Bird's-eye view
This brief and rather bizarre account of a contested birth concludes one of the most scandalous chapters in Genesis. The entire story of Judah and Tamar is a gritty, earthy, and frankly sordid affair, yet it is placed here by the Holy Spirit for a crucial reason. It is precisely through this messy lineage that the line of the Messiah, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, will advance. This passage details the birth of Perez and Zerah, the twin sons of Judah by his daughter-in-law Tamar. The scene in the delivery room is a microcosm of a much larger spiritual reality: the kingdom of God advances through conflict, surprise, and divine reversal. The one who appears to have the birthright (Zerah, with the scarlet thread) is supplanted by the one who breaks through unexpectedly (Perez). This is not a tidy story, but it is a story of God's sovereign grace, which is never tidy. God writes straight with crooked lines, and the birth of Perez, the "Breaker," is a stark reminder that God's covenantal purposes will not be thwarted by human sin and folly, but are often advanced right through the middle of them.
The details matter: the twins, the struggle in the womb, the scarlet thread, the withdrawal, and the breach. Each element points to the turbulent nature of redemptive history. The promise of the seed given in Genesis 3:15 is a promise of conflict, and we see that conflict even in the womb of Tamar. This is not just an interesting historical anecdote; it is a theological paradigm. The first will be last, and the last will be first. The one who breaks forth, Perez, will be an ancestor of King David and, ultimately, of the Lord Jesus Christ. God secures His holy purposes through the most unholy of situations, demonstrating that salvation is entirely of grace.
Outline
- 1. The Contested Inheritance in the Womb (Gen 38:27-30)
- a. The Expectation of Twins (Gen 38:27)
- b. The Firstborn Claimed (Gen 38:28)
- c. The Divine Reversal (Gen 38:29)
- d. The Second Son Born (Gen 38:30)
Context In Genesis
Chapter 38 is a startling interruption in the Joseph narrative. We leave Joseph sold into slavery in chapter 37 and will pick up his story in Potiphar's house in chapter 39. Sandwiched in between is this account of Judah's profound moral failure. This is not accidental. While Joseph is demonstrating faithfulness in Egypt, Judah, the brother who proposed selling him, is descending into a morass of sin involving Canaanites, broken promises, and incest. And yet, the central theme of Genesis is the covenant promise to Abraham, passed down through Isaac and Jacob. The scepter is prophesied to belong to Judah (Gen 49:10). Therefore, this chapter, as sordid as it is, is absolutely essential. It shows how God preserves that royal line, not because of Judah's righteousness (of which there is little), but in spite of his unrighteousness. The story climaxes here with the birth of the sons who will carry that line forward, setting the stage for the rest of salvation history which will run through Perez.
Key Issues
- The Sovereignty of God in Messy Circumstances
- The Theme of the Firstborn and Primogeniture
- Typology of the Scarlet Thread
- The Meaning of "Perez" (Breach)
- The Inclusion of Scandal in the Messianic Line
- Covenant Succession Through Unlikely Means
The Breach in the Line
One of the central themes of Scripture is that of the great reversal. God chooses the younger over the older (Jacob over Esau), the weak to shame the strong, and the foolish to shame the wise. The kingdom of God does not operate according to the neat and tidy rules of human succession. It breaks in. It disrupts. It comes through a breach. And that is precisely what we are meant to see in this strange story.
The name Perez means "breach" or "breaking out." The midwife is shocked by his sudden arrival. He was not the one she was expecting. She had already marked his brother, Zerah, as the firstborn. She had tied the scarlet thread, the sign of covenant and deliverance (think of Rahab), on the hand of the one who made the first appearance. All human expectations were set. And then God intervened. Perez, the unexpected one, the breacher, forces his way out and seizes the birthright. This is a picture of the gospel. The kingdom does not come to those who have the external marker, the scarlet thread of religious observance. It is taken by force, by those who break in through faith. Jesus is the ultimate Perez, the one who breaks forth from the tomb, and we, by faith, are sons of the breach with him.
