Genesis Chapter 48

¹ And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

Joseph’s father Israel (Jacob) had grown weaker, so Joseph took his sons with him to see his father.

² And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.

Israel has something he needed to do regarding Joseph and his two sons…so this wasn’t simply Joseph visiting his sick and dying father.

³ And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

⁴ 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.

Israel shares this with Jacob at this point to let him know the reason he is about to do what he is going to do.

⁵ 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, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

Because Reuben slept with Jacob, his father’s wife, he lost his birthright placement as the firstborn. So the birthright then passed on to Joseph, Rachel and Israel’s firstborn…and as such the firstborn gets a double portion, which now would fall to Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. When Israel says they will be his as Reuben and Simeon, he means they will be his recognized heirs placed in the positions of first and second born the way Reuben and Simeon are placed.

⁶ And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.

Israel is claiming the 2 sons of Joseph as his own children, but the ones who are born after this are considered Josephs as far as their birthrights go.

⁷ And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.

While it seems the only reason for giving Reubens and Simeon’s birthrights to Joseph’s sons is because of their sins, it turns out the reason is that Israel’s heart was broken when he lost Rachel. Rachel was his deepest love, the one he wanted to marry.

⁸ And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these?

He’s asking for an introduction to know which grandson is which. Maybe I’m reading more into this, but it’s like Israel gets to thinking about Rachel and losing her…and the grief still haunts him so he turns his eyes to his grandchildren he has with her as a comfort. My own brother died before his first grandchild was born…and I could not help but think of how much he would have loved his grandchildren…I think it’s where the mind goes when we’ve lost someone we love.
Israel has his other wives, but they could never touch or comfort the loss he felt when his beloved Rachel died.

⁹ And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.

¹⁰ 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.

¹¹ And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.

With God, all things are possible.

¹² And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

This is a sign of great respect and gratitude towards his father. These blessings are so important, and Joseph knows what an honor it is to have his sons blessed by his father.

¹³ 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.

Joseph tried to arrange things so that his oldest was on the right of his father and the younger on the left. It’s funny that he did this because none of the firstborns received the birthrights… Abraham had Ishmael …. then he had Isaac…. Isaac, whom God referred to as Abrahams ONLY son, received the birthright. Genesis 22:2 ² And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.
Isaac had twins, Esau was born first, then Jacob. Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of lentils. Genesis 25:29-34 ²⁹ And Jacob sod pottage: and Esau came from the field, and he was faint:³⁰ And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage; for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom.³¹ And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright.³² And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?³³ And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

¹⁴ 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 firstborn.

¹⁵ 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,

¹⁶ 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.

¹⁷ 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.

¹⁸ And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.

¹⁹ 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 his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.

Israel knew what he was doing in blessing the younger on the right hand and the elder on the left. The positions are significant…. the right hand of God is where Jesus sits….it signifies power, authority, strength, and favor.

²⁰ 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.

²¹ And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.

²² 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.

This bonus inheritance given to Joseph is an area that Israel took, where he had built a well. It’s a mountain ridge later called Sychar. When the Israelites are freed from Egypt and lead out by Moses, they take Josephs remains and bury them there.