Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Genesis 48

Introduction

1  Joseph with his sons visits his sick father.
2  Jacob strengthens himself to bless them.
3  He repeats God's promise.
5  He takes Ephraim and Manasseh as his own sons.
7  He tells Joseph of his mother's grave.
8  He blesses Ephraim and Manasseh.
17  He prefers the younger before the elder.
21  He prophesies their return to Canaan.

Verse 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.
thy father
John 11:3
his two sons
41:50-52, 46:20, 50:23, Job 42:16, Psalms 128:6

Verse 2

And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
strengthened
Deuteronomy 3:28, 1 Samuel 23:16, Nehemiah 2:18, Psalms 41:3, Proverbs 23:15, Ephesians 6:10

Verse 3

And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,
God
17:1, 28:3, 35:11, Exodus 6:3, Revelation 21:11
appeared
28:12-19, 35:6,7,9,11,12, Hosea 12:4
Luz
Judges 1:23

Verse 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.
Behold I
12:2, 13:15,16, 22:17, 26:4, 28:3,13-15, 32:12, 35:11, 46:3, 47:27, Exodus 1:7,11
will give
Deuteronomy 32:8, Amos 9:14,15
everlasting
17:8,13

Verse 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.
two sons
41:50-52, 46:20, Joshua 13:7, 14:4, 16:1-17
are mine
Leviticus 20:26, Numbers 1:10,32-35, 26:28-37, Isaiah 43:1, Ezekiel 16:8, Malachi 3:17, 2 Corinthians 6:18, Ephesians 1:5
Reuben
1 Chronicles 5:1,2, Revelation 7:6,7

Verse 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.
and shall be called
Joshua 14:4

Verse 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.
Padan
25:20
Rachel
35:9,16-19, 1 Samuel 10:2, Matthew 2:18
to Ephrath
Ruth 1:2, 1 Samuel 1:1, 17:12, Micah 5:2

Verse 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.
my sons
30:2, 33:5, Ruth 4:11-14, 1 Samuel 1:20,27, 2:20,21, 1 Chronicles 25:5, 26:4,5, Psalms 127:3, Isaiah 8:18, 56:3-5
bless them
27:4,28,29,34-40, 28:3,4, 49:28, Deuteronomy 33:1, Hebrews 11:21

Verse 10

Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.
the eyes
27:1, 1 Samuel 3:2, 4:15
dim
Heb. heavy.
Isaiah 6:10, 59:1
kissed
27:27, 31:55, 45:15, 1 Kings 19:20

Verse 11

And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.
I had not
37:33,35, 42:36, 45:26
God
Ephesians 3:20

Verse 12

And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
he bowed himself
Joseph thus shewed that his external greatness did not render him forgetful of the respect due to his father. The Egyptians were remarkable for the reverence paid to old age: "for if a young person meet his senior, he instantly turns aside to make way for him; if an aged person enter an apartment, the youth always rise from their seats;" and Mr. Savary observes, that the same reverence is still paid to old age in Egypt.
18:2, 19:1, 23:7, 33:3, 42:6, Exodus 20:12, 34:8, Leviticus 19:3,32, 1 Kings 2:19, 2 Kings 4:37, Proverbs 31:28, Ephesians 6:1

Verse 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.
his right hand
Exodus 15:6, Psalms 110:1, 118:16
and laid
Numbers 8:10,18, Deuteronomy 34:9, Matthew 19:13,15, 6:5, 16:18, Luke 4:40, 13:13, Acts 6:6, Acts 8:17-19, 13:3, 1 Timothy 4:14, 5:22
guiding
firstborn
18, 41:51, 46:20

Verse 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,
blessed
16, 27:4, 28:3, 49:28, Deuteronomy 33:1, Hebrews 11:21
did walk
5:22-24, 6:9, 17:1, 24:20, 1 Kings 3:6, Psalms 16:8, Isaiah 30:21, Jeremiah 8:2, Luke 1:6, 1 Corinthians 10:31, 2 Corinthians 1:12, Colossians 2:6, 1 Thessalonians 2:12
fed me
28:20,22, Psalms 23:1, 37:3, 103:4,5, Ecclesiastes 2:24,25, 5:12,18, 6:7, Isaiah 33:16, Matthew 6:25-34, 1 Timothy 6:6-10

Verse 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 grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
Angel
16:7-13, 28:15, 31:11-13, Exodus 3:2-6, 23:20,21, Judges 2:1-4, 6:21-24, Judges 13:21,22, Psalms 34:7,22, 121:7, Isaiah 47:4, 63:9, Hosea 12:4,5, Malachi 3:1, Acts 7:30-35, 1 Corinthians 10:4,9
redeemed
Psalms 34:2, Matthew 6:13, John 17:15, Romans 8:23, 2 Timothy 4:18, Titus 2:14
my name
5, 32:28, Deuteronomy 28:10, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Jeremiah 14:9, Amos 9:12, Acts 15:17
grow into
Heb. as fishes do increase.
1:21,22, Numbers 1:46, 26:34,37, Fish are the most prolific of all animals: a tench lays 1,000, eggs, a carp 20,000, and Leuwenhoek counted in a middling sized cod, 9,384,000.
a multitude
49:22, Exodus 1:7, Numbers 26:28-37, Deuteronomy 33:17, Joshua 17:17

Verse 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.
laid his
displeased him
Heb. was evil in his eyes.
28:8, 38:10, Numbers 11:1, 22:34; *marg:; 1 Samuel 16:7, 1 Kings 16:25, 1 Chronicles 21:7, Proverbs 24:18, Romans 9:7,8,11

Verse 18

And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
Not so
19:18, Exodus 10:11, Matthew 25:9, Acts 10:14, 11:8
for this
27:15, 29:26, 43:33, 49:3

Verse 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 multitude of nations.
said, I know it
14, 17:20,21, 25:28, Numbers 1:33-35, 2:19-21, Deuteronomy 33:17, Isaiah 7:17, Ezekiel 27:10, Revelation 7:6,8
become
Deuteronomy 1:10, Ruth 4:11,12
multitude
Heb. fulness.

Verse 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.
Israel bless
24:60, 28:3, Ruth 4:11,12
and he set
Numbers 2:18-21, 7:48,54, 10:22,23, 13:8,11,16

Verse 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.
Behold
50:24, 1 Kings 2:2-4, Psalms 146:3,4, Zechariah 1:5,6, Luke 2:29, Acts 13:36, 2 Timothy 4:6, Hebrews 7:3,8,23-25, 2 Peter 1:14
God
15:14, 28:15, 46:4, Deuteronomy 1:1-46, 31:8, Joshua 1:5,9, 3:7, 23:14, 24:1-33, Psalms 18:46
land
12:5, 26:3, 37:1

Verse 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.
given
33:19, Deuteronomy 21:17, Joshua 24:32, 1 Chronicles 5:2, Ezekiel 47:13, John 4:5
Amorite
15:16, 34:28, Joshua 17:14-18, Judges 11:23, Amos 2:9

Comments



Back to Top

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first!

Add Comment

* Required information
Powered by Commentics
Back to Top