And Tamar his daughter in law bore him Pharez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.
Parallel translations
- WEB Tamar his daughter-in-law bore him Perez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.
- BSB Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, bore to him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.
- 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 1:3And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;
- Gen 38:13–30And it was told Tamar, saying, Behold thy father in law goeth up to Timnath to shear his sheep.
- Ruth 4:18Now these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,
- Num 26:13Of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites: of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites.
- Ruth 4:12And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman.
- Luke 3:33Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda,
- Num 26:20–21And the sons of Judah after their families were; of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites: of Pharez, the family of the Pharzites: of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites.
- 1 Chr 9:4Uthai the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, of the children of Pharez the son of Judah.
- Neh 11:24And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabeel, of the children of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king’s hand in all matters concerning the people.
- Gen 38:11Then said Judah to Tamar his daughter in law, Remain a widow at thy father’s house, till Shelah my son be grown: for he said, Lest peradventure he die also, as his brethren did. And Tamar went and dwelt in her father’s house.
- 1 Chr 9:6And of the sons of Zerah; Jeuel, and their brethren, six hundred and ninety.
- Neh 11:4And at Jerusalem dwelt certain of the children of Judah, and of the children of Benjamin. Of the children of Judah; Athaiah the son of Uzziah, the son of Zechariah, the son of Amariah, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Mahalaleel, of the children of Perez;
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.