Genesis 48:9

9 He answered: They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said: Bring them to me, that I may 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 For, when I came out of Mesopotamia, Rachel died from me in the land of Chanaan in the very journey, and it was spring time: and I was going to Ephrata, and I buried her near the way of Ephrata, which by another name is called Bethlehem.
8 Then seeing his sons, he said to him: Who are these?
9 He answered: They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said: Bring them to me, that I may bless them.
10 For Israel’s eyes were dim by reason of his great age, and he could not see clearly. And when they were brought to him, he kissed and embraced them,
11 And said to his son: I am not deprived of seeing thee; moreover God hath shewn me thy seed.
The Douay-Rheims Bible is in the public domain.