Genesis 48:1-22 - Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

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Bible Comments

Genesis 47:27 to Genesis 48:22. Jacob Extracts an Oath that Joseph will Bury him in Canaan, and Blesses Ephraim and Manasseh.

Genesis 47:22 f., Genesis 48:3-6 belong to P. To J Genesis 47:29-31 may be assigned. Genesis 48:1 f., Genesis 48:8-22 was formerly attributed to E, recent critics assign it to JE. The analysis is somewhat as follows: E, Genesis 48:1-2 a, Genesis 48:8-9 a, Genesis 48:10 b, Genesis 48:11 f., Genesis 48:15 f., Genesis 48:20 (from In thee), Genesis 48:21 f. J, Genesis 48:2 b, Genesis 48:9 b, Genesis 48:10 a, Genesis 48:3 f., Genesis 48:17-19; Genesis 48:20 a (to day). The origin of Genesis 47:7 is uncertain, it is out of place here. It may have led up to a request for burial in Rachel's tomb, which had to be suppressed as it was in conflict with P's statement that he was buried in Machpelah (Genesis 50:13). But if so, the tomb would hardly have been called Rachel's sepulchre (1 Samuel 10:2) but Jacob's. From Genesis 50:5, however, it would seem that J represented Jacob as buried in a grave he had himself digged, rather than in the family grave. The blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh explains how it is that the two sons of Joseph ranked as two independent tribes; Jacob had adopted them by the ceremony of taking them between his knees (Genesis 48:12); also why Ephraim the younger was a mightier tribe than Manasseh the firstborn.

Genesis 47:29. Cf. Genesis 24:2 *.

Genesis 48:7. Cf. Genesis 35:16-20 *. by me: read mg

Genesis 47:8. Here Jacob can see, whereas in Genesis 47:10 a he is blind, like Isaac. In this story Jacob seems not to have seen them previously, so his death happened soon after his arrival in Egypt.

Genesis 47:22. cf. mg. The reference is to Shechem, where Joseph was buried (Joshua 24:32). We have no other account of any such capture by Jacob, who is nowhere represented as a warrior. Moreover the passage implies that Jacob had distributed their territory to all the tribes.

Related Commentaries of Genesis 48:1

Genesis 48:1-22

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 And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.

3 And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,

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.

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.

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, 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.

8 And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these?

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.

10 Now the eyes of Israel were dima 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 had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.

12 And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

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, 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.

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,

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 growb into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

17 And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeasedc 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 firstborn; 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 younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multituded of nations.

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.

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.

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.