XLVIII. 1. And it came to pass after these things, that
one said to Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick. And he took
his two sons with him, Menasseh and Ephraim. 2. And one
told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto
thee: and Israel strengthened himself and sat upon the bed.
8. And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto
me at Luz in the land of Kenaan, and blessed me; 4. And
said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply
thee, and make thee a multitude of people: and I will give
this land to thy seed after thee as a perpetual possession. 5.
And now thy two sons that were born to thee in the land of
Mizraim are mine: Ephraim and Menasseh, as Reuben and
Simon, shall be mine. 6. And thy issue which thou begettest
after them shall be thine; after the name of their brethren
shall they be called in their inheritance. 7. And as for me,
in coming from Padan, Rachel died upon me in the land of
Kenaan, by the way when there was a stretch of land to go to
Ephrath : and I buried her there in the way to Ephrath, which
is Bethlehem.
And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are
these? 9. And Joseph said unto his father, They are my
sons, whom God hath given me here. And he said, Bring
them now unto me, and I will bless them. 10. And the eyes
of Israel were dim from age; he could not see: and he
brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and eme
braced them. 11. And Israel said unto Joseph, To see thy
face I had not thought: and, lo, God hath showed me also
thy seed. 12. And Joseph brought them out from between
his knees, and bowed with his face to the earth. 18. And Jo-
seph took the two, Ephraim in his right hand towards Israel’s
left, and Menasseh in his left toward Israel’s right: and
brought them near unto him. 14. And Israel stretched out
his right hand, and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the
younger, and his left hand upon Menasseh’s head: he guided
his hands wittingly, for Menasseh was the first-born. 1b.
And he blessed Joseph, and said, The God before whom
walked my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, the God who fed me
from my being unto this day, 16. The Angel, that redeemed
me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be put upon
them, and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac: and
let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the land.
And Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon
Ephraim’s head, and it displeased him: and he held up his
father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Menassch’s
head. 18. 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, my son, I know:
he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but
truly his younger brother shall be greater than he; and his
seed shall be the fulness of the nations. 20. And he blessed
them in that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying,
God make thee as Ephraim and as Menasseh. And he set
Ephraim before Menasseh. 21. And Israel said unto Joseph,
Behold, I die; and God will be with you and restore you to
the land of your fathers. 22. And I have given thee one share
above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amo-
rite with my sword and with my bow. § 38.
The right of primogeniture has been forfeited by Reuben. The
double portion in the inheritance is now transferred to Joseph. He is
the first-born of her who was intended by Jacob to be his first and only
wife. He has also been the means of saving all his father’s house,
even after he had been sold into slavery by his brethren. He has
therefore undeniable claims to this part of the first-born’s rights.
1-7. After these things. After the arrangements concerning the
funeral, recorded in the chapter. Menasseh and Ephraim. They
seem to have accompanied their father from respectful affection tc
their aged relative. Israel strengthened himself, —summoned his
remaining powers for the interview, which was now to him an effort.
God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz. From the terms of the
blessing received it is evident that Jacob here refers to the last ap-
pearance of God to him at Bethel (xxxv.11). And now thy sons.
After referring to the promise of a numerous offspring, and of a terri-
tory which they are to inherit, he assigns to each of the two sons of
Joseph, who were born in Egypt, a place among his own sons, and a
separate share in the promised land. In this way two shares fall to
Joseph. And thy issue. We are not informed whether Joseph had
any other sons. But all such are to be reckoned in the two tribes of
which Ephraim and Menasseh are the heads. These young men are
now at least twenty and nineteen years of age, as they were born be-
fore the famine commenced. Any subsequent issue that Joseph might
have, would be counted among the generations of their children.
Rachel died upon me, —as a heavy affliction falling upon me. The
presence of Joseph naturally leads the father’s thoughts to Rachel, the.
beloved mother of his beloved son, whose memory he honors in giving
a double portion to her eldest son.
