Perez
Perez was the son of Judah and Tamar, born after Tamar secured her rights through a bold act of justice. Though conceived in scandal, Perez became a central link in the messianic line: he is named in the blessing over Ruth and Boaz, and both David and Jesus descend from him. His unexpected birth - the younger twin who 'broke forth' ahead of his brother Zerah - illustrates God's pattern of choosing the unlikely.
Biography
- Tribe
- Judah
- Father
- Judah
- Mother
- Tamar
- Children
- Hezron, Hamul
- Era
- Patriarchs
Family
Did You Know?
Perez was born of Judah and Tamar in one of Scripture's most scandalous episodes, yet he is honored in the blessing on Boaz - 'let thy house be like the house of Perez' (Ruth 4:12) - and stands in the direct line to David and Jesus.
His name means 'breach' or 'bursting out,' given because he unexpectedly emerged ahead of his twin Zerah at birth (Genesis 38:29), a reversal of the firstborn order that recurs throughout the messianic line.
Both Matthew and Luke include Perez in the genealogy of Jesus, so a child conceived through Tamar's desperate stratagem became an indispensable ancestor of the Messiah.
Key Chapters
Key Passages
The Birth of Perez
Genesis 38:27-30
Perez unexpectedly emerges first at birth, a reversal that marks him as the chosen line through whom the Messiah would come.
27nd it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb.
Perez in the Line of David
Ruth 4:18-22
The genealogy from Perez to David establishes him as a founding father of the royal, messianic line.
18ow these are the generations of Pharez: Pharez begat Hezron,