Girls · Hebrew · Both Testaments · rising · Patriarchal
Zara
/ZAH-ruh/
זֶרַח (Zerah)
"Brightness; dawn; princess; blooming"
Matthew 1:3
RoleSon of Judah and Tamar (male in the Bible; Zara used as female name today)
Etymology
From the Hebrew 'Zerah' (זֶרַח), meaning brightness, dawn, or rising. Zara is the Greek/Latin transliteration used in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus. Also connected to the Arabic 'zahra' (flower, blooming).
Who they were
Zerah (Zara) was one of the twins born to Judah and Tamar in one of the Bible's most dramatic birth narratives. During delivery, Zerah's hand emerged first and the midwife tied a scarlet thread around his wrist to mark the firstborn. But the hand withdrew, and his twin Perez was born first — 'breaking through' (the meaning of Perez). The scarlet thread on the hand that reached out and drew back is one of Genesis's most vivid images. Through Perez — not Zerah — came the line of David and Jesus. Matthew includes both Tamar and her sons in Jesus' genealogy, using the Greek form 'Zara.' As a modern girls' name, Zara has become wildly popular, combining the brightness of its Hebrew meaning with the sound of Arabic royalty and contemporary fashion. It carries a dawn-like quality — the first light, the brightness before the sun fully rises.
Family
Character qualities
- The one who reached out first
- Named for brightness
Key verse
Genesis 38:30
Where they appear
Themes
Variants & related forms
Zarah · Sara · Zahara
Read their story
Zara's story begins in Matthew.
The full passage is at Matthew 1:3. Any modern translation will do — the NLT and NIV are the most readable; the ESV and NKJV stay close to the wording the church has used for centuries.
Find a Bible to read it in →