8-16. He now observes and proceeds to bless the two sons of Jo-
seph. Who are these? The sight and the observant faculties of the
patriarch were now failing. Bring them now unto me, and I will bless
them. Jacob is seated on the couch, and the young men approach
him. He kisses and folds his arms around them. The comforts of
his old age come up before his mind. He had not expected to see
Joseph again in the flesh, and now God had showed him his seed.
After these expressions of parental fondness, Joseph drew them back
from between his knees, that he might present them in the way that
was distinctive of their age. He then bowed with his face to the
earth, in reverential acknowledgment of the act of worship about to
be performed. Joseph expected the blessing to be regulated by the
age of his sons, and is therefore careful to present them so that the
right hand of his dim-sighted parent may, without any effort, rest on
the head of his first-born. But.the venerable patriarch, guided by the
Spirit of him who doth according to his own will, designedly lays his
right hand on the head of the younger, and thereby attributes to
him the greater blessing.
The imposition of the hand is a primitive custom which here for the
first time comes into notice. It is the natural mode of marking out
the object of the benediction, signifying its conveyance to the individ-
ual, and implying that it is laid upon him as the destiny of his life.
It may be done by either hand ; but when each is laid on a different
object, as in the present case, it may denote that the higher blessing 18
conveyed by the right hand. The laying on of both hands on one
person may express the fulness of the blessing conveyed, or the ful-
ness of the desire with which it is conveyed.
15-16. And he blessed Joseph. In blessing his seed he blesses him-
self. In exalting his two sons into the rank and right of his brothers,
he bestows upon them the double portion of the first-born. In the
terms of the blessing Jacob first signalizes the threefold function which
the Lord discharges in effecting the salvation of a sinner. The God
before whom walked my fathers, is the Author of salvation, the Judge
who dispenses justice and mercy, the Father, before whom the adopted
and regenerate child walks. From him salvation comes, to him the
saved returns, to walk before him and be perfect. The God, who fed
me from my being unto this day, is the Creator and Upholder of life,
the Quickener and Sanctifier, the potential Agent, who works both to
will and to do in the soul. The Angel that redeemed me from all evil,
is the all-sufficient Friend, who wards off evil by himself satisfying the
demands of justice and resisting the devices of malice. There isa
beautiful propriety of feeling in Jacob ascribing to his fathers the
walking before God, while he thankfully acknowledges the grace of
the Quickener and Justifier to himself. The Angel is explicitly ap-
plied to the Supreme Being in this ministerial function. The God is
the emphatic description of the true, living God, as contradistinguished
from all false gods. Bless the lads. The word bless is in the singular
number. For Jacob’s threefold periphrasis is intended to describe the
one God who wills, works, and wards. And let my name be put upon
them. Let them be counted among my immediate sons, and let them
be related to Abraham and Isaac, as my other sons are. This is the
only thing that is special in the blessing. Let them grow into a multi-
tude. The word grow in the original refers to the spawning or ex-
traordinary increase of the finny tribe. The after history of Ephraim
and Menasseh will be found to correspond with this special prediction.
17-22. Joseph presumes that his father has gone astray through
dulness of perception, and endeavors to rectify his mistake. He finds,
however, that on the other hand a supernatural vision is now conferred
on his parent, who is fully conscious of what he is about, and therefore
abides by his own act. Ephraim is to be greater than Menasseh.
Joshua, the successor of Moses, was of the tribe of Ephraim, as Kaleb
his companion was of Judah. Ephraim came to designate the north-
ern kingdom of the ten tribes, as Judah denoted the southern kingdom
containing the remaining tribes; and each name was occasionally used
to denote all Israel, with a special reference to the prominent part.
