Genesis 47-48
26 Feb 2026 - Theology
Israel Blesses Joseph’s Sons
Genesis 47
Jacob’s story is not over yet.
Genesis 47:29-31 - “And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said. And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head.”
“put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh”
He meant that Joseph should swear by his covenant of circumcision, as previously seen in Genesis 24:2 with Abraham and his servant Eliezer.
Jacob does not want to die in Egypt. God’s promises were not about Egypt, they were about a land, through which they would bless the rest of the world. Jacob wanted to die in the land of Canaan and be buried with his fathers (Abraham and Isaac) in the cave in the field of Machpelah.
Which father figure is Joseph going to be loyal to? Is he going to be loyal to Pharaoh and a life of comfort, or will he be loyal to Jacob and the mission of God to put the world back together?
Genesis 48
In this chapter Jacob blesses Joseph and his sons Ephraim and Manasseh.
Genesis 48-3-4 - “And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz 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.”
See Genesis 28:13,19 and Genesis 35:6,9-15
In Genesis 48:5, Jacob “adopts” Joseph’s sons, saying they are his as much as Reuben and Simeon are. So Ephraim and Manasseh “become” his youngest sons, with Ephraim the very youngest.
Genesis 48:9-10 - “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. 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.”
This reminds us of when Jacob stole Esau’s blessing in Genesis 27, as his father Isaac had weak eyes and could not see. Here Jacob is in the same position that his father was.
Genesis 27:1 - “And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I.”
Israel (Jacob) put his hands on the boys heads to bless them. He placed his right hand on the head of Ephraim and his left hand of the head of Manasseh (14).
Genesis 48:14 - “guiding his hand wittingly”
Genesis 48:19 - “And his father [Israel] 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.”
In this way Israel put the younger son, Ephraim, first. This was not normal in ancient times. The blessing and the birthright usually was given to the oldest son in the family. Yet throughout Genesis we have consistently seen things reversed, with the younger son being favored. Why is this?
- Cain and Abel
- Abram, Nahor, and Haran
- Isaac and Ishmael
- Jacob and Esau
- Joseph and his brothers
- Ephraim and Manasseh
Each time a younger child in Genesis receives the special blessing, it reminds us that even the small, young, and seemingly insignificant can be the most treasured and the most blessed by God.
Genesis 48:20-22 - “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. And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. 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.”
References
- The Hebrew - Greek Key Study Bible (KJV Version)
- The BEMA Podcast, Episode 16: Out of the Pit
- The Torah Portion-by-Portion by Rabbi Seymour Rossel (2007)
- Primogeniture