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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Genesis 48 Pulpit Commentary</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/5001com.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 4800px), only screen and (max-device-width: 4800px)" href="/4801.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1550px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1550px)" href="/1551.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1250px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1250px)" href="/1251.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1050px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1050px)" href="/1051.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 900px), only screen and (max-device-width: 900px)" href="/901.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 800px), only screen and (max-device-width: 800px)" href="/801.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 575px), only screen and (max-device-width: 575px)" href="/501.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-height: 450px), only screen and (max-device-height: 450px)" href="/h451.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; 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Vulgate, <span class="accented">munciatum est</span>; Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch, Murphy, <span class="accented">et alii</span>); or probably emphatically, by way of calling attention to the circumstance - denoting perhaps a special messenger (Tayler Lewis). <span class="cmt_word">Behold, thy father is sick</span>. The word in the original conveys the idea of being worn down or becoming infirm through age or disease, and may suggest the notion that Jacob was now regarded as rapidly approaching dissolution. <span class="cmt_word">And he took with him his two sons, Manasseh end Ephraim</span> - who at this time must have been about eighteen or twenty years of age (Keil), and who appear to have accompanied their father from respectful affection to their aged relative (Murphy), or to have been taken in the hope that "the words of their blessed grand father would make an indelible impression on their hearts (Lawson), rather than in order to obtain from Jacob "a pledge of their unqualified admission as members of his house," of their exclusion from which Joseph was not altogether groundlessly apprehensive, in consequence of their being the children of an Egyptian mother (Kalisch). </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-2.htm">Genesis 48:2</a></div><div class="verse">And <i>one</i> told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 2.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And one told Jacob</span> (<span class="hebrew">וַיַּגֵּד</span>, also used impersonally, like <span class="hebrew">וַלֺיּאמֶר</span> in ver. 1), <span class="cmt_word">and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel</span> - the significance of this change of name it is impossible to overlook (cf. <a href="/genesis/45-27.htm">Genesis 45:27, 28</a>) - <span class="cmt_word">strengthened himself</span> (for the work which, as head of the theocratic family, he now felt himself inwardly moved to perform), <span class="cmt_word">and sat upon the bed</span> - <span class="accented">i.e.</span> he raised himself up to a sitting posture. </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-3.htm">Genesis 48:3</a></div><div class="verse">And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 3, 4.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And Jacob said unto Joseph</span>, - recalling the experiences of early days - <span class="cmt_word">God Almighty</span> - El Shaddai (<span class="accented">vide</span> <a href="/genesis/17-1.htm">Genesis 17:1</a>) - <span class="cmt_word">appeared unto me at Luz</span> - <span class="accented">i.e.</span> Bethel (<span class="accented">vide</span> <a href="/genesis/28-17.htm">Genesis 28:17, 19</a>; <a href="/genesis/35-6.htm">Genesis 35:6, 15</a>) - <span class="cmt_word">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 multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.</span> It is obvious that Jacob principally has in his mind the theophany at Bethel on his return from Padan-aram. </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-4.htm">Genesis 48:4</a></div><div class="verse">And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee <i>for</i> an everlasting possession.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-5.htm">Genesis 48:5</a></div><div class="verse">And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, <i>are</i> mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 5, 6.