Perez, also written as Pharez/Peretz, was the son of Tamar and Judah, and the twin of Zerah, according to the Book of Genesis.[1] [2] The twins were conceived after Tamar tricked her father-in-law Judah into having sexual intercourse with her by disguising herself as a prostitute. The name is transliterated to English as both "Perez" (NIV, ESV, NKJV) and "Pharez" (KJV). Perez, in Hebrew means "breach or burst forth" and is named after the narrative of his birth as recorded in 38:29 KJV.[3] According to Ethiopian tradition, Perez became a king of Persia.
The Book of Ruth lists Perez as being part of the ancestral genealogy of King David,[4] and both the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke include him when specifying the genealogy of Jesus.[5] [6]