Genesis 48 – Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh

Overview: The Sovereignty of God’s Blessing

🔹 Timeframe: Near Jacob’s death, while Israel dwells in Egypt.

🔹 Setting: Jacob’s bedside, as he prepares to pass the blessing.

🔹 Theme: God’s sovereignty in choosing whom to bless.

Key Takeaways

🔑 God’s blessings often defy human expectations.

🔑 Faith in God’s promises should be passed to future generations.

🔑 God’s plan is bigger than earthly traditions—He chooses whom He wills.

Prophetic Patterns & Dual Fulfillment

🔮 The Younger Over the Elder – Seen in Jacob over Esau, David over his brothers, and Christ over Adam.

🔮 Ephraim’s Greater Blessing – Foreshadowing the inclusion of the Gentiles in the New Covenant.

🔮 Joseph’s Extra Portion – Reflecting Christ’s exaltation and inheritance beyond His brethren.

Historical & Cultural Context

📜 Patriarchal Blessings – The firstborn traditionally received the primary blessing, yet God often overturned this custom.

📜 Tribal Inheritance – This blessing established Ephraim and Manasseh as tribal leaders in Israel.

📜 Egyptian Influence – Joseph’s sons were born in Egypt, yet fully claimed as Israelites.

💡 Final Reflection: Trusting God’s Sovereign Plan

Jacob’s blessing of Ephraim over Manasseh demonstrates that God’s choices surpass human tradition. Likewise, God’s grace is not based on earthly qualifications, but on His divine will.

📌 Do we accept God’s plan, even when it challenges our expectations?
📌 Are we preparing future generations to walk in faith?
📌 Have we embraced that God’s ways are higher than our own?

🚀 Genesis 48 reminds us that God’s choices are sovereign, and His plans exceed human understanding.

Jacob Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh
Gen 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. 
Gen 48:2  And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. 
Gen 48:3  And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, 
Gen 48:4  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. 
Gen 48:5  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. 
Gen 48:6  And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance. 
Gen 48:7  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. 
Gen 48:8  And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these? 
Gen 48:9  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. 
Gen 48:10  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. 
Gen 48:11  And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed. 
Gen 48:12  And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 
Gen 48:13  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. 
Gen 48:14  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. 
Gen 48:15  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, 
Gen 48:16  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. 
Gen 48:17  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. 
Gen 48:18  And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. 
Gen 48:19  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. 
Gen 48:20  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. 
Gen 48:21  And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. 
Gen 48:22  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.