Exodus 31:2
in Exodus 31“See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
KJV
See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
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This verse in Exodus 31
Commentary
6 notes on this verseI have called by name Bezaleel - That is, I have particularly appointed this person to be the chief superintendent of the whole work. His name is significant, בצלאל betsal-el, in or under the shadow of God, meaning, under the especial protection of the Most High. He was the son of Uri, the son of Hur, the son of Caleb or Chelubai, the son of Esron, the son of Pharez, the son of Judah. See 1Ch 2:5, 1Ch 2:9,1Ch 2:18, 1Ch 2:19, 1Ch 2:20, and see Clarke’s note on Exo 17:10.
This site's exposition
the Lord spake unto Moses, saying
on Exodus 31:1-2
This is the sixth of the seven speeches that deliver the tabernacle instruction, the set that runs from 25:1 to 31:12. What it names first is a man, and it names him before it names any work, since the opening words are that God has called him by name. Bezaleel is of the tribe of Judah and the grandson of Hur, the man who held up Moses' hands at Rephidim in 17:12 and was left with Aaron over the people in 24:14.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
A great deal of fine work God had ordered to be done about the tabernacle; the materials the people were to provide, but who must put them into form? Moses himself was learned in all the learning of the Egyptians, nay, he was well acquainted with the words of God, and the visions of the Almighty; but he knew not how to engrave or embroider.
14 ); out of that family which was of note in Israel was the workman chosen, and it added no little honour to the family that a branch of it was employed, though but as a mechanic, or handicraft tradesman, for the service of the tabernacle.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens
See, I have called by name Bezaleel,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
He belonged to the tribe of Judah, which, doubtless for wise and weighty reasons, God all along delighted to honor; and he was the grandson of Hur, a pious patriot (Ex 17:12), who was associated, by a special commission, with Aaron in the government of the people during the absence of Moses.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Rabbi Saadiah Gaon asked, “Why were Bezalel and Oholiab chosen?” 1 To construct the tabernacle.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
10 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| רְאֵ֖ה | reeh | see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| קָרָ֣אתִֽי | karati | I have called | H7121 → | 733 times |
| בְשֵׁ֑ם | veshem | by name | H8034 → | 864 times |
| בְּצַלְאֵ֛ל | betzalel | Bezalel | H1212 → | 9 times |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אוּרִ֥י | ʾuri | Uri | H221 → | 8 times |
| בֶן־ | ven- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| ח֖וּר | chur | Hur | H2354 → | 15 times |
| לְמַטֵּ֥ה | lemateh | of [the] tribe of | H4294 → | 252 times |
| יְהוּדָֽה׃ | yehudah | Judah | H3063 → | 819 times |
רְאֵ֖הsee
reehH7200 →1300 times
קָרָ֣אתִֽיI have called
karatiH7121 →733 times
בְשֵׁ֑םby name
veshemH8034 →864 times
בְּצַלְאֵ֛לBezalel
betzalelH1212 →9 times
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
אוּרִ֥יUri
ʾuriH221 →8 times
בֶן־[the] son of
ven-H1121 →4930 times
ח֖וּרHur
churH2354 →15 times
לְמַטֵּ֥הof [the] tribe of
lematehH4294 →252 times
יְהוּדָֽה׃Judah
yehudahH3063 →819 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 3:27John replied, “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven.
it leads to
- James 1:17
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 1 Corinthians 4:7
For who makes you so superior? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
- 1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of…
- 1 Peter 4:10–11
As good stewards of the manifold grace of God, each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another.
- 1 Corinthians 2:12–14
We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us.
- James 1:17
Through
Exodus 36:1“So Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skilled person are to carry out everything commanded by the LORD, who has given them skill and ability to know how to perform all the work of constructing the…
it leads to
- Exodus 31:1–6
Then the LORD said to Moses,
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Exodus 28:3
You are to instruct all the skilled craftsmen, whom I have filled with a spirit of wisdom, to make garments for Aaron’s consecration, so that he may serve Me as priest.
- Exodus 35:30–35
Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.
- Exodus 31:1–6
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Exodus
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.