Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. Matthew 1:3

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“And Judah begot Perez and Zerah from Tamar, and Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram” (CG).

It should be noted that the names in the Greek have different spellings. They are transliterated out of Hebrew and into Greek for a Greek audience. From there, the names are then translated into English. To save the trouble of remembering the names as they are recorded from both Hebrew and Greek, the same English spelling as is derived from the Old Testament will be used.

However, just to see the differences in transliteration, this verse reads as follows. First the CG standard translation and then a direct transliteration from the Greek:

* And Judah begot Perez and Zerah from Tamar, and Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.
* And Ioudas begot Phares and Zara from Thamar, and Phares begot Hesróm, and Hesróm begot Aram.

For clarity’s sake, there is a point where translations need to be standardized. And so, the method of translating names as they are from the Old Testament will be followed.

The previous verse ended with the record of the birth of “Judah and his brothers.” The listing now continues with “And Judah begot Perez and Zerah.”

The name Perez means Breach or Irruption. Zerah means Rising of Light or Dawning. The record of their birth is recorded in Genesis 38 –

“Now it came to pass, at the time for giving birth, that behold, twins were in her womb. 28 And so it was, when she was giving birth, that the one put out his hand; and the midwife took a scarlet thread and bound it on his hand, saying, ‘This one came out first.’ 29 Then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that his brother came out unexpectedly; and she said, ‘How did you break through? This breach be upon you!’ Therefore his name was called Perez. 30 Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand. And his name was called Zerah.” Genesis 38:27-30

These two children were born to the union between Judah and his daughter-in-law, the narrative of which is found entirely in Genesis 38. From there, Matthew continues by noting these two were “from Tamar.”

Tamar means Palm. It is a symbol of being upright, and so a secondary meaning of Righteous is not out of the question. That can be inferred from Judah’s proclamation found in Genesis 38 –

“So Judah acknowledged them and said, ‘She has been more righteous than I, because I did not give her to Shelah my son.’ And he never knew her again.” Genesis 38:26

Judah was making a pun based upon her name, Palm, and the upright nature of the palm that matched her righteousness in the matter he was speaking of. Tamar descended from Canaan, the son of Ham cursed by Noah –

“So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. 25 Then he said:
‘Cursed be Canaan;
A servant of servants
He shall be to his brethren.’” Genesis 9:24, 25

Next, Matthew continues the line leading to Christ, saying, “and Perez begot Hezron.”

Hezron means something like Enclosure, Cluster, or Village. His inclusion in the genealogical record is first seen in the genealogy of David recorded in Ruth 4:18. He is also noted in 1 Chronicles 2:9. Next, Matthew records “and Hezron begot Ram.”

Ram means High or Exalted. He is first recorded in Ruth 4:19. He is also noted in 1 Chronicles 2:9.

Life application: It may seem surprising that Jesus descended from Canaan, a son cursed by Noah. And more, it may seem incredible that He descended from an incestuous union between Judah and the woman descended from Canaan. However, God is making it clear that even from what is seemingly the basest of people and conduct He can turn such things into something wonderful.

There are claims that certain races and groups of people are cursed and of no value. But this is not true. What makes people worth nothing isn’t who they descend from but how they treat themselves and the world around them.

A person may descend from a godly line, reject his heritage, and turn out to be a total loser. On the other hand, a person may descend from a prostitute or a murderer and turn to the Lord with all his heart and soul, being known by God as a man of faith.

We must evaluate our circumstances in life and decide if we will let the world around us overcome us or if we will rise above the things that are there to pull us down and degrade us as humans.

The choice is ours and so let us consider the right path, pursue the Lord God with all our hearts and souls, and be willing to put aside every weight that hinders us. Let us run the race directly into the arms of Jesus by living lives of faith and acting out our faith in good works that will receive great rewards on the day we come before Him.

Lord God, we are so grateful to You for Jesus. Because of Him, we are not limited to living out lives of vanity or hopelessness. Instead, we can overcome this world and be a part of the glory that lies ahead for those redeemed by His precious blood. Thank You, O God, for Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.