Genesis 41:51

51 Joseph named the oldest son Manasseh,"because," he said, "God has helped me forget all of my troubles and everyone in my father's household."

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 Joseph amassed grain like the sand of the sea. There was so much that he stopped trying to measure it because it was beyond measuring.

50 Before the years of famine arrived, Asenath the daughter of Potiphera, priest of Heliopolis, gave birth to two sons for Joseph.

51 Joseph named the oldest son Manasseh,"because," he said, "God has helped me forget all of my troubles and everyone in my father's household."

52 He named the second Ephraim,"because," he said, "God has given me children in the land where I've been treated harshly."

53 The seven years of abundance in the land of Egypt came to an end,

Footnotes

• [a]. Or making forget