His seed shall be the fulness of the nations. This denotes not only the
number but the completeness of his race, and accords with the future
preéminence of his tribe. 20. J thee, in Joseph, who is still identified
with his offspring. 21, 22. At the point of death Jacob expresses his
assurance of the return of his posterity to the land of promise, and
bestows on Joseph one share or piece of ground above his brethren,
which, says he, [took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword
and with my bow. This share is, in the original, nati Shekem, a
shoulder or tract of land. This regien included the parcel of the field
where he had spread his tent (xxxiii. 19). It refers to the whole ter-
ritory of Shekem, which was conquered by his sword and his bow, in-
asmuch as the city itself was sacked, and its inhabitants put to the
sword by his sons at the head of his armed retainers, though without
his approval (xxxiv.). Though he withdrew immediately after to
Bethel (xxxv.), yet he neither fled nor relinquished possession of this
Conquest, as we find his sons feeding his flocks there when he himself
was residing at Hebron (xxxvii. 13). The incidental conquest of such
a tract was no more at variance with the subsequent acquisition of the
whole country than the purchase of a field by Abraham or a parcel of
ground by Jacob himself. In accordance with this gift Joseph’s bones
were deposited in Shekem, after the conquest of the whole land by
returning Israel. The territory of Shekem was probably not equal in
extent to that of Ephraim, but was included within its bounds.
XLVIII. 1. And it came to pass after these things, that one said to Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick. And he took his two sons with him, Menasseh and Ephraim. 2. And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself and sat upon the bed. 8. And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Kenaan, and blessed me; 4. And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and make thee a multitude of people: and I will give this land to thy seed after thee as a perpetual possession. 5. And now thy two sons that were born to thee in the land of Mizraim are mine: Ephraim and Menasseh, as Reuben and Simon, shall be mine. 6. And thy issue which thou begettest after them shall be thine; after the name of their brethren shall they be called in their inheritance. 7. And as for me, in coming from Padan, Rachel died upon me in the land of Kenaan, by the way when there was a stretch of land to go to Ephrath : and I buried her there in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem.
his knees, and bowed with his face to the earth. 18. And Jo- seph took the two, Ephraim in his right hand towards Israel’s left, and Menasseh in his left toward Israel’s right: and brought them near unto him. 14. And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Menasseh’s head: he guided his hands wittingly, for Menasseh was the first-born. 1b. And he blessed Joseph, and said, The God before whom walked my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, the God who fed me from my being unto this day, 16. The Angel, that redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be put upon them, and the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac: and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the land.
The right of primogeniture has been forfeited by Reuben. The double portion in the inheritance is now transferred to Joseph. He is the first-born of her who was intended by Jacob to be his first and only wife. He has also been the means of saving all his father’s house,
even after he had been sold into slavery by his brethren. He has therefore undeniable claims to this part of the first-born’s rights.
1-7. After these things. After the arrangements concerning the funeral, recorded in the chapter. Menasseh and Ephraim. They seem to have accompanied their father from respectful affection tc their aged relative. Israel strengthened himself, —summoned his remaining powers for the interview, which was now to him an effort. God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz. From the terms of the blessing received it is evident that Jacob here refers to the last ap- pearance of God to him at Bethel (xxxv.11). And now thy sons. After referring to the promise of a numerous offspring, and of a terri- tory which they are to inherit, he assigns to each of the two sons of Joseph, who were born in Egypt, a place among his own sons, and a separate share in the promised land. In this way two shares fall to Joseph. And thy issue. We are not informed whether Joseph had any other sons. But all such are to be reckoned in the two tribes of which Ephraim and Menasseh are the heads. These young men are now at least twenty and nineteen years of age, as they were born be- fore the famine commenced. Any subsequent issue that Joseph might have, would be counted among the generations of their children. Rachel died upon me, —as a heavy affliction falling upon me. The presence of Joseph naturally leads the father’s thoughts to Rachel, the. beloved mother of his beloved son, whose memory he honors in giving a double portion to her eldest son.
8-16. He now observes and proceeds to bless the two sons of Jo- seph. Who are these? The sight and the observant faculties of the patriarch were now failing. Bring them now unto me, and I will bless them. Jacob is seated on the couch, and the young men approach him. He kisses and folds his arms around them. The comforts of his old age come up before his mind. He had not expected to see Joseph again in the flesh, and now God had showed him his seed. After these expressions of parental fondness, Joseph drew them back from between his knees, that he might present them in the way that was distinctive of their age. He then bowed with his face to the earth, in reverential acknowledgment of the act of worship about to be performed. Joseph expected the blessing to be regulated by the age of his sons, and is therefore careful to present them so that the right hand of his dim-sighted parent may, without any effort, rest on the head of his first-born. But.the venerable patriarch, guided by the Spirit of him who doth according to his own will, designedly lays his
right hand on the head of the younger, and thereby attributes to him the greater blessing.
