Bible Commentaries

Introduction

1	Joseph with his sons visits his sick father.
2	Jacob strengthens himself to bless them.
3	He repeats God's promise.
5	He takes Ephraim and Manasseh as his own sons.
7	He tells Joseph of his mother's grave.
8	He blesses Ephraim and Manasseh.
17	He prefers the younger before the elder.
21	He prophesies their return to Canaan.

Verse 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.

thy father

John 11:3

his two sons

41:50-52; 46:20; 50:23; Job 42:16; Psalms 128:6

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

strengthened

Deuteronomy 3:28; 1 Samuel 23:16; Nehemiah 2:18; Psalms 41:3; Proverbs 23:15; Ephesians 6:10

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

God

17:1; 28:3; 35:11; Exodus 6:3; Revelation 21:11

appeared

28:12-19; 35:6,7,9,11,12; Hosea 12:4

Luz

Judges 1:23

Verse 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.

Behold I

12:2; 13:15,16; 22:17; 26:4; 28:3,13-15; 32:12; 35:11; 46:3; 47:27; Exodus 1:7,11

will give

Deuteronomy 32:8; Amos 9:14,15

everlasting

17:8,13

Verse 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.

two sons

41:50-52; 46:20; Joshua 13:7; 14:4; 16:1-17

are mine

Leviticus 20:26; Numbers 1:10,32-35; 26:28-37; Isaiah 43:1; Ezekiel 16:8; Malachi 3:17; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Ephesians 1:5

Reuben

1 Chronicles 5:1,2; Revelation 7:6,7

Verse 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.

and shall be called

Joshua 14:4

Verse 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.

Padan

25:20

Rachel

35:9,16-19; 1 Samuel 10:2; Matthew 2:18

to Ephrath

Ruth 1:2; 1 Samuel 1:1; 17:12; Micah 5:2

Verse 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.

my sons

30:2; 33:5; Ruth 4:11-14; 1 Samuel 1:20,27; 2:20,21; 1 Chronicles 25:5; 26:4,5; Psalms 127:3; Isaiah 8:18; 56:3-5

bless them

27:4,28,29,34-40; 28:3,4; 49:28; Deuteronomy 33:1; Hebrews 11:21

Verse 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.

the eyes

27:1; 1 Samuel 3:2; 4:15

dim

Heb. heavy.

Isaiah 6:10; 59:1

kissed

27:27; 31:55; 45:15; 1 Kings 19:20

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

I had not

37:33,35; 42:36; 45:26

God

Ephesians 3:20

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

he bowed himself

Joseph thus shewed that his external greatness did not render him forgetful of the respect due to his father. The Egyptians were remarkable for the reverence paid to old age: "for if a young person meet his senior, he instantly turns aside to make way for him; if an aged person enter an apartment, the youth always rise from their seats;" and Mr. Savary observes, that the same reverence is still paid to old age in Egypt.

18:2; 19:1; 23:7; 33:3; 42:6; Exodus 20:12; 34:8; Leviticus 19:3,32; 1 Kings 2:19; 2 Kings 4:37; Proverbs 31:28; Ephesians 6:1

Verse 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.

his right hand

Exodus 15:6; Psalms 110:1; 118:16

and laid

Numbers 8:10,18; Deuteronomy 34:9; Matthew 19:13,15; 6:5; 16:18; Luke 4:40; 13:13; Acts 6:6; Acts 8:17-19; 13:3; 1 Timothy 4:14; 5:22

guiding

firstborn

18; 41:51; 46:20

Verse 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,

blessed

16; 27:4; 28:3; 49:28; Deuteronomy 33:1; Hebrews 11:21

did walk

5:22-24; 6:9; 17:1; 24:20; 1 Kings 3:6; Psalms 16:8; Isaiah 30:21; Jeremiah 8:2; Luke 1:6; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 2 Corinthians 1:12; Colossians 2:6; 1 Thessalonians 2:12

fed me

28:20,22; Psalms 23:1; 37:3; 103:4,5; Ecclesiastes 2:24,25; 5:12,18; 6:7; Isaiah 33:16; Matthew 6:25-34; 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Verse 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.

Angel

16:7-13; 28:15; 31:11-13; Exodus 3:2-6; 23:20,21; Judges 2:1-4; 6:21-24; Judges 13:21,22; Psalms 34:7,22; 121:7; Isaiah 47:4; 63:9; Hosea 12:4,5; Malachi 3:1; Acts 7:30-35; 1 Corinthians 10:4,9

redeemed

Psalms 34:2; Matthew 6:13; John 17:15; Romans 8:23; 2 Timothy 4:18; Titus 2:14

my name

5; 32:28; Deuteronomy 28:10; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Jeremiah 14:9; Amos 9:12; Acts 15:17

grow into

Heb. as fishes do increase.

1:21,22; Numbers 1:46; 26:34,37; Fish are the most prolific of all animals: a tench lays 1,000; eggs, a carp 20,000, and Leuwenhoek counted in a middling sized cod, 9,384,000.

a multitude

49:22; Exodus 1:7; Numbers 26:28-37; Deuteronomy 33:17; Joshua 17:17

Verse 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.

laid his

displeased him

Heb. was evil in his eyes.

28:8; 38:10; Numbers 11:1; 22:34; *marg:; 1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Kings 16:25; 1 Chronicles 21:7; Proverbs 24:18; Romans 9:7,8,11

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

Not so

19:18; Exodus 10:11; Matthew 25:9; Acts 10:14; 11:8

for this

27:15; 29:26; 43:33; 49:3

Verse 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.

said, I know it

14; 17:20,21; 25:28; Numbers 1:33-35; 2:19-21; Deuteronomy 33:17; Isaiah 7:17; Ezekiel 27:10; Revelation 7:6,8

become

Deuteronomy 1:10; Ruth 4:11,12

multitude

Heb. fulness.

Verse 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.

Israel bless

24:60; 28:3; Ruth 4:11,12

and he set

Numbers 2:18-21; 7:48,54; 10:22,23; 13:8,11,16

Verse 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.

Behold

50:24; 1 Kings 2:2-4; Psalms 146:3,4; Zechariah 1:5,6; Luke 2:29; Acts 13:36; 2 Timothy 4:6; Hebrews 7:3,8,23-25; 2 Peter 1:14

God

15:14; 28:15; 46:4; Deuteronomy 1:1-46; 31:8; Joshua 1:5,9; 3:7; 23:14; 24:1-33; Psalms 18:46

land

12:5; 26:3; 37:1

Verse 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.

given

33:19; Deuteronomy 21:17; Joshua 24:32; 1 Chronicles 5:2; Ezekiel 47:13; John 4:5

Amorite

15:16; 34:28; Joshua 17:14-18; Judges 11:23; Amos 2:9

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