Ζαρά G2196
Zerah, a personal name meaning 'rising' or 'dawning'; an ancestor of Jesus
Zerah was one of the twin sons born to Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38:30), included in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus (1:3). His birth was unusual—his hand emerged first, marked with a scarlet thread by the midwife, but then he withdrew and his twin Perez was born first. Despite being Judah's son, Zerah's line didn't continue in the messianic genealogy; Perez became David and Jesus' ancestor, while Zerah's mention shows Matthew's concern for complete genealogical accuracy.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Matthew's genealogy (1:3) includes Zerah alongside his twin Perez—unusual since genealogies typically list only the direct line. This inclusion highlights the scandalous Tamar episode while showing that God's sovereign choice determined the messianic line through Perez, not Zerah, despite the latter's brief birth-order advantage. The name meaning 'rising' or 'dawning' proved ironic—Zerah rose first but Perez preceded him, just as God's choices often overturn human expectations. 1×
AR["زَارَحَ"]·ben["সেরহ"]·DE["Serach"]·EN["Zara"]·FR["Zara"]·heb["זֶרַח"]·HI["जेरह-को"]·ID["Zerah"]·IT["zara"]·jav["Zérah"]·KO["세라-를"]·PT["Zerá"]·RU["Зару"]·ES["Zará"]·SW["Zará"]·TR["Zerah'ın"]·urd["زارح"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
Ζαρά, ὁ indecl. (Heb. זֶרַח, Gen.38:30), Zerah, an ancestor of Jesus: Mat.1:3.† (From Abbott-Smith. LSJ has no entry)