The first of these women was named Tamar. Her story is found in Genesis 38. She is the daughter-in-law of Judah, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. Tamar becomes pregnant by Judah, which would have been called incest in Jewish society. That pregnancy results in twins named Perez and Zerah. The line that produced Jesus, Matthew suggests, flowed through Perez, one who was a product of incest. It is a strange connection that Matthew is making.
