וַיָּבֵ֨יא אוֹתִ֜י שָׁ֗מָּה וְהִנֵּה־אִישׁ֙ מַרְאֵ֙הוּ֙ כְּמַרְאֵ֣ה נְחֹ֔שֶׁת וּפְתִיל־פִּשְׁתִּ֥ים בְּיָד֖וֹ וּקְנֵ֣ה הַמִּדָּ֑ה וְה֥וּא עֹמֵ֖ד בַּשָּֽׁעַר׃
Il m’y amena, et voici [il y avait là] un homme, dont l’aspect était pareil à l’aspect de l’airain, avec un cordeau de lin dans la main et une canne à mesurer. Il se tenait debout près de la porte.
Bereshit Rabbah
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said in the name of Rabbi Levi: A builder requires six items: Water, dirt, wood, stones, reeds, and iron. If you say that he is wealthy and does not need reeds [to build with], he still needs to use them as a measuring rod, as it is stated: “A linen thread and a measuring rod” (Ezekiel 40:3). So, too, the Torah employed these six expressions of precedence: “Of old [kedem]…from earliest time [me’az], from ancient times [meolam]…from the beginning [merosh], from before [mikadmei]…” (Proverbs 8:22–23) – which counts as two,31Since mikadmei is a plural form. in the section of “the Lord made me” (Proverbs 8:22).
Aggadat Bereshit
[2] Another explanation: "Return to your right hand, the tribe of your strength; God will send forth His loving kindness from Zion. Which tribe is it that Tamar, from Judah, took? As it says, "Your seal, your cord, and your staff" (Genesis 38:18). Once she passed them over, "About three months later" (Genesis 38:24), she was found with them, and he gave her a pledge and did not burn her. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: "Since you have admitted, 'She is more righteous than I' (Genesis 38:26), I too acknowledge that three will come forth from your descendants and will be saved from the fire: Tamar and her two sons. Your descendants will also be saved, for I will save three of your descendants from the fire - Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah - as it says, 'Then these men were released from the fiery furnace' (Daniel 3:26)." At that time, Judah took three crowns - "Your seal" refers to Zerubbabel, as it says, "On that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel" (Haggai 2:23), "and I will make you like a signet" (Haggai 2:23), "Your cord" refers to the Temple, as it says, "And he had a line of flax in his hand and a measuring reed" (Ezekiel 40:3), "Your staff" refers to the Messiah who is destined to arise from your descendants, as it says, "The staff of your strength, God will send forth from Zion" (Psalms 110:2)."