Verse by Verse Commentary
27 Now it happened at the time she was giving birth, that behold, there were twins in her womb.
The narrative resumes with Tamar at the point of delivery. The word behold invites us to pay close attention; something remarkable is about to happen. The presence of twins immediately heightens the drama. Throughout Genesis, the birth of twins to key covenantal figures often signals a coming conflict over the inheritance and the birthright. We saw it most clearly with Jacob and Esau, who were struggling with each other even in Rebekah's womb. Here again, a struggle is about to ensue, not between the mothers, but between the children themselves for preeminence.
28 And it happened, while she was giving birth, one put out a hand, and the midwife took and tied a scarlet thread on his hand, saying, “This one came out first.”
The delivery begins, and it is unconventional. One of the twins extends a hand, as if to test the waters. The midwife, acting according to custom, does what seems sensible. She marks the one who appeared first. She takes a scarlet thread and ties it to his hand. Scarlet is a significant color in the Bible, often associated with sin but also with atonement and deliverance. This thread is a marker, a human attempt to identify and secure the rights of the firstborn. The midwife makes a declaration, "This one came out first." By all human reckoning, the matter of primogeniture is settled. Zerah, whose name means "rising" or "dawning," has the claim.
29 And then it happened, as he drew back his hand, that behold, his brother came out. So she said, “What a breach you have made for yourself!” So he was named Perez.
Here is the divine reversal. Just as quickly as he appeared, Zerah withdraws his hand. And in that moment, his brother seizes the opportunity. He doesn't just emerge; he breaks forth. The midwife's reaction is one of astonishment. "What a breach you have made for yourself!" Her words are both an exclamation of surprise and the basis for his name. He is named Perez, which means "breach." He has breached the natural order of birth. He has breached the midwife's expectations. He has, in effect, breached the womb to seize the blessing. This is not a polite entry into the world. It is a violent, disruptive, and decisive act. And it is this son, the breacher, who will be inscribed in the genealogy of our Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 1:3).
30 Afterward his brother came out who had the scarlet thread on his hand; and he was named Zerah.
Only after the breacher has established his place does the one with the scarlet thread finally emerge. He has the sign, the external marker of being first, but he has lost the position. The scarlet thread on his hand is now a permanent reminder of what might have been, a symbol of a claim that was overturned by a surprising and forceful act. Zerah comes second. The story ends abruptly, having made its point with stunning clarity. God's choice is not bound by our customs or our expectations. The line of the covenant will advance, not through the one with the proper credentials, but through the one who breaks through.
Application
This story is a glorious mess, and that should be a profound encouragement to all of us. Our lives are often a glorious mess. The history of the church is a glorious mess. But God is in the business of bringing His holy purposes to pass right in the middle of such messes. The line to the Messiah did not run through a sterile, pristine, and respectable environment. It ran through the sordid affair of Judah and Tamar, and it was secured by a chaotic struggle in the delivery room.
This teaches us, first, that God's grace is greater than our sin. Judah's sin was grievous, yet God's covenant purpose was not derailed. God used this dark episode to advance His plan of redemption. We should never despair, thinking our sin has somehow disqualified us from God's grace or usefulness. The blood of Christ, the true scarlet thread, cleanses from all sin.
Second, we must learn to expect the unexpected from God. We like our religion to be neat and predictable. We want to tie a scarlet thread on the hand of the person or program that seems to have all the right qualifications, only to be surprised when God blesses the unexpected contender. The kingdom of God is not advanced by the Zerahs, those with the external signs of legitimacy, but by the Perezes, those who break in with violent faith. We are called to be people of the breach, pressing into the kingdom and refusing to be content with mere external markers of religion. The question for us is not whether we have a scarlet thread on our wrist, but whether we have been born of the Spirit, breaking through from death into life through the power of the ultimate Perez, Jesus Christ our Lord.