seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Genesis 48:48 Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him. 2 When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up on the bed.
3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty[a] appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me 4 and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’
5 “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6 Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. 7 As I was returning from Paddan,(b) to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
3 Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty[a] appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me 4 and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’
5 “Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine. 6 Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers. 7 As I was returning from Paddan,(b) to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
a. Genesis 48:3 Hebrew El-Shaddai
b. Genesis 48:7 That is, Northwest Mesopotamia
So, the way I read this, the two sons of Joseph get a share equal to their uncle's share?
Here's what it says at blueletterbible.org.
Reuben and Simeon were the first and second born of Israel. Jacob receives the two sons of Joseph as adopted into the family at the highest level (as if they were the first and second born).
And, perhaps, they are "replacements" for Reuben and Simeon, who were in a sense disqualified from positions of status and leadership in Israel's family because of their sin (Genesis 34:25, 35:22).
Jacob's adoption of Manasseh and Ephraim explains why there are 12 tribes often listed in different combinations. Because of this adoption, there are actually 13 sons of Israel. The 12 were born, but Joseph was divided into two tribes.
Bible-commentaries.com explains it better.
Jacob's quote was not a literal one but he gave the essence of God's promise to him; the main point being that God would make him fruitful and give him the land. Having established his claim on God's promise he adopts Joseph's sons as his own. On the basis of Jacob's words Ephraim and Manasseh later became two separate tribes in Israel. There was no tribe of Joseph. The fact that the total of the tribes added up to twelve is due to the fact that Levi was set apart as the tribe of priests and temple servants.
In vs. Jacob says: "Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers." There is no indication that Joseph ever had more than these two sons. Jacob's words may refer to Joseph's grandchildren. The intent of the words is probably to make a stipulation about the division of the land. Any other children of Joseph would not inherit separately, there would not be three tribes of Joseph or more.
In vs. Jacob says: "Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers." There is no indication that Joseph ever had more than these two sons. Jacob's words may refer to Joseph's grandchildren. The intent of the words is probably to make a stipulation about the division of the land. Any other children of Joseph would not inherit separately, there would not be three tribes of Joseph or more.
This same commentary talks about verse 7.
Jacob still harbors the sadness of Rachel's death. His thoughts go back over the time when Benjamin was born at Bethlehem and his mother died in childbirth. The picture of an old man, full of memories of the past, is painted in a beautiful way in these verses. Jacob shows on the one hand deep spirituality and divine authority, on the other hand he still carries with a heavy load of sadness of a long life full of emotional scars.
There is still a place along the road in Bethlehem that is called "Rachel's grave." Whether it is an authentic landmark or not is hard to prove.
There is still a place along the road in Bethlehem that is called "Rachel's grave." Whether it is an authentic landmark or not is hard to prove.
Here's a link to show the site.
This is what Bible.org has to say about it.
He recognized that Rachel may have been capable of having more sons so in effect, Ephraim and Manasseh took the place of other sons that Rachel might have been expected to bear if she had continued to live.
I learned a lot this morning. When I was reading the Bible for the story I missed all this legal stuff. Now I'm afraid for Joseph's children. Simeon is a murderer.
