Genesis 48:20

20 benedixitque eis in ipso tempore dicens in te benedicetur Israhel atque dicetur faciat tibi Deus sicut Ephraim et sicut Manasse constituitque Ephraim ante Manassen

Genesis 48:20 Meaning and Commentary

Genesis 48:20

And he blessed them that day
That Joseph visited him, and this be did "by faith"; believing that what he had said concerning them would be accomplished, as the apostle observes, ( Hebrews 11:21 ) ; saying, in thee shall Israel bless;
in Joseph, as the Targum of Jonathan, that is, in his seed, in his sons Ephraim and Manasseh, when the Israelites blessed any, they should make use of their names: saying, God make thee as Ephraim and Manasseh:
as great and honourable, as rich and wealthy, as fruitful and prosperous as they; and the Targum says, this custom continues with the Jews to this day, to put their hands on persons to bless them; if a son, they say,

``God make thee as Ephraim and Manasseh;''

if a daughter,

``God make thee as Sarah and Rebekah:''

and he set Ephraim before Manasseh;
not only in this form of benediction, but in all that he had said and done before; he preferred him to Manasseh by putting his right hand upon him, and giving him the superior blessing: and it is no unusual thing for the younger to be set before the elder, both by God and man, but especially by the Lord, who seeth not as man seeth, and proceeds not according to carnal descent, or those rules men go by: there had been many instances before this, as Abel was preferred to Cain, Shem to Japheth, Abraham to Nahor, Isaac to Ishmael, and Jacob to Esau; as there were after it, as Moses to Aaron, and David to his brethren.

Genesis 48:20 In-Context

18 dixitque ad patrem non ita convenit pater quia hic est primogenitus pone dexteram tuam super caput eius

19 qui rennuens ait scio fili mi scio et iste quidem erit in populos et multiplicabitur sed frater eius iunior maior illo erit et semen illius crescet in gentes

20 benedixitque eis in ipso tempore dicens in te benedicetur Israhel atque dicetur faciat tibi Deus sicut Ephraim et sicut Manasse constituitque Ephraim ante Manassen

21 et ait ad Ioseph filium suum en ego morior et erit Deus vobiscum reducetque vos ad terram patrum vestrorum

22 do tibi partem unam extra fratres tuos quam tuli de manu Amorrei in gladio et arcu meo