Chapter Forty-Eight
Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Sons
48:1 After this, Joseph was told, “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 summoned his strength and sat up in bed. 3 And 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 company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’
Jacob apparently knew he was not going to live much longer and sent word to Joseph to come. The Hebrew word translated here as ‘ill’, is ‘ḥō·lě(h)’,[1] a verb that indicates being very weak or sick. Perhaps knowing that his father was dying, Joseph came quickly along with his two sons. Once they arrived, Jacob gathered his strength to sit up in bed. He then told Joseph how God appeared to him at Luz and confirmed that the promises given to Abraham and Isaac, were now extended to him. That his descendants would be fruitful and multiply and that He will give them the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession. God appeared to Jacob at Luz on two different occasions, Jacob, after his encounter with God, changed the name to Bethel (see Genesis 28:10-19; 35:6-13).
48:5 And 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, 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).”
Jacob then informs Joseph that he is adopting his two sons, who would be considered his sons just as Rueben and Simeon are his sons. As adopted sons, they will have the same privileges and inheritance as one fathered directly by Jacob. By adopting Joseph’s sons, Jacob is giving him special recognition. Perhaps for saving the family during the famine, but more than likely, for being the firstborn of his wife Rachel. If it wasn’t for Laban’s deception, Rachel would have been his only wife and Joseph would have been his first son. Normally the oldest son would receive special privileges including a double portion of the inheritance.[2] However, the father makes the final decision and can change that practice if he desired. Jacob gives the birthright to Joseph and chooses to divide that inheritance between his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh, including the future division of the land of Canaan, the Promised Land.
From Jacob’s perspective, Rueben did not deserve the firstborn privileges as he had not shown any leadership capabilities and further lost respect for him due to his relationship with Bilhah. In the book of First Chronicles, the chronicler writes: “The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s couch, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel, so that he could not be enrolled as the oldest son; though Judah became strong among his brothers and a chief came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph)” (1 Chronicles 5:1-2).
Jacob explains that his love was great for Joseph’s mother and his hope for having additional sons from Rachel perished when she died giving birth to Benjamin on the way to Ephrath (Bethlehem).
48:8 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 And 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.
Jacob then noticed that Joseph had not come alone, as his vision was impaired due to his age (Hebrew word ‘kǒḇ·ḏû’[3] is a verb meaning to weigh heavily, in this context it refers to his eyesight made dull), so he could not recognize their faces. He asked Joseph who was with him, and Joseph told him they were his two sons whom God had given him in Egypt. Jacob asked for them to come to him, so he could bless them. Ephraim and Manasseh were probably in their early twenties at this time.
When the two sons approached their grandfather, Israel embraced and kissed them, expressing thanksgiving that God had allowed him to see not only Joseph again, but also his sons. Joseph, in preparation for his father’s blessing on himself and his two sons, and to express his love and reverence to his father, moved his sons temporarily away and bowed down before him with his face to the ground.
48:13 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 him. 14 And 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 And 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.”
Joseph then returned his sons back to be in front of him so that his father could bless them. Manasseh, being the oldest, was positioned in front of Israel’s right hand, but instead of putting his right hand on Manasseh, Israel placed it on Ephraim’s head, requiring him to cross his arms. Israel then spoke a blessing on Joseph and his sons.
While this blessing is general in nature, it is considered a significant blessing, one that is often believed to be referring to the triune nature of God. First, he acknowledges that the God of Abraham and Isaac had indeed guided, provided and protected him through the years, just as He had promised (see Genesis 28:15), stating that God had been his ‘shepherd’ in life. This is the first time in Scripture that the word ‘shepherd’ is used to describe the nature of God (see also John 10:1-18). Before identifying the ‘angel’, we should first look at the word ‘redeemed’. This is the first appearance of the Hebrew word ‘gō·’ēl’[4] in the Bible. It is a verb meaning to redeem or act as a kinsman-redeemer (to be defined later, see Leviticus 25:23-34, 47-55; Numbers 5:8; 35:9-34; Deuteronomy 19:1-13; Joshua 20:1-9; Ruth 2:20; 3:9-4:12). While the term implies the action of redeeming an object or person (such as a slave) through some form of payment, it is primarily used in the Bible to convey God’s redemption of individuals from eternal condemnation. Now back to the ‘angel’, many believe this is another reference to a Christophany,[5] referring to our Redeemer, Jesus. The triune nature being identified in God the Father (God of his fathers); God the Son (our Redeemer), and God the Holy Spirit (as seen through the guidance, provision, and protection of God).
48:17 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 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since 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 put Ephraim before Manasseh.
