Genesis 48
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Genesis 48
Genesis 48
And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
Ephraim (e’-fra-im) = Two fold increase; very fruitful
Manasseh (ma-nas’-seh) = One who causes to forget; forgetting; forgetfulness
And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
Jacob and Israel being the same person, remember his name was changed by God in chapter 32
And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
Luz is another name for Bethel. Bethel = House of God, where the stone pillow was, the Stone of Scone
And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.
“Make thee fruitful” = The terms of the covenant made by Yahweh with Abraham (and then reiterated to Isaac and Jacob) are repeated here. These reiterations frequently occur as part of a direct divine encounter with God (see 12:1–3; 15:1–6; 17:2; 22:17; 26:4, 24; 28:3; 35:11).
“and” being a polysyndeton, emphasizing the four parts of the blessing
And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
mine Jacob formally adopts his two grandchildren. Intrafamily adoptions are well attested to in the ancient Near East. This adoption as sons will come to be important a little later on in Deuteronomy and Joshua. We will see Joseph’s descendants get a double portion that should have went to Reuben but he lost that right because of his deception and relations with Bilhah. He will still be a tribe and receive land, but being that Levi and his descendants will be the priests, with no tribe and land of their own; Ephraim and Manasseh will become two tribes taking the place of the father Joseph and Levi; instead of it being Reuben’s descendants.
And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.
Ephraim and Manasseh now consider among the brothers and Jacob saying that any future children of Joseph will receive inheritance under their tribes. It is unclear whether Joseph had other children besides Ephraim and Manasseh. Any children born to Joseph other than Ephraim and Manasseh, along with their descendants, still have a share in Israel as a nation. Jacob tells Joseph that they will belong to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.
And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Beth-lehem.
We saw Rachel pass and her burial take place back in chapter 35. Rachel giving birth to Benjamin and then passing away in Bethlehem, where late Christ would be born to a virgin.
And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these?
Who are these This may be due to Jacob’s age—he has poor eyesight (v. 10). However, it is probably an allusion to Isaac’s blessing of Jacob, when he took his brother’s birthright because in v. 9 Jacob uses the same word Isaac did (compare 27:4 and note). However, the overall wording of the blessing appears to be part of a customary legal procedure (see 27:18).
And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.
God in this verse is Elohim with the article meaning THE GOD.
Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.
Jacob saying I never thought I would see you (Joseph) again, let alone to see your children, my grandchildren.
And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he (Jacob) bowed himself with his face to the earth.
This is showing that in this moment Jacob is worshipping and praising God. He is giving thanks. We see this in:
By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff.
And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near unto him.
“to the right of Israel” Joseph positions his sons so that Jacob’s right hand—the symbol of co-regency and power—rests on Manasseh, his firstborn. Jacob, however, crosses his hands for the blessing
And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.
“guiding his hands wittingly” meaning that this was done with understanding, this was no mistake, Jacob crossing his arms forming the Cross
And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
By accepting and blessing Joseph’s two sons, Jacob also blesses Joseph, the father of the two new tribes.
“walk” meaning habitually walking with God EVERYDAY
The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
The Hebrew phrase used here, ha mal'akh, likely refers to THE Angel of God (or Angel of Yahweh), whose identity is often blurred with Yahweh himself (see note on 21:17). This blurring of these identities is fitting with the parallel usage of ha ‘elohim in Hebrew (which may be literally rendered as “the God”) in v. 11 and 48:15. Abraham and Isaac had divine encounters several times in their lives and at several of these times it seems that God appeared to them in a spiritual body (see 28:13 and note; 32:24 and note) and the Angel of God has also appeared to Jacob (see 31:11 and note).
“bless the lads” = The Hebrew word used here for who is giving the blessing is singular, not plural. The plural form of this word in Hebrew would have distinguished God from the Angel in the blessing.
“let my name be on them” = This blessing expresses Jacob’s wish that Ephraim and Manasseh be full participants in the covenant promises.
“let them grow into a multitude” = This wording links the blessing (and so, the recipients) with the promise given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head.
“it displeased him” in the Hebrew means it was evil in his eyes. Joseph felt this was a disrespectful action because it broke tradition. We must be careful about letting tradition hide blessings from us.
And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
Joseph’s displeasure and Jacob’s insistence is symbolic of the will of man and it being overcome by faith. This mirrors the similar situation that we saw with Isaac blessing Jacob in the place of Esau and if we look at:
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
This points out that fact that God’s plan always comes to pass, and even if it breaks our expectations and traditions, it is always righteous.
And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
“Ephraim before Manasseh” Ephraim would become the more noteworthy of the two tribes, eventually becoming virtually synonymous with the northern kingdom of Israel (Isa 7:17; Hos 5:12).
And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
“you” = The Hebrew text here uses a plural form, indicating that Jacob’s blessing refers to the whole nation of Israel, not just to Joseph.
Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
“by my sword and with my bow” = This probably does not refer back to the massacre at Shechem (Gen 34) or Jacob’s purchase of land at Shechem (33:19), but to another incident in Jacob’s lifetime that is not recorded in Genesis. Jacob did not participate in the massacre at Shechem; instead he condemned it (34:30; 49:5–7). Both Abraham and Jacob bought property at Shechem, 23:18, 19; 33:18, 19; and here supplemental history tells how Jacob recovered it out of the hand of the Amorite who must have seized it. We see this land being mentioned in John chapter 4.
“above” = the double portion of the firstborn, which Reuben forfeited. Ezek. 47:13
In this chapter, we see Jacob, frail and nearing the end of his days, bless Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob deliberately crosses his hands—placing his right hand of greater blessing on Ephraim, the younger son. Joseph is confused by this and at first objects, but Jacob insists, knowing that God’s purpose is not bound by human order or expectation.
Joseph expected the blessing to follow tradition, but God’s plan doesn’t care about our traditions. Sometimes we may wait and wonder why our prayers are delayed or why life doesn’t unfold as we planned. But God’s timing is perfect, and His blessings come in His way, not ours. Having patience is not just about waiting—it’s about trusting that God’s purpose will be fulfilled, even when we we don’t understand or even see the path.
By adopting Joseph’s sons as his own, Jacob gave Joseph a double portion of inheritance, he would be the father of two tribes because each son would have their own. This points us toward the truth that in eternity, God has prepared blessings beyond anything we can imagine. What we receive in this life is only a shadow of the glory to come. Like Ephraim and Manasseh, we are heirs to an inheritance that multiplies far beyond what we can imagine.
So when you feel overlooked, delayed, or restless in your waiting, remember Jacob’s crossed hands. God’s plan may look different than ours, but His blessings will always be richer, deeper, more substantial—especially in the eternity. Let patience fill our hearts, and let hope anchor us in the promise of everlasting life with our Creator.
