The First Book of Moses, called Genesis
Genesis 48
Chapter XLVIII · Vol. I, pp. 292–293
1 Joseph with his sons visiteth his sick father, who strengtheneth himself to bless them. 3 He repeateth God's promise. 5 He taketh Ephraim and Manasseh as his own. 7 He telleth Joseph of his mother's grave. 8 He blesseth Ephraim and Manasseh. 17 He preferreth the younger before the elder. 21 He prophesieth their return to Canaan.
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.2
B.C. 1689.
2 Joseph, who could not be long absent from court, took leave of his father, but not without giving strict charge to some of the family, that upon the very first appearance of danger they should immediately send for him. Accordingly, as soon as word was brought him that his father was dying, he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him, and went to visit him; who, when he heard that his favourite son was come, summoned all his spirits together, and was so far revived as to be able to sit up in his bed.—Stackhouse.
2 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel astrengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
a Job 4.3,4.
3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, bGod Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
b ch.28.12-19; 35.6,7, 11.
4 And said unto me, Behold, cI 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.
c ch. 12. 2; 13. 15, 16; 17.8; 28.3,14; 32.12; 35. 11; 46.3; 47.27. Ex.1.7, 11. Thy natural seed shall long inherit Canaan, and thy spiritual seed shall enjoy the heavenly inheritance for ever.
5 And now thy dtwo 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.e
A.M. 2315. B.C. 1689.
d ch.41.50; 46.20. Jos. 13.7.
e Being heads of tribes, Jos. 14. 4; xvi. xvii. Nu.1.10,32-35; 26. 28-37. Thy other children shall be incorporated with the descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh.
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.
7 And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachelf 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 Beth-lehem.
f ch. 35. 19. 1 Sa. 10. 2. Mat.2.18. Rachel being dead, I have no hopes of more children.
8 And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?
9 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom gGod hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will hbless them.
10 (Now the eyes of Israel were idim 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 khad not thought to see thy face; and, lo, God hath showed me also thy seed.
k ch. 37. 33; 42. 36. Ep.3.20.
12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed lhimself with his face to the earth.
l ch.18.2; 19.1. Ex.20. 12. Le.19.3,32. Ep.6.1. 1 Ki.2.19. Pr.31.28. In reverence to his father, and in thankfulness for the honour and affection shown to him and his two sons.
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.
14 And Israel stretched out his right hand,3 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 mfirst-born.
3 Imposition of hands was a Jewish ceremony, introduced not by any divine authority, but by custom: it being the practice among these people, whenever they prayed to God for any person, to lay their hands on his head.
m ch. 41. 51; 46. 20; ver.18.
15 And nhe blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did owalk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
16 The pAngel4 which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my qname be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them rgrow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
p Mal.3. 1. ch.28.15; 31.11,13,24. Ex. 23. 20, 21, with 1 Co.10.4,9.
4 The messenger, the redeemer, or kinsman appointed, in the law of Moses, to redeem any alienated inheritance, Le.25.25; Ru.3. 12. In ch. 32. 24 we find Jacob engaged in prayerful wrestling with him whom, in ver 30, he calls God. Again, in Ho. 12. 4, 5 this same person is called the Angel, even the Lord God of hosts; and by combining these passages with 2 Ti. 4. 18, this glorious person is seen to be the Lord Jesus Christ, who is of 'the seed of David according to the flesh;' but, at the same time, 'God over all, blessed for ever,' Ro.9.5. C.——The form of the blessing is worthy of note. God is invoked as the God before whom his fathers walked, and as the God who provided for Jacob himself during his long life. The Angel is also invoked—that Angel of Jehovah who blessed him at Bethel, and saved him at Mahanaim. The construction of the passage shows that the Angel is regarded as equal with God and one with him. The Angel is the second person of the glorious Trinity.—P.
q ver.5. De. 28. 10. 2 Ch.7.14. Je.14.9.
A.M. 2315. B.C. 1689.
r ch.49.22. De.33.17. Nu.26.28,34,37. Jos.17. 17.
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 first-born: 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 syounger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.
s ch.17.20,21; 25. 23. Nu.1.33,35. The tribe of Ephraim became greatest in number, power, and dignity; Joshua, the conqueror of Canaan, and Jeroboam, the first king of Israel, being of it. Nu. 13. 8, 16. 1 Ki.11.26,28; xii.
20 And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, tGod make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh. And he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
t Ru.4.11,12.
21 And Israel said unto Joseph, uBehold, I die; but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.
u ch.50.24. 1 Ki.2.2-4. 2 Pe.1.14. 2 Ti. 4. 6. Lu. 2. 29. Jos. xxiii. xxiv. De.i.-xxxiii.
22 Moreover, I have given xto thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.
x As my first-born, De. 21. 17. Jos. 24. 32. Jn.4.5. ch.33.19. What I first purchased, and afterwards recovered by force from those Canaanites who had robbed me of it.
Notes
[Ver. 8. Beheld. Jacob, who is here said to behold Joseph's sons, is represented, ver. 10, as not able to see; some have therefore supposed the verses contradictory. They are not so. Jacob's eyes are only said to have been dim, not blind, so that he could not see more than dimly, and not being familiar with Joseph's sons he had to inquire who they were. C.]
Ver. 14. Laying on of hands was used (1) In blessing a person, Mat. 19. 15. (2) In transferring the guilt of offenders on the sacrifices offered for them, and devoting them to God's service, Le. 1. 4; 16. 21. (3) In judging, condemning, and punishing, Le. 24. 14. (4) In the miraculous curing of distempers, Mar. 6. 5; 16. 18; Lu. 4. 40; 13. 13; Ac. 19. 11; 28. 5. (5) In conferring the miraculous influence of the Holy Ghost, Ac. 8. 17; 19. 6. (6) In ordination of men to office, Nu. 8. 10, 20; 27. 18, 23; De. 34. 9; Ac. 6. 6; 14. 23.
Ver. 22. [Reference is made to that 'parcel of a field' which Jacob bought from the children of Hamor, at Shechem. It would appear that after the purchase it had been seized by the Canaanites, and that Jacob had taken it from them by force. After the exodus it became the centre of Ephraim's allotted territory, and one of the strongholds of Israel. P.]
Reflections.—It is becoming, and highly profitable, for children to visit their godly parents in their dying moments: and while it is necessary for parents to make their last wills with the greatest exactness, that there may be no disputes relative to them after they are dead, it is peculiarly useful and pleasant for them to commemorate at such a time God's former kindnesses to their soul. How encouraging is it to found our prayers for, and our expectations of, the prosperity of our friends upon the promises of God, intimated to ourselves! and how pleasant to think of such deceased friends as we hope to meet in glory! The favours of God often exceed the hopes of his people, and sweetly compel them to the most abundant praise! and what a mercy is redemption through Jesus' blood! It is peculiarly precious in a dying hour, and is sweeter than honey and the honey-comb. Surely it becomes those who have shared it to mention the same, and bear testimony for God for the encouragement of others whom they leave behind. How the compassion of God shines in accepting one person as well as another! But rejoice, my soul, that the Lord hath made us Gentiles fruitful in the land of our affliction. He hath blessed our church with numbers and privileges far superior to those of Israel his first-born. In infinite mercy, when our godly relations forsake us by death, our God remains with us! Nay, since Jesus has left us, by going to the Father, the Lord the Spirit supplies his place, to guard and guide us to the promised inheritance.