Genesis 48
Genesis 48:1 It happened after this, Joseph was told, “Notice, your father is ill.” So, he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
Genesis 48:2 And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel made himself strong and sat up in bed.
Genesis 48:3 And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me,
Genesis 48:4 and said to me, ‘See, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your seed after you to permanently possess.’
Genesis 48:5 And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.
Genesis 48:6 And the children that you fathered after them will be yours. They will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.
Genesis 48:7 As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”
Genesis 48:8 Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and he said, “Who are these?”
Genesis 48:9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.”
Genesis 48:10 The eyes of Israel had grown dim with age, so that he could not see well. So, Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them.
Genesis 48:11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and see, God has let me see your seed also.”
Genesis 48:12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the ground.
Genesis 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 stood them near him.
Genesis 48:14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (because Manasseh was the firstborn).
Genesis 48:15 And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day,
Genesis 48:16 the agent who has redeemed me from all evil, bless these boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a huge number in the midst of the land.”
Genesis 48:17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it upset him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.
Genesis 48:18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not like this, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.”
Genesis 48:19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also will become a people, and he also will be numerous. But his younger brother will become more numerous than him, and his seed will become a number of nations.”
Genesis 48:20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “Because of you Israel will pronounce blessings, and this is what he said, ‘May God make you like Ephraim and as Manasseh.'” In this way he put Ephraim before Manasseh.
Genesis 48:21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Notice, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers.
Genesis 48:22 Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I personally took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
Genesis 48 quotes:
“When you bless another person, you are proclaiming in faith what he or she shall become! The words you are speaking are not just empty sounds falling off of the tip of your tongue. By the power of a faith-filled spoken blessing you can speak life into another person’s future. And when that person is in the coming generation, you also break the chains to your past.”
Früh, Aaron. The Forgotten Blessing: Ancient Words That Heal Generational Wounds. Chosen Books, 2006. p. 116.
“Joseph was displeased when his father laid his right hand on Ephraim’s head. He grasped his fathers hand and attempted to correct the switch. Jacob’s blessing, however, was given under the direction of the Spirit of God. Though nature’s eyes were dim, faith’s vision was sharp. Jacob refused Joseph’s correction and said, “I know it, my son, | 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’ (Genesis 48:19).”
McQuay, Earl P. Joseph: Seeing God in the Worst of Times. Acćent Books, 1989. p. 119.
“God is a relentless promise keeper. Keep this in mind the next time you come across a promise in the Bible.”
Rhodes, Ron. 40 Days through Genesis. Harvest House, 2015. p. 272.
Genesis 48 links:
fighting the temptations of fatherhood
passing on a spiritual legacy
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