Genesi 48:14

14 E Israele porse la sua man destra, e la pose sopra il capo di Efraim, ch’era il minore, e pose la sinistra sopra il capo di Manasse; e, benchè Manasse fosse il primogenito, nondimeno avvedutamente pose così le mani.

Genesi 48:14 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 48:14

And Israel stretched out his right hand
Not directly forward, but across, or otherwise it would have been laid on Manasseh, as Joseph designed it should by the position he placed him in: and laid [it] upon Ephraim's head, who [was] the younger,
the right hand being the strongest and most in use, as it was reckoned most honourable to sit at it, so to have it imposed, as being significative of the greater blessing: and his left hand upon Manasseh's head;
who was the older: guiding his hands wittingly;
this was not done accidentally, but on purpose: or made his "hands to understand" ^F17, they acted as if they understood what he would have done, as Aben Ezra; as if they were conscious of what should be, or would be; though he could not see clearly and distinctly, yet he knew, by the position of them before him, which was the elder and which was the younger: he knew that Joseph would set the firstborn in such a position before him as naturally to put his right hand on him, and the younger in such a position as that it would be readiest for him to put his left hand on him; and therefore, being under a divine impulse and spirit of prophecy, by which he discerned that the younger was to have the greater blessing, he crossed his bands, or changed them, and put his right hand on Ephraim, and his left hand on Manasseh: for Manasseh [was] the firstborn;
or rather, though ^F18 he was the firstborn, as Aben Ezra.

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FOOTNOTES:

F17 (wydy ta lkv) "intelligere fecit suas manus", Paguinus, Montanus, Vatablus, Drusius, Cartwright.
F18 (yk) "tametsi", Tigurine version; "quamvis", Piscator; so some in Fagius.

Genesi 48:14 In-Context

12 Poi Giuseppe, fattili levar d’appresso alle ginocchia di esso, s’inchinò con la faccia in terra.

13 E li prese amendue, e pose Efraim alla sua destra, dalla sinistra d’Israele; e Manasse alla sua sinistra, dalla destra d’Israele; e così glieli fece appressare.

14 E Israele porse la sua man destra, e la pose sopra il capo di Efraim, ch’era il minore, e pose la sinistra sopra il capo di Manasse; e, benchè Manasse fosse il primogenito, nondimeno avvedutamente pose così le mani.

15 E benedisse Giuseppe, e disse: Iddio, nel cui cospetto i miei padri, Abrahamo ed Isacco, son camminati; Iddio, che mi ha pasciuto da che io sono al mondo infino a questo giorno;

16 l’Angelo, che mi ha riscosso d’ogni male, benedica questi fanciulli, e sieno nominati del mio nome, e del nome de’ miei padri, Abrahamo ed Isacco; e moltiplichino copiosamente sulla terra.