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt</span> (<span class="accented">vide</span> <a href="/genesis/41-50.htm">Genesis 41:50-52</a>) <span class="cmt_word">before I came unto thee into Egypt,</span> - this would almost seem to imply that Jacob knew of Joseph's having had sons born to him since his (Jacob's) arrival at Goshen - are mine (i.e. I shall reckon them as my own sons, giving them an equal place with the other members of my family); <span class="cmt_word">as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine</span> - literally, <span class="accented">Ephraim and Manasseh, as Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine</span>. The double portion thus conferred upon Joseph in the persons of his son? was a practical investiture of him with the birthright of which Reuben had been deprived (<a href="/1_chronicles/5-1.htm">1 Chronicles 5:1</a>), in respect at least of the inheritance; in respect of the honor of being the next connecting link in the chain of redemption, leading on and down to the coming of the Savior, the birthright appears to have been transferred to Judah (<a href="/genesis/49-8.htm">Genesis 49:8-10</a>). <span class="cmt_word">And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine</span> (i.e. shall be reckoned in thine own family), and <span class="cmt_word">shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.</span> They should not form heads of separate tribes, but be ranked under the banners of Ephraim and Manasseh. It is uncertain whether Joseph had more sons than two (<span class="accented">vide supra</span>); if he had, they were included in the families of their brethren, as here directed (cf. <a href="/numbers/26-28.htm">Numbers 26:28-37</a>; <a href="/1_chronicles/7-14.htm">1 Chronicles 7:14-29</a>). </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-6.htm">Genesis 48:6</a></div><div class="verse">And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, <i>and</i> shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-7.htm">Genesis 48:7</a></div><div class="verse">And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet <i>there was</i> but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same <i>is</i> Bethlehem.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 7.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And as for me</span> (literally, and I, the pronoun being emphatic), <span class="cmt_word">when I cams from Padan</span>, - literally, <span class="accented">in my coming, i.e.</span> while on my journey, <span class="accented">from Padam</span>, or Padan-aram. This is the only place where the shorter designation is employed (cf. <a href="/genesis/25-20.htm">Genesis 25:20</a>) - <span class="cmt_word">Rachel</span> - the mention to Joseph of his beloved mother could not fail to kindle emotion in his breast, as obviously it had revived a pang of sorrow in that of the old man - " the remembrance of the never-to-be-forgotten one' causing a sudden spasm of feeling" (Delitzsch) - <span class="cmt_word">died by me</span> - not for me in the sense of sharing with me my toils and perils, and so bringing on herself the deadly travail which cut her off (Lunge), which is too subtle and metaphysical in its refinement; but either upon me, <span class="accented">i.e.</span> as an heavy affliction falling on me (Rosenmüller, Gesenius, Murphy, <span class="accented">et alii</span>); or at my side, <span class="accented">i.e.</span> near me (Keil, Wordsworth, 'Speaker's Commentary'); or perhaps to me, meaning, This happened to me, or, I saw Rachel die (Kalisch); or possibly with a touch of tender emotion, Rachel to me, <span class="accented">i.e.</span> my Rachel died (Tayler Lewis) - <span class="cmt_word">in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way</span> - literally, <span class="accented">a length of ground</span>; the LXX. add <span class="greek">ἱππόδρομος</span>, meaning probably such a distance as a horse can go without being over-worked (<span class="accented">vide</span> <a href="/genesis/35-16.htm">Genesis 35:16</a>) - <span class="cmt_word">to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-8.htm">Genesis 48:8</a></div><div class="verse">And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who <i>are</i> these?</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 8.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these</span>? The failing sight of the patriarch (ver. 10) probably was the reason why he did not sooner recognize his grandchildren, and the fact that he did not at first discern their presence shows that his adoption of them into the number of the theocratic family was prompted not by the accidental impulse of a natural affection excited through beholding the youths, but by the inward promptings of the Spirit of God. </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-9.htm">Genesis 48:9</a></div><div class="verse">And Joseph said unto his father, They <i>are</i> my sons, whom God hath given me in this <i>place</i>. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 9.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons</span> (of whom you have just spoken), <span class="cmt_word">whom God hath given me in this place.