1. (Heb. Pe'retz, פֶּרֶוֹ, a breach, as explained Genesis 38:29; Sept. and N.T. Φαρές; A.V. "Perez," 1 Chronicles 27:3; "Phares," Matthew 1:3; Luke 3:33; 1 Esdras 5:5), twin son with Zarah, or Zerah, of Judah by Tamar his daughter-in-law. B.C. cir. 1890. The circumstances of his birth are detailed in Genesis 38. Pharez seems to have kept the right of primogeniture over his brother, as, in the genealogical lists, his name comes first. The house also which he founded was far more numerous and illustrious than that of the Zarhites. Its remarkable fertility is alluded to in Ruth 4:12 : "Let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah." Of Pharez's personal history or character nothing is known. We can only speak of him therefore as a demarch, and exhibit his genealogical relations. At the time of the sojourn in the wilderness "the families of the tribe of Judah were: of Shelah, the family of the Shelalites, or Shilonites; of Pharez, the family of the Pharzites; of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites. And the sons of Pharez were, of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites, of Hamul, the family of the Hamulites" (Numbers 26:20-21). After the death therefore, of Er and Onan without children, Pharez occupied the rank of Judah's second son, and, moreover, from two of his sons sprang two new chief houses, those of the Hezronites and Hamulites. From Hezron's second son Ram, or Aram, sprang David and the kings of Judah, and eventually Jesus Christ. (See GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST).

The house of Caleb was also incorporated into the house of Hezron, (See CALEB), and so were reckoned among the descendants of Pharez. Another line of Pharez's descendants were reckoned as sons of Manasseh by the second marriage of Hezron with the daughter of Machir (1 Chronicles 2:21-22). In the census of the house of Judah contained in 1 Chronicles 4, drawn up apparently in the reign of Hezekiah (1 Chronicles 4:41), the houses enumerated in 1 Chronicles 4:1 are Pharez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. Of these all but Carmi (who was a Zarhite, Joshua 7:1) were descendants of Pharez. Hence it is not unlikely that, as is suggested in the margin of the A.V., "Carmi" is an error for "Chelubai." Some of the sons of Shelah are mentioned separately at Joshua 7:21-22. (See PAHATH-MOAB).

In the reign of David the house of Pharez seems to have been eminently distinguished. The chief of all the captains of the host for the first month, Jashobeam, the son of Zabdiel (1 Chronicles 27:2-3), so famous for his prowess (1 Chronicles 11:11), and called "the chief among the captains" (ibid. and 2 Samuel 23:8), was of the sons of Perez, or Pharez. A considerable number of the other mighty men seem also, from their patronymic or gentile names, to have been of the same house, those, namely, who are called Bethlehemites, Paltites (1 Chronicles 2:33; 1 Chronicles 2:47), Tekoites, Netophathites, and Ithrites (1 Chronicles 2:53; 1 Chronicles 4:7). Zabad, the son of Ahlai, and Joab and his brothers, Abishai and Asahel, we know were Pharzites (1 Chronicles 2:31; 1 Chronicles 2:36; 1 Chronicles 2:54; 1 Chronicles 11:-41). The royal house itself was the head of the family. We have no means of assigning to their respective famiilies those members of the tribe of Judah who are incidentally mentioned after David's reign, as Adnah, the 'chief captain of Judah in Jehoshaphat's reign, and Jehohanan and Amasiah, his companions (2 Chronicles 17:14-16); but that the family of Pharez continued to ithrive and multiply we may conclude from the numbers who returned from captivity. At Jerusalem alone 468 of the sons of Perez, with Athaiah, or Uthai, at itheir head, were dwelling in the days of Zerubbabel (1 Chronicles 9:4; Nehemiah 11:4-6), Zerubbabel himself of course being of the family (1 Esdras 5:5). Of the lists of returned captives in Ezra 2, Nehemiah 7, Nehemiah's time, the following seem to have been of the sons of Pharez, judging as before from the names of their ancestors, or the towns to which they belonged: the children of Bani (Ezra 2:10; comp. 1 Chronicles 9:4); of Bigvai (1 Chronicles 2:14; comp. Ezra 8:14); of Ater (Ezra 2:16; conp. 1 Chronicles 2:26; 1 Chronicles 2:54); of Jorah, or Hariph (1 Chronicles 2:18; Nehemiah 7:24; comp. 1 Chronicles 2:51); of Bethlehem and Netophah (1 Chronicles 2:21-22; comp. 1 Chronicles 2:54); of Kirjatharim (1 Chronicles 2:25; comp. 1 Chronicles 2:50; 1 Chronicles 2:53); of Harim (1 Chronicles 2:32; comp. 1 Chronicles 4:8); and, judging from their position, many of the intermediate ones also (comp. also the lists in Ezra 10:25-43; Nehemiah 10:14-27). Of the builders of the wall named in Nehemiah 3 the following were of the house of Pharez: Zaccur, the son of Imri (Nehemiah 3:2, by comparison with 1 Chronicles 9:4, and Ezra 8:14, where we ought, with many MSS., to read "Zaccur" for "Zabbud"); Zadok, the son of Baana (Ezra 8:4, by comparison with 2 Samuel 23:29, where we find that Baanah was a Netophathite, which agrees with Zadok's place here next to the Tekoites, since Bethlehem, Netophah, and Tekoa are often in close juxtaposition, comp. 1 Chronicles 2:54; 1 Chronicles 4:4-5; Ezra 2:21-22; Nehemiah 7:26, and the situation of the Netophathites close to Jerusalem, among the Benjamites, Nehemiah 12:28-29, compared with the mixture of Benjamites with Pharzites and Zarhites in Nehemiah 3:2-7); the Tekoites (Nehemiah 3:5; Nehemiah 3:27, comp. with 1 Chronicles 2:24; 1 Chronicles 4:5); Jehoiada, the son of Paseah (1 Chronicles 4:6, comp. with 1 Chronicles 4:12, where Paseah, a Chelubite, is apparently descended from Ashur, the father of Tekoa); Rephaiah, the son of Hur (1 Chronicles 4:9, comp. with 1 Chronicles 2:20; 1 Chronicles 2:50; 1 Chronicles 4:4; 1 Chronicles 4:12, Beth- Raphah); Hanun (1 Chronicles 4:13; 1 Chronicles 4:30), with the inhabitants of Zanoah (comp. with 1 Chronicles 4:18); perhaps Malchiah, the son of Rechab (1 Chronicles 4:14, comp. with 1 Chronicles 2:55); Nehemiah, son of Azbuk, ruler of Beth-zur (1 Chronicles 2:16, comp. with 1 Chronicles 2:45); and perh. Baruch, son of Zabba, or Zaccai (1 Chronicles 2:20), if for Zaccai we read Zaccur as the mention of "the other, or second, piece," makes probable, as well as his proximity to Meremoth in this second piece, as Zaccur was to Meremoth in their first pieces (1 Chronicles 2:2; 1 Chronicles 2:4).

2. (Sept. Φαρές v. r. Φόρος ) A Graecized form (1 Esdras 8:30) for the PAROSH (See PAROSH) (q.v.) of the Heb. text (Ezra 8:3).

Bibliography Information
McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Phares'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/p/phares.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.

Bible Encyclopedias Phares

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

Bible Encyclopedias
Phares