Genesis 48:1-22 | The Way of Scripture

Genesis 48:1-22

Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

Berean Standard Bible

1 Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied 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 there He blessed me 4 and told me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you; I will make you a multitude of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’
5 And now your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6 Any children born to you after them shall be yours, and they shall be called by the names of their brothers in the territory they inherit.
7 Now as for me, when I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died along the way in the land of Canaan, some distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
8 When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?”
9 Joseph said to his father, “They are the sons God has given me in this place.” So Jacob said, “Please bring them to me, that I may bless them.”
10 Now Israel’s eyesight was poor because of old age; he could hardly see. Joseph brought his sons to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.
11 “I never expected to see your face again,” Israel said to Joseph, “but now God has let me see your children as well.”
12 Then Joseph removed his sons from his father’s knees and bowed facedown.
13 And Joseph took both of them—with Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand—and brought them close to him. 14 But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger; and crossing his hands, he put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 Then he blessed Joseph and said: “May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
16 the angel who has redeemed me from all harm— may He bless these boys. And may they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth.”
17 When Joseph saw that his father had placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, he was displeased and took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s. 18 “Not so, my father!” Joseph said. “This one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
19 But his father refused. “I know, my son, I know!” he said. “He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great; nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”
20 So that day Jacob blessed them and said: “By you shall Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” So he put Ephraim before Manasseh.
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22 And to you, as one who is above your brothers, I give the ridge of land that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”

What is the context?

Hearing that Jacob is ill, Joseph brings Manasseh and Ephraim to him. Jacob recalls God's appearance at Luz and the promise of descendants and land. He then receives Joseph's two sons as his own, giving them a place alongside Reuben and Simeon. Any later children of Joseph will be counted within their brothers' inheritance, rather than creating further tribal shares.

This gives Joseph's family a double place in Israel through his two sons. 1 Chronicles 5:1–2 later distinguishes that birthright from the ruler's line through Judah. Jacob also remembers Rachel's death, bringing the family's sorrow into the moment when her grandsons receive their place in its future.

Jacob's sight is poor, but he embraces the sons and gives thanks that he has seen both Joseph and his children. Joseph places Manasseh, the older, toward Jacob's right hand. Jacob deliberately crosses his hands, giving Ephraim the place Joseph intended for Manasseh. When Joseph objects, Jacob explains that both will become peoples, but the younger will become greater.

In the blessing, Jacob remembers God as the shepherd who has cared for him throughout his life and speaks of the angel who redeemed him from harm. The verb is גָּאַל, gāʾal (gah-AHL), to redeem or rescue. Brown–Driver–Briggs specifically includes Genesis 48:16 under God's rescuing care for a person. The blessing entrusts the next generation to the care Jacob has known himself.

Jacob ends by assuring Joseph that God will be with the family and bring it back to the land of its fathers. He also grants Joseph a special ridge or portion of land. John 4:5 later remembers land Jacob gave Joseph, and Joshua 24:32 records Joseph's burial at Shechem. The precise event behind Jacob's reference to taking it with sword and bow is not narrated earlier in Genesis.

How is this passage commonly understood?

Christians commonly read the chapter as Jacob faithfully passing on the promise, with God's purpose taking priority over the expected order of age. Wesley's notes on Genesis 48:3, 16–21 emphasize the sons' place in the inheritance and the deliberate nature of the crossed hands.

A longstanding Christian reading identifies the redeeming angel with the Son of God. Athanasius, Discourse III Against the Arians 12–13, reads Jacob's prayer as joining the divine Word with the Father in the giving of blessing. Wesley's note on verse 16 also understands the redeemer as Christ. These comments explain that Christian reading rather than making a word's dictionary meaning alone prove the angel's identity.

Where does this fit in God's plan?

Hebrews 11:21 directly identifies Jacob's blessing of Joseph's sons as an act of faith. He is dying in Egypt, yet speaks confidently about a future God will provide beyond his own remaining years.

The sons' reception into the family also offers a useful comparison with the Bible's wider theme of adoption. Romans 8:15–17 describes believers as God's children and heirs with Christ; Ephesians 1:5 speaks of adoption through Jesus Christ. Jacob's action concerns particular tribal heirs, while the New Testament describes the greater welcome God gives through His Son. In both, an inheritance is received within a relationship the giver establishes.

What is our position?

We don't have a position on this passage yet. When our study reaches a conclusion the text supports, it will appear here.

Where can I study this further?

Who is The Angel of the Lord?

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