Genesis 41:51

51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. "For," he said, "God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house."[a]

Genesis 41:51 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 41:51

And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh
Which signifies forgetfulness, as the reason of it shows: for God, [said he], hath made me forget all my toil, and all my
father's house;
all his toil and labour in Potiphar's house, and especially in the prison; and all the injuries his brethren had done him; all this he was made to forget by the grandeur and honour, wealth and riches, power and authority he was possessed of; and indeed he had so much business upon his hands, that he had scarce time to think of his father, and his family.

Genesis 41:51 In-Context

49 And Joseph stored up grain in great abundance, like the sand of the sea, until he ceased to measure it, for it could not be measured.
50 Before the year of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph. Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, bore them to him.
51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh. "For," he said, "God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house."
52 The name of the second he called Ephraim, "For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction."
53 The seven years of plenty that occurred in the land of Egypt came to an end,

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Manasseh sounds like the Hebrew for making to forget
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.