Matthew 1:3

 

Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram.
Matthew 1:3 Berean Standard Bible (BSB)
 
And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;
Matthew 1:3 King James Bible (KJV)
 
Judah the father of Perez and Zerah (by Tamar), Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,
Matthew 1:3 New English Translation (NET)
 
Judah
Judah, the fourth son of Jacob and Leah, is a significant figure in biblical history. His name, derived from the Hebrew "Yehudah," means "praise." Judah's lineage is crucial as it leads to King David and ultimately to Jesus Christ, fulfilling the prophecy of the Messiah coming from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10). Historically, Judah's leadership among his brothers and his role in the account of Joseph highlight his importance in the narrative of Israel.
 
was the father of
This phrase, in the genealogical context, signifies the continuation of a lineage. The Greek term "ἐγέννησεν" (egennēsen) is used, which means "begot" or "became the father of." It emphasizes the transmission of heritage and covenant promises through generations, underscoring God's faithfulness in preserving the line through which the Messiah would come.
 
Perez and Zerah
Perez and Zerah were twins born to Judah and Tamar. Their story, found in Genesis 38, is one of redemption and divine providence. Perez, whose name means "breach" or "bursting forth," is particularly significant as he continues the Messianic line. The inclusion of Zerah, whose name means "brightness," highlights the unexpected and often complex nature of God's plans, as Zerah's birth was marked by a surprising turn of events.
 
by Tamar
Tamar, a Canaanite woman, is one of the few women mentioned in Matthew's genealogy. Her account is one of courage and righteousness, as she ensured the continuation of Judah's line despite challenging circumstances. Her inclusion in the genealogy underscores God's grace and the breaking of cultural and social barriers, as well as the theme of redemption and the inclusion of Gentiles in God's plan.
 
Perez the father of Hezron
Perez's son, Hezron, continues the lineage leading to David and Jesus. The name Hezron means "enclosed" or "surrounded by a wall," suggesting protection and strength. This lineage reflects God's sovereign plan and the unfolding of His promises through generations, despite human frailty and sin.
 
and Hezron the father of Ram
Hezron's son, Ram, further extends the genealogical line. The name Ram means "exalted" or "high," indicating a position of honor. This continuation of the line highlights the faithfulness of God in preserving the lineage through which the Savior would come, fulfilling His covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
 
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Judah: He is one of the twelve sons of Jacob (also known as Israel), and he is the ancestor of one of the primary tribes of Israel. Judah's story includes significant narrative in Genesis where he has dealings with his daughter-in-law, Tamar.
 
Perez and Zerah: These are twin sons born to Judah from Tamar. Their conception was through an unusual and ethically complex situation described in Genesis 38. Tamar, after being widowed by two of Judah's sons and seeing that Judah did not give her to his third son as was customary, disguised herself as a prostitute and slept with Judah, who did not recognize her. She conceived Perez and Zerah from this union.
 
Tamar: She is noted here as the mother of Perez and Zerah, which is somewhat unusual in genealogies where women are rarely mentioned. Her inclusion in this genealogy highlights several points:
It acknowledges the significant role women played in the lineage of Jesus, even in challenging circumstances.
 
It underscores themes of justice, redemption, and inclusion in God's plan, as Tamar's story involves deceit but also ends with her being vindicated.
 
This verse, by mentioning Tamar, subtly sets the stage for Matthew's theme of inclusivity in the family tree of Jesus, which includes not only kings and priests but also those from varied and sometimes scandalous backgrounds, thereby broadening the scope of who is included in God's redemptive plan.
 
This genealogical record in Matthew 1 serves to establish Jesus' legal and royal lineage from David and Abraham, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, while also showcasing the human complexities and divine grace interwoven in the ancestry of Jesus.
 
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One of the dangers we face today, as we attempt to understand the biblical writers, is reading our modern issues and controversies into the scripture text. The writer of Matthew presents us with this difficulty in his specifically naming women in his chronicling of Jesus’ genealogy. It is common these days, I’ve done so myself, to point to the mention of these women as an affirmation of women in general, but is that the writer’s real intent, and is that how his readers would have received it? The answer to both, I believe, must be ‘no.’ The writer names the women because they were participants in specific situation the writer wanted to emphasize, situations best remembered by naming the women involved.
 
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And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar,.... The genealogical account of Christ goes on from Judah in the line of Phares, with whom Zara is mentioned; not because they were twins, for so were Jacob and Esau, and yet the latter is taken no notice of; but it may be because of what happened at their birth, see Gen_38:28. But the line of the Messiah was in Phares, and very rightly is he put in the genealogy of Christ, the Jews themselves being witnesses; who expressly say, that "the Messiah comes from him." These two are said to be begotten of Thamar, daughter-in-law to Judah; who, though she was a Canaanitish woman, has the honour to be named in the genealogy of Christ, who came to save Gentiles as well as Jews: nor can the Jews reproach our Evangelist for putting her into the account; since they themselves frequently acknowledge that the Messiah was to spring from her: they say, (r).
 
"there are two women from whom come David the king, and Solomon, and the king Messiah; and these two are Thamar and Ruth.''
 
Jonathan Ben Uzziel on Gen_38:6 says, that Thamar was the daughter of Shem the great.
 
And Phares begat Esrom; called Hezron, Rut_4:18 where the same phrase is used as here. He had another son called Hamul, 1Ch_2:5 but the account proceeds from Phares, in the line of Esrom.
 
And Esrom begat Aram; called Ram in Rut_4:18 where the same way of speaking is used as here. Esrom also besides him begat Jerahmeel, Chelubai, or Caleb, and Segub, 1Ch_2:9 but these are not in the line. Elihu, who conversed with Job, is said to be of the kindred of Ram, Job_32:2 whether the same with Ram or Aram, may be inquired.
 
(r) Shemot Rabba, sect. 30. fol. 131. 4. Caphtor, fol. 122. 1.
 
John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible
 
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The Story of Judah and Tamar
 
“Judah said to his brothers, ‘What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelite's and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.’ His brothers agreed.” Genesis 37:26-27
 
The brother whom Judah suggested he and his other brothers sell instead of kill is Joseph. The infamous Joseph, with the many-colored coat, who went on to gain favor with the king and eventually rescue his brothers and father from famine (Genesis 39:2; 45:4-7). But it isn’t Joseph who shows up in the genealogical line of Jesus Christ, it’s Judah. After selling his brother, Judah chose to separate from his brothers and establish his life among the Canaanites, which God warned against. (Genesis 15:16) There, Judah met his wife and began having children. They had three sons, Er (Tamar’s first husband), Onan (Tamar’s second husband), and Shelah (whom Judah refused to give to Tamar in marriage because his first two sons had died.)
 
Judah and his Tamar crossed paths again after Judah joined her as a widow. When Tamar heard he was traveling towards her, she tricked him into sleeping with her by disguising herself as a prostitute. (Genesis 38:13-19) When Judah heard of Tamar’s pregnancy as a result of prostitution, he ordered her to be put to death. (Genesis 38:24) But Tamar sent a message to Judah: “I am pregnant by the man who owns these,’ she said. And she added, ‘See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.’” Genesis 38:25
 
Judah had left his seal, cord and staff with her as collateral until he delivered the goat he had promised. She could not be found to receive the goat, and so Judah decided to let her keep his possessions rather than risk further association with a prostitute. (Genesis 38:16-19; 20-23) Judah and Tamar, his daughter-in-law, had two twin boys, Perez and Zerah (Genesis 38:27-30). It is through the inclusion of Perez in the genealogical line of Jesus that Tamar appears as well.
 
Who Is Tamar in the Bible?
 
The literal translation of Tamar’s name is “palm tree.” Tamar’s first husband, Er, “was wicked in the LORD’s sight; so the LORD put him to death.” (Genesis 38:7) She was then given to her brother-in-law to bare children with, according to the law of levirate marriage (Duet 25:5-6; Mt. 22:24). (Similar to Ruth, also widowed and appearing in the genealogical line of Jesus. But Boaz was her kinsman-redeemer, not brother-in-law (Ruth 3:12, NIVSB).). Her brother-in-law did not want to bear children with her and went to immoral lengths to avoid it, so the LORD “put him to death also.” (Genesis 38:10) The next brother in line, Shelah, was too young at the time, however, Judah had no intention of giving him to Tamar for fear he would die, too. As we learned above, Tamar tricked Judah into sleeping with her by disguising herself as a prostitute, which resulted in her birthing two twin sons.
 
How Does She Fit into Jesus' Genealogy?
 
Tamar fits into the genealogy of Jesus, the same line as King David, through the twin sons she bore with Judah. Judah’s father was Jacob, Jacob’s father was Isaac, and Isaac’s father was Abraham (Matthew 1:1-3). Perez, one of the twin sons of Tamar and Judah, is in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.
 
“Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,” Matthew 1:1-3
 
Several verses later, as the genealogical list continues on, is verse 16: “and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.”
 
What Can We Learn from Tamar's Story?
 
Tamar’s story is just one thread woven into the dramatic story of humanity. It reveals the redemptive and compassionate heart of God holding. Tamar, like Ruth, was not one of God’s chosen people. Yet, she is one out of four women mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy. She was not only a Gentile but a woman. Though we are made in His image, God does not play favorites, and Jesus came to save us all. Our sinfulness is never a surprise to the Sovereign Father and Savior of the world. We live in a fallen world, and though we are far removed from Tamar and the ancient people in her story, we live through our own drama and bear deep scars from the consequences …  some at our own hands and some at the hands of others.
 
Jesus loves us regardless of our dysfunctional messes. He never loves us less, no matter how much of a twisted genealogical line we’ve woven, addictive past we claim, or record littered with crimes we carry. The consequences are painful, but Christ’s love remains pure. We are always forgiven and never loved less. “Jesus takes away the old reputation,” writes Jon Bloom, writer for desiringGod.com, “In Jesus, your past sin or the abuse and injustice you’ve suffered, and the ways you’ve viewed yourself and others have viewed you because of it, is not who you are.”
 
Tamar is one story of many in Jesus’ earthly family line. He could have chosen any family He wanted, but in a remarkable way He chose to know and understand humanity on every level, He came right into a dysfunctional family line. It shows us we’re all dysfunctional on some level. Whether we know and claim our crazy ancestors or not, we’re all human. God loves us. He created us. He made a way to rescue us. Tamar did not know the full significance of her life on earth, nor do we know ours. But there is a purpose, nothing is wasted, and everything will be made right when Jesus returns.
 
The preceding was found on Crosswalk.com.