The Sforno says that the reason for mentioning this individual’s paternal ancestry is to emphasize the reason for his impudence and audacity. An Israelite would never be so unrestrained as to “curse the Name”. We may note from the Sforno’s thesis that the character traits of parents are inherited by their offspring. It was only because of his specific non-Jewish lineage that there was ingrained in him this outrageous audacity which he displayed. It is no wonder that Chazal have insisted that when choosing a mate a person should be especially aware of and sensitive to his or her character traits.