</span> It speaks highly in Joseph's favor that, after listening to Jacob s promise regarding Ephraim and Manasseh, he did not seek to draw his aged father's attention to the young men before him, but quietly waited for Jacob to take the initiative in any further communications of a personal nature that he might wish to address to them. And he (<span class="accented">i.e.</span> Jacob) said Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-10.htm">Genesis 48:10</a></div><div class="verse">Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, <i>so that</i> he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 10.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Now</span> (literally, and) <span class="cmt_word">the eyes of Israel were dim</span> (literally, <span class="accented">heavy</span>) <span class="cmt_word">for age</span>, so that he could not see. This explains why he did not earlier recognize his grandchildren, and why he asked them to be set close by his bed. <span class="cmt_word">And he</span> (their father) <span class="cmt_word">brought them near unto him; and he</span> (their old grandfather) <span class="cmt_word">kissed them, and embraced them</span> (cf. Isaac's blessing of Jacob, <a href="/genesis/27-26.htm">Genesis 27:26, 27</a>). </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-11.htm">Genesis 48:11</a></div><div class="verse">And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 11.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God</span> (Elohim) <span class="cmt_word">hath showed me also thy seed</span>. The first half of Israel s utterance is rendered by the LXX. "<span class="greek">Ιδοὺ τοῦ  ῞προωσ´που σου οὐκ ἐστερήθην</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-12.htm">Genesis 48:12</a></div><div class="verse">And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 12.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And Joseph brought them out from between his knees</span> (literally, <span class="accented">from near</span> his knees, <span class="accented">i.e.</span> the knees of his father, who while in the act of embracing had drawn them into that position), <span class="cmt_word">and he</span> (viz. Joseph) <span class="cmt_word">bowed himself with his face to the earth</span>. The reading "and they bowed themselves," <span class="accented">i.e.</span> Ephraim and Manasseh (Samaritan, Michaelis), and the rendering <span class="greek">καὶ προσκύνησαν</span> <span class="greek">αὐτῴ</span> (LXX.), are incorrect. </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-13.htm">Genesis 48:13</a></div><div class="verse">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 <i>them</i> near unto him.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 13.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">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.</span> Joseph naturally expected that Jacob s right hand would fall upon the head of Manasseh, as the firstborn, although with regard to even this a doubt might have been suggested if he had remembered how Isaac had been preferred to Ishmael, and Jacob to Esau. </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-14.htm">Genesis 48:14</a></div><div class="verse">And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid <i>it</i> upon Ephraim's head, who <i>was</i> the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh <i>was</i> the firstborn.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 14.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head</span>, - the first instance of the imposition of hands being used as a symbol of blessing. Though not necessarily connected with the form of benediction, it is not without a natural fitness to suggest the transmission of spiritual benefit. Accordingly it afterwards became the recognized mode of conveying to another some supernatural power or gift, and was employed in the Old Testament Church in the dedication of priests (<a href="/numbers/27-18.htm">Numbers 27:18, 23</a>; <a href="/deuteronomy/34-9.htm">Deuteronomy 34:9</a>), and in the New in the ordination of Christian office-bearers (<a href="/acts/6-6.htm">Acts 6:6</a>; <a href="/acts/8-17.htm">Acts 8:17</a>; <a href="/1_timothy/4-14.htm">1 Timothy 4:14</a>; <a href="/2_timothy/1-6.htm">2 Timothy 1:6</a>), as well as by the Savior and his apostles in the performance of many of their miracles (<a href="/matthew/19-13.htm">Matthew 19:13</a>; <a href="/mark/8-23.htm">Mark 8:23, 25</a>; <a href="/acts/9-17.htm">Acts 9:17</a>; <a href="/acts/19-6.htm">Acts 19:6</a>; <a href="/acts/28-8.htm">Acts 28:8</a>) - <span class="cmt_word">who was the younger</span> (literally, <span class="accented">and he the little</span> one, <span class="accented">i.e.</span> the younger), <span class="cmt_word">and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly</span>; - literally, he placed his hands, prudently, <span class="accented">i.e.