Midrasch zu Bereschit 46:12

(Exod. 1:1, cont.:) EACH ONE COMING WITH HIS HOUSEHOLD. R. Huna said: This teaches that Jacob did not go down to Egypt until he had numbered <in his family > Perez and Hezron. The one was a year old, and the other was two years old.²⁰But cf. Gen. 46:12, according to which Perez was the father of Hezron. Then he paired²¹Gk.: zeugnumi; cf. zugon, zeugos. them with wives.²²The interpretation is derived from the word HOUSEHOLD. Of course, in earlier times such early betrothals were not unusual.

(Gen. 37:35, cont.:) SO HIS FATHER WEPT FOR HIM. What is written next (in vs. 36)? BUT THE MIDIANITES SOLD HIM INTO EGYPT. The Holy One said to Judah: You have no children; therefore you do not know what the pain of children is. Now you have deceived your father and told him: Your son is dead. By your life, when you take a wife you shall bury your sons in order that you may know the pain of children. What is written next (in Gen. 38:1-10): NOW IT CAME TO PASS AT THAT TIME THAT < JUDAH >…. (The verses continue with the story of Judah's marriage to Shua, the birth of three sons, and the death of two of them.) It is also written (in Gen. 46:12): < AND THE SONS OF JUDAH: ER, ONAN, SHELAH, PEREZ, AND ZERAH >; BUT ER AND ONAN HAD DIED < IN THE LAND OF CANAAN >. Now all those years that Joseph had been away from his father, Jacob's mind had been against Judah.³⁶Tanh., Gen. 11:9, specifically states in the parallel account, “It was in Jacob’s heart that Judah had killed him.” See also above. From where do you learn that? From Benjamin, about whom Judah said to Joseph (in Gen. 44:32): FOR YOUR SERVANT HAS BECOME SURETY FOR THE LAD. Then, as soon as he had set his mind on Benjamin and Joseph had made himself known, Judah was found to be innocent, as stated (in Is. 11:13): THEN EPHRAIM'S JEALOUSY SHALL DEPART, < AND THOSE WHO HARASS JUDAH SHALL BE CUT OFF >…. Therefore (in Gen. 46:28): NOW HE HAD SENT JUDAH AHEAD OF HIM UNTO JOSEPH.

Bezalel was called by six names. From his genealogy listed in the Book of Chronicles you learn that he was descended from the tribe of Judah, as is said: And the sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, and Carmi, and Hur, and Shobal. And Reaiah the son of Shobal begot Jahath, etc. (ibid. 4:1–2). Now Hezron was in fact the grandson of Judah, as it is said: And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul (Gen. 46:12), and it is also written: And after that Hezron was dead in Caleb-ephrath, then Abiah Hezron’s wife bore him Ashhur (I Chron. 2:24). Can a man die within another man that it should say: And after that Hezron died in Caleb? This must mean that after Hezron died Caleb came to Ephrath, who was in fact Miriam, through whom Israel increased and multiplied, as it is written: And Azubah died, and Caleb took unto him Ephrath, who bore him Hur. And Hur begot Uri, and Uri begot Bezalel (ibid., vv. 19–20). And Reaiah the son of Shobal begot Jahath; and Jahath begot Ahumai, and Lahad (ibid. 4:2).

Another explanation. “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri …” (Shemot 31:2) This is one of the seven people called by multiple names. There are those that were called by four names, which is Eliyahu, Bezalel had six, Yehoshua six, Moshe seven, Mordecai two, Daniel five, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah had four. Eliyahu had four: R’ Elazar ben Padat said ‘Eliyahu was from Jerusalem and was among those who sat in the Court of Hewn Stones. He was from the city of Yehudah and his portion was in two tribal lands – five in Benyamin, as it says “And Zelah, Eleph, and the Jebusite, which is Jerusalem…” (Yehoshua 18:28) and three in Yehudah, as it says “Zenan, and Hadashah, and Migdal-gad.”