Genesis 48:9

9 Yosef answered his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." Ya'akov replied, "I want you to bring them here to me, so that I can bless them."

Genesis 48:9 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 48:9

And Joseph said unto his father, they [are] my sons, whom God
hath given me in this [place]
In the land of Egypt; he accounts his sons as the gifts of God, as children are, ( Psalms 127:3 ) ; and it was not only a sentiment of the Jews, that children are the gift of God; hence the names of Mattaniah, Nathaniel but of Heathens, as the Greeks and Romans, among whom are frequent the names of men which show it, as Theodorus, Deodatus, Apollodorus, Artemidorus and he said, bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them;
not in a common way, barely wishing them prosperity and happiness, but as a patriarch and prophet, under the influence and inspiration of the Spirit of God, declaring what would befall them, and what blessings they should be partakers of, in time to come.

Genesis 48:9 In-Context

7 "Now as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died suddenly, as we were traveling through the land of Kena'an, while we were still some distance from Efrat; so I buried her there on the way to Efrat (also known as Beit-Lechem)."
8 Then Isra'el noticed Yosef's sons and asked, "Whose are these?"
9 Yosef answered his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." Ya'akov replied, "I want you to bring them here to me, so that I can bless them."
10 Now Isra'el's eyes were dim with age, so that he could not see. Yosef brought his sons near to him, and he kissed them and embraced them.
11 Isra'el said to Yosef, "I never expected to see even you again, but God has allowed me to see your children too!"
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.