Limitless Word

Genesis 38:30

WEBKJVBSBESVNKJVNASBNLT
Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand; and he was named Zerah.
Genesis 38:30 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Afterward his brother came out, that had the scarlet thread on his hand, and his name was called Zerah.
  • KJV And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.
  • BSB Then his brother came out with the scarlet thread around his wrist, and he was named Zerah.
  • NKJV Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zerah.
  • NLT Then the baby with the scarlet string on his wrist was born, and he was named Zerah.

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

The twin with the scarlet thread, Zerah, is born afterward.

Overview

Zerah, marked as seemingly first, is in fact born second, completing the reversal. The episode closes Judah's account with God's sovereign reordering of human expectation. Through Perez, not the marked Zerah, the promised line advances toward Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • 1 Chr 9:6Of the sons of Zerah: Jeuel and their brothers, six hundred ninety.
  • 1 Chr 2:4Tamar his daughter-in-law bore him Perez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.
  • Matt 1:3Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron. Hezron became the father of Ram.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)
TWINSZARAH

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Genesis videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Genesis 38:30YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on GenesisMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.

How Genesis 38:30 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.

And afterwardאַחַרcame outיָצָאhis brotherאָחthat had the scarlet threadשָׁנִיupon his handיָדand his nameשֵׁםwas calledקָרָאZarahזֶרַח
← Genesis 38:29Whole chapter