</span> of set purpose, the piel of <span class="hebrew">שָׂכַל</span>, to look at, conveying the intensive signification of acting with prudence and deliberation (Gesenius, Furst); <span class="accented">intelligere fecit manus suas hoc est, docte, scite, et petite imposuit eis manus</span> (Vatablus, <span class="accented">vide</span> Glass. 'Phil Tract.,' p. 761); a rendering of the words which has been adopted by the best scholars (Calvin, Dathe, Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch, Murphy, Taylor Lewis, and others), though the translation, "<span class="accented">he</span> crossed his hands," which regards <span class="hebrew">שִׂכֵּל</span> as the pile of an unused root signifying to intertwine, <span class="greek">ἐναλλὰξ τὰς χεῖρας</span> (LXX.), <span class="accented">commutans marius</span> (Vulgate), is not entirely destitute of learned supporters (Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem, Pererius, Knobel, Delitzsch, Gerlach, and others) - <span class="cmt_word">for Manasseh was the firstborn</span>. </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-15.htm">Genesis 48:15</a></div><div class="verse">And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verses 15,16.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And he blessed Joseph</span> (<span class="accented">i.e.</span> in his sons), <span class="cmt_word">and said, God</span>, - literally, the <span class="accented">Elohim</span>. The use of Elohim in a passage (vers. 15-19) which is undoubtedly Jehovistic in its import, and is by advanced critics (Davidson, Colenso) assigned to that writer, has been explained (Hengstenberg) as an indication that "<span class="accented">the</span> great spiritual Sun, Jehovah, was at that time," viz., at the entrance of the captivity, "concealed behind a cloud from the chosen race;" but, without resorting to any such doubtful hypothesis, it is sufficient to observe that Jacob practically identities the Elohim spoken of with Jehovah, while by using the former expression he conveys the thought that the blessing about to be pronounced proceeded forth, not from Deity in general, but from the particular Elohim who had graciously manifested himself in the manner after described - <span class="cmt_word">before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk</span>, - (cf. <a href="/genesis/17-1.htm">Genesis 17:1</a>; <a href="/genesis/24-40.htm">Genesis 24:40</a>) the God here referred to was one who had "a face," or manifested presence; in other words, was Jehovah - <span class="cmt_word">the God which fed me</span> - literally, <span class="accented">the Elohim shepherding me</span> (cf. <a href="/psalms/23-1.htm">Psalm 23:1</a>; <a href="/psalms/28-9.htm">Psalm 28:9</a>) - <span class="cmt_word">all my life long</span> - literally, <span class="accented">from as yet</span> (sc. I was), <span class="accented">i.e.</span> from the beginning of my existence, <span class="greek">ἐξ νεότητος</span> (LXX. ) - <span class="cmt_word">unto this day, the Angel</span> - the Maleach here spoken of cannot possibly be a creature, since he is explicitly identified with Elohim, but must have been the Jehovah Angel with whom Jacob wrestled at the ford of Jabbok (<a href="/genesis/32-23.htm">Genesis 32:23</a>-7-29). The reading of the Samaritan codex, <span class="hebrew">הַמֶּלֶך</span>, the king, is open to suspicion - <span class="cmt_word">which redeemed me from all evil</span>, - literally, the (sc. angel) <span class="accented">redeeming me</span>; the first use of the <span class="accented">term goel</span>, from <span class="hebrew">גָּאַל</span>, to buy back or redeem (Gesenius), to separate or untie (Furst), or to stain as with blood, hence to be stained or polluted, as one who suffers a kinsman's blood to go unavenged, hence to remove the stain of blood by taking vengeance on the murderer (Taylor Lewis). Applied under the law to the next of kin (<a href="/leviticus/25-25.htm">Leviticus 25:25</a>; <a href="/leviticus/27-13.htm">Leviticus 27:13, 15, 19</a>, &c., &c.), it is also used of God redeeming men, and especially Israel, from captivity (<a href="/exodus/6-6.htm">Exodus 6:6</a>; <a href="/isaiah/43-1.htm">Isaiah 43:1</a>). In this sense it was employed by Jacob (cf. <a href="/genesis/48-16.htm">Genesis 48:16</a> with Genesis 49:18) and by Job (Job 19:21) to describe the Divine Rescuer who had delivered them from ill both temporal and spiritual, and who was to complete his emancipating work by ultimately ransoming them from the power of the grave. The <span class="accented">Goel</span> to whom both Jacob and Job looked forward, and of whom both Moses and the prophets testified, was Christ (<a href="/galatians/3-11.htm">Galatians 3:11</a>; <a href="/titus/2-14.htm">Titus 2:14</a>; <a href="/1_peter/1-18.htm">1 Peter 1:18</a>) - <span class="cmt_word">bless the lads</span>. The singular verb suggests to Luther the reflection that the writer "<span class="accented">conjungit in uno opere benedicendi tres personas, Deum Patrem, Deum Pastorem, et Angelum</span>," from which he draws the obvious conclusion, "<span class="accented">aunt igitur hi tres unus Deus et unus benedictor</span>." <span class="accented"><span class="cmt_word"></span>And let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac</span>; - literally, <span class="accented">and my name and the name of my fathers shall be named in them, i.e.