The imposition of the hand is a primitive custom which here for the first time comes into notice. It is the natural mode of marking out the object of the benediction, signifying its conveyance to the individ- ual, and implying that it is laid upon him as the destiny of his life. It may be done by either hand ; but when each is laid on a different object, as in the present case, it may denote that the higher blessing 18 conveyed by the right hand. The laying on of both hands on one person may express the fulness of the blessing conveyed, or the ful- ness of the desire with which it is conveyed.
15-16. And he blessed Joseph. In blessing his seed he blesses him- self. In exalting his two sons into the rank and right of his brothers, he bestows upon them the double portion of the first-born. In the terms of the blessing Jacob first signalizes the threefold function which the Lord discharges in effecting the salvation of a sinner. The God before whom walked my fathers, is the Author of salvation, the Judge who dispenses justice and mercy, the Father, before whom the adopted and regenerate child walks. From him salvation comes, to him the saved returns, to walk before him and be perfect. The God, who fed me from my being unto this day, is the Creator and Upholder of life, the Quickener and Sanctifier, the potential Agent, who works both to will and to do in the soul. The Angel that redeemed me from all evil, is the all-sufficient Friend, who wards off evil by himself satisfying the demands of justice and resisting the devices of malice. There isa beautiful propriety of feeling in Jacob ascribing to his fathers the walking before God, while he thankfully acknowledges the grace of the Quickener and Justifier to himself. The Angel is explicitly ap- plied to the Supreme Being in this ministerial function. The God is the emphatic description of the true, living God, as contradistinguished from all false gods. Bless the lads. The word bless is in the singular number. For Jacob’s threefold periphrasis is intended to describe the one God who wills, works, and wards. And let my name be put upon them. Let them be counted among my immediate sons, and let them be related to Abraham and Isaac, as my other sons are. This is the only thing that is special in the blessing. Let them grow into a multi- tude. The word grow in the original refers to the spawning or ex- traordinary increase of the finny tribe. The after history of Ephraim and Menasseh will be found to correspond with this special prediction.
17-22. Joseph presumes that his father has gone astray through
dulness of perception, and endeavors to rectify his mistake. He finds, however, that on the other hand a supernatural vision is now conferred on his parent, who is fully conscious of what he is about, and therefore abides by his own act. Ephraim is to be greater than Menasseh. Joshua, the successor of Moses, was of the tribe of Ephraim, as Kaleb his companion was of Judah. Ephraim came to designate the north- ern kingdom of the ten tribes, as Judah denoted the southern kingdom containing the remaining tribes; and each name was occasionally used to denote all Israel, with a special reference to the prominent part. His seed shall be the fulness of the nations. This denotes not only the number but the completeness of his race, and accords with the future preéminence of his tribe. 20. J thee, in Joseph, who is still identified with his offspring. 21, 22. At the point of death Jacob expresses his assurance of the return of his posterity to the land of promise, and bestows on Joseph one share or piece of ground above his brethren, which, says he, [took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow. This share is, in the original, nati Shekem, a shoulder or tract of land. This regien included the parcel of the field where he had spread his tent (xxxiii. 19). It refers to the whole ter- ritory of Shekem, which was conquered by his sword and his bow, in- asmuch as the city itself was sacked, and its inhabitants put to the sword by his sons at the head of his armed retainers, though without his approval (xxxiv.). Though he withdrew immediately after to Bethel (xxxv.), yet he neither fled nor relinquished possession of this Conquest, as we find his sons feeding his flocks there when he himself was residing at Hebron (xxxvii. 13). The incidental conquest of such a tract was no more at variance with the subsequent acquisition of the whole country than the purchase of a field by Abraham or a parcel of ground by Jacob himself. In accordance with this gift Joseph’s bones were deposited in Shekem, after the conquest of the whole land by returning Israel. The territory of Shekem was probably not equal in extent to that of Ephraim, but was included within its bounds.