Genesis48

Jacob, on his deathbed, adopts Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own, granting them full tribal inheritance. Despite Joseph's attempt to guide his hands, Jacob deliberately blesses the younger Ephraim with the greater blessing, prophesying his future prominence. He also reassures Joseph that God will return his descendants to the promised land.

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Joseph Visits Jacob; The Adoption Declared

And it came to pass after these things, that one said to Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.

And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

and said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a company of peoples, and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.

And now thy two sons, who were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine.

And thy issue, that thou begettest after them, shall be thine; they shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when there was still some distance to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way to Ephrath (the same is Beth-lehem).

And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these?

And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me here. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.

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 let me see thy seed also.

The Patriarchal Blessing

And Joseph brought them out from between his knees; and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

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.

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 first-born.

And he blessed Joseph, and said, The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who hath fed me all my life long unto this day,

the angel who hath 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.

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.

And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father; for this is the first-born; 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: howbeit his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.

And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee will Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

Jacob's Final Prophecy and Gift

And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God will be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.

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.

Study Notes for Genesis 48

Verse 1

Setting the scene for Jacob's final acts and the formalization of the covenant lineage before his death. Joseph brings his two sons, who will become the progenitors of two distinct tribes in Israel.

Verse 3

Jacob grounds his authority for the adoption in the covenant God made with him at Luz (Bethel, Gen 28, 35). This emphasizes that the expansion of the family is part of the divine plan.

Verse 5

This formal declaration elevates Ephraim and Manasseh to the status of Jacob’s direct sons, alongside Reuben and Simeon. This act grants Joseph the double portion of the inheritance, justifying his two tribes within Israel.

Verse 7

Jacob recalls Rachel's death, perhaps underscoring the pain associated with Canaan but reaffirming his commitment to the land where she was buried, even while preparing to die in Egypt.

Verse 9

Jacob, acting as the covenant patriarch, prepares to confer divine blessing, a key function in the generational transmission of the Abrahamic promises.

Verse 10

Jacob’s dim sight emphasizes that his subsequent action of crossing his hands (v. 14) was deliberate, guided by prophetic insight rather than accidental error.

Verse 14

Jacob deliberately crosses his hands, placing the right hand (the hand of superior blessing) upon the younger son. This echoes the consistent biblical pattern of God choosing the younger over the elder (e.g., Isaac, Jacob, David).

Verse 15

The blessing invokes God in three aspects: the covenant God of the fathers, the God of personal providence ('fed me all my life long'), and the redeeming Angel.

Verse 16

The 'Angel which redeemed me from all evil' is likely the Angel of the Lord (a manifestation of God), emphasizing the intimate and active protection God provided throughout Jacob's life struggles.

Verse 17

Joseph attempts to uphold the cultural standard of primogeniture, believing his father made a mistake, highlighting the significance tied to the right hand in bestowing inheritance.

Verse 19

Jacob asserts his divinely inspired knowledge ('I know it, my son, I know it'), confirming that the elevation of the younger son, Ephraim, is intentional and prophetic, foreshadowing Ephraim’s greater influence in Israel’s future.

Verse 20

This verse confirms the prophetic weight of Jacob’s action, establishing Ephraim and Manasseh as standard figures of blessing within Israel’s liturgical language.

Verse 21

Jacob reaffirms the core covenant promise: God will be with his descendants and bring them back to the land of Canaan, providing hope and purpose despite their current residence in Egypt.

Verse 22

The 'one portion above thy brethren' refers to the special double inheritance Joseph received through his two sons. The reference to taking land 'with my sword and with my bow' likely refers to the parcel of land near Shechem (Gen 33:19) that required defense.

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Genesis48

Joseph Visits Jacob; The Adoption Declared

The Patriarchal Blessing

Jacob's Final Prophecy and Gift

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