</span> they shall be counted my sons and the children of my ancestors, though born of thee (Calvin, Rosenmüller, Lawson, Murphy, Wordsworth, and others); or, May this name be preserved by them, and the race of Abraham propagated by them? may the fathers and I live in them! (Gerlach, Kalisch); or, what seems more appropriate than either, May the grace and salvation enjoyed by my fathers and myself be renewed in them! (Keil, Lange) - <span class="cmt_word">and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth</span>. The original conveys the sense of swarming like the fishes of the sea, the <span class="greek">ἀπαξ λεγόμενον</span>, <span class="hebrew">דָּגָה</span> (from which comes the term <span class="hebrew">דָּג</span>, a fish, from being so wonderfully prolific), signifying to cover over with a multitude (vide Gesenius, 'Lexicon,' sub <span class="accented">voce</span>). </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-16.htm">Genesis 48:16</a></div><div class="verse">The Angel which 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.</div><div class="comm"></div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-17.htm">Genesis 48:17</a></div><div class="verse">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.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 17.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And when</span> (literally, <span class="accented">and</span>) <span class="cmt_word">Joseph saw that his father laid</span> (or was laying) <span class="cmt_word">his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him</span>: - literally, <span class="accented">and it was evil in</span> his eyes (cf. <a href="/genesis/28-8.htm">Genesis 28:8</a>) - <span class="cmt_word">and</span> (supposing his father had made a mistake) <span class="cmt_word">he held up</span> (or took hold of) <span class="cmt_word">his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-18.htm">Genesis 48:18</a></div><div class="verse">And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this <i>is</i> the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 18.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head</span>. "From Joseph's behavior we cannot certainly infer that, like Isaac, he loved the firstborn better than the youngest; but he was sorry that an honor was not given to the eldest which he would naturally expect, and bestowed on the youngest, who did not expect it, and who would not have been hurt by the want of it" (Lawson). </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-19.htm">Genesis 48:19</a></div><div class="verse">And his father refused, and said, I know <i>it</i>, my son, I know <i>it</i>: 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 become a multitude of nations.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 19.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">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: but truly</span> (literally, <span class="accented">and over against that</span>; <span class="hebrew">אוּלָם</span>, the strongly adversative particle, signifying that which stands in front of, or opposite to, another thing) <span class="cmt_word">his younger brother shall be greater than he</span> (cf. <a href="/numbers/1-33.htm">Numbers 1:33</a> with Numbers 1:35; 2:19 with Numbers 2:21), <span class="cmt_word">and his seed shall become a multitude of nations</span> - literally, <span class="accented">shall be a fullness of nations</span>. In the time of Moses this prediction began to realize itself. In the first census which took place in the wilderness the tribe of Ephraim had 40,500 men, while that of Manasseh could only reckon 32,200; in the second the numbers received a temporary alteration, Ephraim counting only 32,500, and Manasseh 52,700; but after the conquest the ascendancy of Ephraim wag restored, so that she easily assumed the lead among the ten northern tribes, and acquired a name and an influence only second to that of Judah (cf. <a href="/judges/4-5.htm">Judges 4:5</a>; <a href="/judges/5-14.htm">Judges 5:14</a>; <a href="/judges/8.htm">Judges 8</a>; <a href="/judges/12.htm">Judges 12</a>.). </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-20.htm">Genesis 48:20</a></div><div class="verse">And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 20.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And he</span> (<span class="accented">i.e.</span> Jacob) <span class="cmt_word">blessed them that day, saying, In thee</span> (<span class="accented">i.e.