Zerah

Several men share the name Zerah. One is a son of Judah and Tamar, the twin whose brother came out first with “the scarlet thread upon his hand.” Another, Zerah the Ethiopian, marched against King Asa of Judah with “an host of a thousand thousand.” Asa prayed, “LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power,” and “the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa” (2 Chronicles 14). A Zerah is also named among the sons of Reuel in Edom. Genesis 38 and 1 Chronicles 2:4 give the family side.

17 verses

Genesis

Genesis 36:13

And these are the sons of Reuel; Nahath, and Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah: these were the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife.

Genesis 36:17

And these are the sons of Reuel Esau's son; duke Nahath, duke Zerah, duke Shammah, duke Mizzah: these are the dukes that came of Reuel in the land of Edom; these are the sons of Bashemath Esau's wife.

Genesis 36:33

And Bela died, and Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his stead.

Genesis 38:30

And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.

Genesis 46:12

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

Numbers

Numbers 26:13

Of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites: of Shaul, the family of the Shaulites.

Numbers 26:20

And the sons of Judah after their families were; of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites: of Pharez, the family of the Pharzites: of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites.

1 Chronicles

1 Chronicles 2:4

And Tamar his daughter in law bare him Pharez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.

1 Chronicles 2:6

And the sons of Zerah; Zimri, and Ethan, and Heman, and Calcol, and Dara: five of them in all.

2 Chronicles

2 Chronicles 14:9

And there came out against them Zerah the Ethiopian with an host of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots; and came unto Mareshah.

2 Chronicles 14:10

Then Asa went out against him, and they set the battle in array in the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah.

2 Chronicles 14:11

And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.

2 Chronicles 14:12

So the LORD smote the Ethiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled.

2 Chronicles 14:13

And Asa and the people that were with him pursued them unto Gerar: and the Ethiopians were overthrown, that they could not recover themselves; for they were destroyed before the LORD, and before his host; and they carried away very much spoil.

2 Chronicles 14:14

And they smote all the cities round about Gerar; for the fear of the LORD came upon them: and they spoiled all the cities; for there was exceeding much spoil in them.

2 Chronicles 14:15

They smote also the tents of cattle, and carried away sheep and camels in abundance, and returned to Jerusalem.

Nehemiah

Nehemiah 11:24

And Pethahiah the son of Meshezabeel, of the children of Zerah the son of Judah, was at the king's hand in all matters concerning the people.

From Easton's Bible Dictionary

Matthew George Easton, 1897

Sunrise. (1.) An “Ethiopian,” probably Osorkon II., the successor of Shishak on the throne of Egypt. With an enormous army, the largest we read of in Scripture, he invaded the kingdom of Judah in the days of Asa (2 Chr. 14:9-15). He reached Zephathah, and there encountered the army of Asa. This is the only instance “in all the annals of Judah of a victorious encounter in the field with a first-class heathen power in full force.” The Egyptian host was utterly routed, and the Hebrews gathered “exceeding much spoil.” Three hundred years elapsed before another Egyptian army, that of Necho (B.C. 609), came up against Jerusalem.

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(2.) A son of Tamar (Gen. 38:30); called also Zara (Matt. 1:3).

(3.) A Gershonite Levite (1 Chr. 6:21, 41).

From Smith's Bible Dictionary

William Smith, 1884

(rising (of the sun)).

(1.) A son of Reuel, son of Esau, (Genesis 36:13; 1 Chronicles 1:37) and one of the "dukes" or phylarchs of the Edomites. (Genesis 36:17) (B.C. after 1760.)

(2.) Less properly, Zarah, twin son, with his elder brother Pharez, of Judah and Tamar. (Genesis 38:30; 1 Chronicles 2:4; Matthew 1:3) (B.C. about 1728.) His descendants were called Zarhites, Ezrahites and Izrahites. (Numbers 26:20; 1 Kings 4:31; 1 Chronicles 27:8,11)

(3.) Son of Simeon, (1 Chronicles 4:24) called ZOHAR in (Genesis 46:10) (B.C. 1706.)

(4.) A Gershonite Levite, son of Iddo or Adaiah. (1 Chronicles 6:21,41) (B.C. 1043.)

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(5.) The Ethiopian or Cushite, an invader of Judah, defeated by Asa about B.C. 941. [ASA] Zerah is probably the Hebrew name of Usarken I., second king of the Egyptian twenty-second dynasty; or perhaps more probably Usarken II his second successor. In the fourteenth year of Asa, Zerah the Ethiopian, with a mighty army of or million, invaded his kingdom, and advanced unopposed in the field as far as the valley of Zephathah at Mareshah. The Egyptian monuments enable us to picture the general disposition of Zerah’s army. The chariots formed the first corps in a single or double line; behind them, massed in phalanxes, were heavy-armed troops; probably on the flanks stood archers and horsemen in lighter formations. After a prayer by Asa, his army attacked the Egyptians and defeated them. The chariots, broken by the charge and with horses made unmanageable by flights of arrows must have been forced back upon the cumbrous host behind. So complete was the overthrow that the Hebrews could capture and spoil the cities around Gerah which must have been in alliance with Zerah. The defeat of the Egyptian army is without parallel in the history of the Jews. On no other occasion did an Israelite army meet an army of one of the great powers and defeat it.