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.

Joseph Visits Jacob; The Adoption Declared

1
After these things, someone said to Joseph, “Behold, your father is sick.” He took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. ​
2
Someone told Jacob, and said, “Behold, your son Joseph comes to you,” and Israel strengthened himself, and sat on the 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 company of peoples, and will give this land to your seed 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 into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, will be mine. ​
6
Your issue, whom you become the father of after them, will be yours. They will be called after the name of their brothers in their inheritance.
7
As for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to come to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (the same is Bethlehem).” ​
8
Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?”
9
Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” He said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.” ​
10
Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he couldn’t see. He brought them near to him; and he kissed them, and embraced them. ​
11
Israel said to Joseph, “I didn’t think I would see your face, and behold, God has let me see your seed also.”

The Patriarchal Blessing

12
Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
13
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
Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, 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 fed me all my life long to this day, ​
16
the angel who has 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. 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. He held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. ​
18
Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father; for this is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
19
His father refused, and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also will become a people, and he also will be great. However, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his seed will become a multitude of nations.” ​
20
He blessed them that day, saying, “In you will Israel bless, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh’” He set Ephraim before Manasseh. ​

Jacob's Final Prophecy and Gift

21
Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you, and bring you again to the land of your fathers. ​
22
Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, 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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