Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, bore to him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.
Parallel translations
- WEB Tamar his daughter-in-law bore him Perez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.
- KJV And Tamar his daughter in law bore him Pharez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.
- NKJV And Tamar, his daughter-in-law, bore him Perez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.
- NASB His daughter-in-law Tamar bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.
- NLT Later Judah had twin sons from Tamar, his widowed daughter-in-law. Their names were Perez and Zerah. So Judah had five sons in all.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Tamar bears Perez and Zerah to Judah, and the line of promise runs through Perez toward David and Christ.
Overview
This verse recalls the difficult story of Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38), yet from it comes Perez, an ancestor of David and of Jesus (Ruth 4:18-22; Matthew 1:3). The Chronicler includes this episode unflinchingly, showing that God weaves even scandalous and broken histories into His redemptive plan. Tamar is one of several women in Christ's genealogy whose stories magnify God's surprising grace.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Matt 1:3Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.
- Gen 38:13–30When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is going up to Timnah to shear his sheep,”
- Ruth 4:18Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron,
- Num 26:13the Zerahite clan from Zerah, and the Shaulite clan from Shaul.
- Ruth 4:12And may your house become like the house of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah, because of the offspring the LORD will give you by this young woman.”
- Luke 3:33the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
- Num 26:20–21These were the descendants of Judah by their clans: The Shelanite clan from Shelah, the Perezite clan from Perez, and the Zerahite clan from Zerah.
- 1 Chr 9:4Uthai son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, a descendant of Perez son of Judah.
- Neh 11:24Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, a descendant of Zerah son of Judah, was the king’s agent in every matter concerning the people.
- Gen 38:11Then Judah said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, “Live as a widow in your father’s house until my son Shelah grows up.” For he thought, “He may die too, like his brothers.” So Tamar went to live in her father’s house.
- 1 Chr 9:6From the Zerahites: Jeuel and 690 relatives.
- Neh 11:4while some of the descendants of Judah and Benjamin settled in Jerusalem.) From the descendants of Judah: Athaiah son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalalel, a descendant of Perez;
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Christ at the center
The genealogies and the everlasting covenant with David trace the single thread of promise running through the generations straight to the Christ in whom the line reaches its goal.
How 1 Chronicles 2:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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