#124 Crossing of the Hands Genesis 48

Genesis 48 KJV

Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, “Indeed your father is sick”; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And Jacob was told, “Look, your son Joseph is coming to you”; and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. 3 Then Jacob said to Joseph: “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’ 5 And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 6 Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”8 Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?”9 And Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.”And he said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.” 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!”12 So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. 14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said:

“God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,

The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,

16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil,

Bless the lads;

Let my name be named upon them,

And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;

And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

17 Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”

Jacob is ill and so his son brings his own two children to visit their grandfather. Jacob gives an oral history of the family's relationship to God and the covenant promise. He then adopts Joseph's first and second born into the ranks of his own. He states as Reuben and Simeon they shall be mine. Reuben and Simeon being his first and second born raises questions of substitution. Both have committed sins against Jacob directly and indirectly. They have not stood out as leaders of the clan, and as we have seen in the past, God is not a respecter of persons or bound by traditions. Manasseh is Joseph's first born son, and therefore as customary, he is brought to the right hand of his grandfather. Jacob chooses to place his right over the younger, Ephraim's head instead. Joseph is displeased with this and tries to correct it, but Jacob insists, and the blessing appears to be of a prophetic nature. Ephraim does rise to the lead among the other tribes and his name becomes synonymous with the northern kingdom. As I study more about Ephraim though it would appear that his glory becomes his curse. 

When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling. He exalted himself in Israel, But through Baal he did wrong and died. 2And now they sin more and more, And make for themselves molten images, Idols skillfully made from their silver, All of them the work of craftsmen. They say of them, "Let the men who sacrifice kiss the calves!"… Hosea 13:1&2

Ephraim possesses strong political ties to the tribes of Manasseh and Benjamin. She is also cited for not separating from the people of the land she inhabits.

…9And as raiders wait for a man, So a band of priests murder on the way to Shechem; Surely they have committed crime. 10In the house of Israel I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim's harlotry is there, Israel has defiled itself. 11Also, O Judah, there is a harvest appointed for you, When I restore the fortunes of My people. Hosea 6:10

Also of interesting note is Revelation 7, where Ephraim is not listed with the tribes. Some suggest that Joseph is given as surname, and Ephraim is therefore represented. I am not sure that it implies more than that, but  it is  curious.

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 2Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: 3“Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” 4Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.

5From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed,

from the tribe of Reuben 12,000,

from the tribe of Gad 12,000,

6from the tribe of Asher 12,000,

from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000,

from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000,

7from the tribe of Simeon 12,000,

from the tribe of Levi 12,000,

from the tribe of Issachar 12,000,

8from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000,

from the tribe of Joseph 12,000,

from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.