Genesis, Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Verses 1-22: Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

1. After these things, it was told to Joseph, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
2. And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel mustered his strength and sat up in bed.
3. Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me,
4. and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’
5. Now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are.
6. And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.
7. As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
8. When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?”
9. Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.”
10. Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them.
11. Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.”
12. Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
13. 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 to him.
14. But Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands, for Manasseh was the firstborn.
15. He blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
16. the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
17. When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.
18. Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
19. But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”
20. So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.'” Thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
21. Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you back to the land of your fathers.
22. Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope, which I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”

Interpretation: This chapter illustrates a significant moment in the patriarchal blessing tradition, where Jacob, nearing the end of his life, imparts blessings upon Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, effectively adopting them as his own sons. The act of crossing his hands to bless the younger Ephraim over the firstborn Manasseh underscores the recurrent biblical theme of the younger sibling’s elevation, a motif that challenges traditional primogeniture norms. Jacob’s blessings encapsulate not just personal wishes for his grandchildren but also prophetic declarations about their future, indicating the enduring legacy of the Israelite people through these tribes. The narrative further emphasizes God’s continued guidance and providence, assuring Jacob of the divine presence with his descendants and the fulfillment of the covenantal promises.