</span> in Joseph, who is still identified with his sons) <span class="cmt_word">shall Israel</span> (the nation) <span class="cmt_word">bless, saying, God</span> (Elohim, the supreme source of all blessing) <span class="cmt_word">make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim Before Manasseh</span> - "in the position of his hands, and the terms of the blessing" (Keil). </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-21.htm">Genesis 48:21</a></div><div class="verse">And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 21.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And Israel</span> (Jacob) <span class="cmt_word">said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God</span> (Elohim) <span class="cmt_word">shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.</span> "For Joseph and his children a great promise and dispensation" (Lange). </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/genesis/48-22.htm">Genesis 48:22</a></div><div class="verse">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.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 22.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Moreover</span> (literally, and) <span class="cmt_word">I have given</span> - or, I give (Keil), I will give (Kalisch), the preterit being used prophetically as a future, or even as a present, the event being regarded, from its certainty, as already accomplished. It is thus not absolutely clear that Jacob here alludes to any past transaction in his own personal history - <span class="cmt_word">to thee one portion</span> - literally, one <span class="accented">shoulder</span>, or ridge, or elevated tract of land, <span class="hebrew">שְׁכֶם</span>; <span class="accented">unam pattern</span> (Vulgate), with which agree several of the ancient versions (Onkelos, Syriac) - <span class="cmt_word">above thy brethren, which I took</span> - or take (Keil), or shall take (Kalisch) - <span class="cmt_word">out of the hand of the Amorite</span> - a general name for the inhabitants of Canaan (<span class="accented">vide Genesis</span> 15:16) - <span class="cmt_word">with my sword and with my bow.</span> As Scripture has preserved no account of any military exploit in the history of Jacob such as is here described, the patriarch's language has been understood as referring to the plot of ground at Shechem which Jacob purchased of Hamor the father of Shechem (<a href="/genesis/33-19.htm">Genesis 33:19</a>), and as signifying either that he had captured it by sword and bow, in the sense that his sons at the head of his armed retainers had put the inhabitants of the town to the sword, and so taken possession of the entire district (Calvin, Rosenmüller, Murphy); or that, though he had peacefully paid for it, he yet required at a subsequent period to recover it by force of arms from the Canaanites (Lawson, Bush, Wordsworth); or that after the terrible tragedy at Shechem, when God put a fear upon the surrounding cities, Jacob and his sons stood in the gate of Shechem in the armed expectation of a hostile attack, and so may be said to have taken it by sword and bow (Rabbi Solomon, Lyra, Willet). It seems, however, better to regard the words as a prophetic utterance pointing forward to the conquest of Canaan, which Jacob here represents himself, in the persons of his descendants, as taking from the Amorites by means of sword and bow, and as intimating that the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh would receive a double portion of the inheritance, the word <span class="hebrew">שְׁכֶם</span> being probably designed to convey a hint that the tract to be in future assigned to Joseph's descendants would be the region round about the ancient city Shechem (Ainsworth, Keil, Kalisch, Lunge, &c.). <span class="p"><br /><br /></span> <span class="p"><br /><br /></span> </div></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">The Pulpit Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2010 by <a href="//biblesoft.com">BibleSoft, inc.</a>, Used by permission<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/">Bible Hub</a></div></div></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="../genesis/47.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Genesis 47"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Genesis 47" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="../genesis/49.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Genesis 49"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Genesis 49" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="rightbox"><div class="padright"><div id="pic"><iframe width="100%" height="860" scrolling="no" src="//biblescan.com/mpc/genesis/48-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></div></div><div id="rightbox4"><div class="padright2"><div id="spons1"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td class="sp1"><br /><br /></td></tr></table></div></div></div> <div id="bot"><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhpar.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></body></html>