A Midrash taught that, as reported in the words "Judah came near to him" in , Judah did not cease from answering Joseph word for word until he penetrated to his very heart. Rabbi Judah taught that in the words of , "Judah came near" for battle, as in 2 Samuel , where it says: "So Joab and the people that were with him drew near to battle." Rabbi Neḥemiah said that "Judah came near" for conciliation, as in , where it says that "the children of Judah drew near to Joshua" to conciliate him. The Rabbis said that coming near implies prayer, as in 1 Kings , where it says that "Elijah the prophet came near" to pray to God. Rabbi Leazar combined all these views, teaching that "Judah came near to him" ready for battle, conciliation, or prayer. Rabbi Jeremiah ben Shemaiah taught that Judah exclaimed that he would only need to utter one word ("dabar") and bring a plague ("deber") upon the Egyptians. And Rav Hanan taught that Judah became angry, and the hairs of his chest pierced through his clothes and forced their way out, and he put iron bars into his mouth and ground them to powder.