Reference: Zerah
American
1. The son of Reuel, and grandson of Esau, Ge 36:13,17.
2. Son of Judah and Tamar, Ge 38:30; called Zara in Mt 1:3.
3. Son of Simeon, and founder of the Zarhites, Nu 26:13; called Zohar in Ge 46:10.
4. A Cushite king who invaded Judah with an immense army in the reign of Asa, 2Ch 14:9-13. It is not agreed by interpreters whether he came from Southern Arabia or from Egypt and Ethiopia. Many, however, follow Champollion, who identifies him with Osorchon and Osoroth of the Egyptian monuments and history, the son and successor of Shishak.
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Easton
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 (2Ch 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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Fausets
1. Younger twin son with Pharez of Judah and Tamar (Ge 38:30; 1Ch 2:6; Mt 1:3).
2. Son of Simeon (1Ch 4:24). (See ZOHAR in Ge 46:10.
3. A Gershonite Levite, son of Iddo or Adaiah (1Ch 6:21,41).
4. The Ethiopian (Cushite) invader defeated by ASA. About this very time there reigned a king Azerch Amar in Ethiopia, whose monuments are found at Napata. The Hebrew abbreviated the name into Zerah. Also an Ozorchon occupied the throne from 956 to 933 B.C. Ozorchon II. succeeded to the throne in right of his wife, sister of the previous king, and so may have been an Ethiopian; but the former is more probable. The defeat of the army of such a great world power as Egypt or Ethiopia is unparalleled in Israel's history, and could only have been through the divine aid.
Jehovah smote the Ethiopians before Asa and before Judah, and the Ethiopians fled, and Asa pursued them unto Gerar, and the Ethiopians were overthrown that they could not recover themselves, for they were destroyed before Jehovah and before His host, and they carried away much spoil (2Ch 14:9-13). The greatness of Egypt which Shishak had caused diminished at his death. His immediate successors were of no note in the monuments. Hence Asa was able in the first ten years of his reign to recruit his forces and guard against such another invasion as that of Shishak had been. Zerah seems to have taken advantage of Egypt's weakness to extort permission to march his enormous force, composed of the same nationalities (Ethiopians and Lubims: 2Ch 16:8; 12:3) as those of the preceding invader Shishak, through Egypt, into Judah.
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Hastings
1. One of the sons of Reuel (Ge 36:13,17; 1Ch 1:37). The name appears again as that of the father of Jobab, one of the early kings of Edom (Ge 36:33; 1Ch 1:44). 2. The younger-born of the twin sons of Judah by Tamar his daughter-in-law (Ge 38:30). He gives his name to the Zerahites (Nu 26:24). Of this family was Achan the son of Zabdi (Jos 7:1) or Zimri (1Ch 2:6). Zerah's sons are mentioned in 1Ch 9:6, and Pethahiah (Ne 11:24) is one of his descendants. He finds a place in the genealogy of our Lord (Mt 1:3). 3. A son of Simeon, and the founder of a family of Zerahites within that tribe (Nu 26:13; 1Ch 4:24); called also Zohar (Ge 46:10; Ex 6:15). 4. A Levite name, borne by a Gershonite (1Ch 6:21) and by a Kohathite (1Ch 6:41). 5. The name of the Cushite (2Ch 14:9-15) who invaded Judah in the reign of Asa. The story of this invasion is unknown to secular history, and rests solely upon the authority of the Chronicler. There has been much controversy as to its historicity, and the question is still involved in obscurity. In any case the numbers in the text of Chron. (580,000 men in Asa's army, 1,000,000 in Zerah's) are incredibly large.
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Morish
Ze'rah
1. Son of Reuel, a son of Esau, and one of the dukes of Edom. Ge 36:13,17; 1Ch 1:37.
2 . Father of Jobab one of the early kings of Edom. Ge 36:33; 1Ch 1:44. Perhaps the same family as No. 1.
3. Son of Judah. See ZARA.
4. Son of Simeon. Nu 26:13; 1Ch 4:24. Called ZOHAR in Ge 46:10; Ex 6:15.
5. Son of Iddo, or Adaiah, a Gershonite. 1Ch 6:21,41.
6. King of Ethiopia, or a general in the Egyptian army, who came against Asa with a million troops and three hundred chariots. His army was smitten by Jehovah, and Asa took much spoil. 2Ch 14:9-15. See EGYPT.
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Smith
Ze'rah
(rising (of the sun)).
1. A son of Reuel, son of Esau,
and one of the "dukes" or phylarchs of the Edomites.
(B.C. after 1760.)
2. Less properly, Zarah, twin son, with his elder brother Pharez, of Judah and Tamar.
(B.C. about 1728.) His descendants were called Zarhites, Ezrahites and Izrahites.
Nu 26:20; 1Ki 4:31; 1Ch 27:8,11
3. Son of Simeon,
called ZOHAR in
(B.C. 1706.)
See Zohar
4. A Gershonite Levite, son of Iddo or Adaiah.
(B.C. 1043.)
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.
See Asa