Joseph then noticed that Jacob’s right hand was on Ephraim and his left hand was on Manasseh. Assuming he had made a mistake and wanting to correct the error before Israel began to bless them, Joseph tried to change his father’s hands while explaining who the firstborn was. But Israel was fully aware of what he was doing. Beginning with the sons of Joseph, Israel will bless each one of his sons and these two adopted sons with specific blessings that are prophetic regarding their future. Manasseh will become a great people, but it will be Ephraim that will be greater.
The blessings of Jacob are not necessarily in numbers but in status: preeminence. Ephraim precedes Manasseh in the genealogy of Numbers 1:10; Ephraim preceded Manasseh in the census results (Num. 1:32–33, 1:34–35); Ephraim preceded Manasseh in the list of tribal chiefs (Num. 7:48–53, 7:54–59); and Ephraim was placed in the middle position on the west side of the Tabernacle between Manasseh and Benjamin. Ephraim took leadership of the northern tribes as early as the period of the Judges. Ephraim became a key tribe, and eventually the name Ephraim also became a synonym for all Israel. Sometimes in place of saying “Israel,” the people would say Ephraim, not referring to only the Tribe of Ephraim but referring to the entire nation of Israel, especially the Northern Kingdom (Isa. 7:2, 7:5, 7:9, 7:17; Hos. 9:3–16).[6]
48:21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
Israel concluded his blessing by promising Joseph that God would be with him and would bring him again back to the land of his fathers. While Joseph did indeed return to Canaan to bury his father (see Genesis 50:5-14), and he himself would eventually be buried there, this reference pointed primarily to the return of his descendants to inhabit the land. He then bequeaths a specific portion of land that he obtained from the Amorites in battle. This encounter with the Amorites is not recorded in the Bible, however, this property is referred to in the New Testament, “So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.” (John 4:5-6)
Considerations
Jacob had twelve sons and now he adopts Joseph’s two sons as his own, for a total of 14. That will later equate to 13 tribes with 14 names, as the tribe of Joseph consists of Ephraim and Manasseh, who are now sons of Israel themselves. If Scripture refers to the tribe of Joseph, it is either referring to both Ephraim and Manasseh (who would otherwise not be in the listing) or it is used in place of one of them with the other one listed. For example: in Revelation there is a list of twelve tribes that includes Manasseh but instead of Ephraim, the name of Joseph is used (see Revelation 7:5-8).
It is interesting to note that the Bible always lists twelve or less tribes, never thirteen. There appears to always be some purpose or reason as to why one or more tribe name is missing from those lists. For example: in Numbers chapter 26, the Levites did not participate in the census since they were not given an inheritance of land and in the same list referenced above in Revelation, the tribe of Dan is missing. Whenever we encounter these lists in the Bible, we should take the time to figure out which tribe is missing and try to determine why the tribe is missing. It is also interesting to take note of the order the names listed (for example: chronological according to age, by mother, etc.) Below are some of the listings in the Bible of the tribes of Israel.
Reference Name(s) Missing
Genesis 35:22-26 Ephraim, Manasseh (not born yet)
Genesis 46:8-27 Ephraim, Manasseh only mentioned as sons of Joseph
Genesis 49:1-27 Ephraim, Manasseh both already blessed by Israel
Exodus 1:1-5 Ephraim, Manasseh
Numbers 1:5-15 Levi (explained in verses 47-54), Joseph combined with Ephraim
Numbers 1:20-54 Levi, Joseph combined with Ephraim
Numbers 2:3-29 Levi, Joseph
Numbers 7:1-88 Levi, Joseph
Numbers 10:11-28 Levi, Joseph
Numbers 13:4-15 Levi, Manasseh (Joseph listed with reference to being Manasseh)
Numbers 26:5-50 Ephraim and Manasseh referred to as sons of Joseph
Numbers 34:19-28 Rueben, Gad, Levi
Deuteronomy 27:12-13 Ephraim, Manasseh
Deuteronomy 33:1-29 Simeon
Joshua 13–19 Levi, Joseph
Joshua 21:4-8 Levi, Joseph
Judges 5:12-22 Simeon, Judah, Levi, Gad, Joseph
1 Chronicles 2:1-2 Ephraim, Manasseh
1 Chronicles 2–7 Zebulun, Joseph
1 Chronicles 12:24-38 Joseph
1 Chronicles 27:16-22 Gad, Asher, Joseph
Ezekiel 48:1-29 Joseph
Ezekiel 48:30-34 Ephraim, Manasseh
Revelation 7:5-8 Dan, Ephraim
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[1] Strong’s Hebrew 2470.
[2] See commentary under Genesis 25:19-23 regarding first-born sons.
[3] Strong’s Hebrew 3513.
[4] Strong’s Hebrew 1350.
[5] See commentary under Genesis 3:8-10.
[6] Fruchtenbaum, A. G. (2008). Ariel’s Bible commentary: the book of Genesis (1st ed., p. 630). San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries.