Hebrew word · H2226

זֶ֫רַח

zerach

Zerah

'Rising, dawning, shining', from zarach, 'to rise' (of the sun) or 'to shine out'. As a name: the younger twin of Perez.

Appears 21 times in 21 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man of the tribe of Judah living at the time of Egypt and Wilderness, first mentioned at Gen.38.30;

son of: Judah (H3063) and Tamar (H8559);

brother of: Perez (H6557);

half-brother of: Er (H6147), Onan (H0209) and Shelah (H7956);

father of: Zabdi (H2067), Ethan (H0387H), Heman (H1968H), Calcol (H3633H) and Dara (H1873); also called Izrahite at 1Ch.27.8;

§ Zerah or Zarah = "rising"

1) a son of Reuel and grandson of Esau, one of the dukes of the Edomites

2) twin brother of Pharez, sons of Judah and Tamar; descendants are called Zarhites, Ezrahites, and Izrahites

3) son of Simeon; also called 'Zohar'

4) a Gershonite Levite, son of Iddo of Adaiah

5) the Ethiopian or Cushite, invader of Judah in the reign of Asa who defeated the invaders; probably the same as the Egyptian king Usarken I, second king of the Egyptian 22nd dynasty or perhaps more probably Usarken II, his 2nd successor

6) another Edomite leader; possibly same as 1

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Numbers 26:20

Range of meaning

'Rising, dawning, shining', from zarach, 'to rise' (of the sun) or 'to shine out'. As a name: the younger twin of Perez.

Against the English

KJV 'Zarhites' and WEB/BSB 'Zerahites' are only spelling differences.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 38:28–30: Zerah's hand came out first and was tied with a scarlet thread, but Perez was born ahead of him. The 'Ezrahite' of 1 Kings 4:31 and the headings of Psalms 88–89 is often connected with this clan (compare 1 Chr 2:6, which names Ethan and Heman among Zerah's sons), though the link is debated. Achan is a Zerahite (Josh 7:1, 17–18).

Similar words

Where it appears

Genesis · 5

  1. Genesis 36:13 וָזֶ֖רַח and Zerah

    These are the sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.

  2. Genesis 36:17 זֶ֔רַח Zerah

    These are the sons of Esau’s son Reuel: Chiefs Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah. They are the chiefs descended from Reuel in the land of Edom, and they are the grandsons of Esau’s wife Basemath.

  3. Genesis 36:33 זֶ֖רַח Zerah

    When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.

  4. Genesis 38:30 זָֽרַח׃ ס Zerah

    Then his brother came out with the scarlet thread around his wrist, and he was named Zerah.

  5. Genesis 46:12 וָזָ֑רַח and Zerah

    The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.

    Here: The other twin. His hand came out first and was tied with a scarlet thread (Gen 38:28–30). The name means "dawning, shining out". It becomes the name of the Zerahite clan (Num 26:20; Josh 7:1, 18).

Numbers · 2

  1. Numbers 26:13 לְזֶ֕רַח of Zerah

    the Zerahite clan from Zerah, and the Shaulite clan from Shaul.

  2. Numbers 26:20 לְזֶ֕רַח of Zerah

    These were the descendants of Judah by their clans: The Shelanite clan from Shelah, the Perezite clan from Perez, and the Zerahite clan from Zerah.

    Here: Zerah was the younger twin, the one marked with the scarlet thread (Gen 38:28–30). His name is linked to the verb for the sun rising or shining.

Joshua · 4

  1. Joshua 7:1 זֶ֜רַח Zerah

    The Israelites, however, acted unfaithfully regarding the things devoted to destruction. Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took some of what was set apart. So the anger of the LORD burned against the Israelites.

    Here: Son of Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38:30) and the ancestor of a leading clan of Judah.

  2. Joshua 7:18 זֶ֖רַח Zerah

    And he had the family of Zabdi come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was selected.

    Here: Zerah was a son of Judah by Tamar (Genesis 38:30) and the founder of the Zerahite clan. Tracing Achan back to him shows Achan is an Israelite insider of the oldest stock.

  3. Joshua 7:24 זֶ֡רַח Zerah

    Then Joshua, together with all Israel, took Achan son of Zerah, the silver, the cloak, the bar of gold, his sons and daughters, his oxen and donkeys and sheep, his tent, and everything else he owned, and brought them to the Valley of Achor.

    Here: Zerah, son of Judah (Gen 38:30), founder of the clan of the Zerahites, which the lot singled out in v. 17. Naming the clan ancestor places Achan within Judah's family tree.

  4. Joshua 22:20 זֶ֗רַח Zerah

    Was not Achan son of Zerah unfaithful regarding what was set apart for destruction, bringing wrath upon the whole congregation of Israel? Yet it was not only Achan who perished because of his sin!’”

    Here: Son of Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38:30), founder of the Zerahite clan. In Joshua 7:17 the lot fell on this clan before narrowing to Achan.

1 Chronicles · 8

  1. 1 Chronicles 1:37 זֶ֖רַח Zerah

    The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

  2. 1 Chronicles 1:44 זֶ֖רַח Zerah

    When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.

  3. 1 Chronicles 2:4 זָ֑רַח Zerah

    Tamar, Judah’s daughter-in-law, bore to him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.

  4. 1 Chronicles 2:6 זֶ֗רַח Zerah

    The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara—five in all.

  5. 1 Chronicles 4:24 זֶ֥רַח Zerah

    The descendants of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul.

  6. 1 Chronicles 6:21 זֶ֥רַח Zerah

    Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, and Jeatherai his son.

  7. 1 Chronicles 6:41 זֶ֖רַח Zerah

    the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,

  8. 1 Chronicles 9:6 זֶ֖רַח Zerah

    From the Zerahites: Jeuel and 690 relatives.

2 Chronicles · 1

  1. 2 Chronicles 14:9 זֶ֣רַח Zerah

    Then Zerah the Cushite came against them with an army of 1,000,000 men and 300 chariots, and they advanced as far as Mareshah.

    Here: The name looks like the Hebrew root for 'rising' or 'dawning' (as the sun rises) and is used elsewhere for Israelites and Edomites (e.g., Judah's son Zerah, Gen 38:30). Here it may be a Hebrew form of a foreign name. Outside the Bible the man is not identified with any certainty.

Nehemiah · 1

  1. Nehemiah 11:24 זֶ֤רַח Zerah

    Pethahiah son of Meshezabel, a descendant of Zerah son of Judah, was the king’s agent in every matter concerning the people.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.