הבאים מצרימה (שמות א א). כבר היה להם ימים הרבה שם, ולמה הוא אומר הבאים, אלא כל ימים שהיה יוסף קיים לא היה עליהם משאוי של מצרים, וכיון שמת יוסף ניתן משואן של מצרים עליהם, לפיכך הבאים, כאילו אותו היום נכנסין כל הבאים מצרימה. (Exod. 1:1, cont.:) WHO ARE COMING (haba'im) TO EGYPT.17A traditional translation would read, “Who came to Egypt,” but the midrash insists that the participle be understood as a present tense in accord with later Hebrew. They had already been there a long time.18Tanh., Exod. 1:3; Exod. R. 1:4. The problem here concerns the position of this record of names. Why are they listed here in Exod. 1:1–5, when the descent to Egypt has already occurred in Gen. 46 with a much fuller name listing? Then why does it say <here> (in Exod. 1:1): WHO ARE COMING (haba'im)? It is simply that as long as Joseph was alive, the burden of the Egyptians did not come upon them; but, as soon as Joseph was dead, the burden of the Egyptians was set upon them. Ergo: WHO ARE COMING (haba'im). <It was> as if all WHO CAME (haba'im) TO EGYPT had entered Egypt on that very day.
את יעקב. מהיכן הם הבאים, מכוחו של יעקב. (Exod. 1:1, cont.:) WITH JACOB. From where are those WHO CAME? From the strength of Jacob.19Exod. R. 1:4 adds: “Because he had acquired meritorious deeds and good works and was worthy of raising up twelve tribes.”
איש וביתו באו. אמר ר' הונא מלמד שלא ירד יעקב מצרים עד שמנה לפרץ ולחצרון, זה בן שנה, וזה בן שתי שנים, וזיווג להם נשים. (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.