later brought trouble on Israel at Jericho by violating the ban on plunder (Joshua 7:1,17-18). This Zerah, son of Judah, is a different person from the unrelated military commander 'Zerah the Cushite' (or 'the Ethiopian') who invaded Judah in the reign of King Asa (2 Chronicles 14:9-13); the two share only a name.
Extra-biblical evidence
No extra-biblical source attests to Zerah individually; he is known only from the Genesis narrative and the tribal genealogies built on it.
Scripture references
- Genesis 38:27-30 — Birth account; marked with a scarlet thread
- Numbers 26:20 — Zerahite clan counted in the wilderness census
- Joshua 7:1 — Achan, a descendant, identified as a Zerahite
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