In brief
Ephraim and Manasseh are the two sons of Joseph, born in Egypt to Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, before the seven years of famine. Manasseh is the firstborn, Ephraim the younger. At the end of his life, Jacob adopts them as his own sons and blesses them, deliberately placing his right hand on Ephraim. They become two tribes of Israel. We remember that God comforts in trial, makes fruitful in affliction, and gives his blessing by grace, not by birth order.
What does the name Ephraim and Manasseh mean?
The Bible explains both names itself. Joseph calls the firstborn Manasseh, saying “God has made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house,” and the second Ephraim, “For God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction” (Genesis 41:51-52).
The story of Ephraim and Manasseh
Two sons born in Egypt
Genesis 41:50-52Before the years of famine, Asenath, daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bears Joseph two sons. The firstborn is named Manasseh, because God has made Joseph forget his toil and his father’s house. The second is called Ephraim, because God has made him fruitful in the land of his affliction. Both names bear witness to God’s faithfulness.
Adopted by Jacob
Genesis 48:1-7When Jacob falls ill, Joseph comes to see him with his two sons. Jacob recalls the promise God Almighty made to him at Luz. Then he declares, “Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, will be mine.” Joseph’s two sons are thus counted among Jacob’s sons, and the children Joseph has afterward will inherit under their name.
The crossed hands
Genesis 48:8-14Jacob, whose eyes are dim, kisses the two boys. Joseph places Manasseh, the firstborn, toward his father’s right hand, and Ephraim toward his left. But Jacob stretches out his right hand on the head of Ephraim, the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head. The text says he guides his hands knowingly.
Jacob’s blessing
Genesis 48:15-20Jacob blesses Joseph by invoking the God of Abraham and Isaac, the God who has shepherded him all his life. Joseph tries to move his father’s right hand to Manasseh, but Jacob refuses: Manasseh will also be great, yet his younger brother will be greater. He puts Ephraim before Manasseh and gives a formula of blessing for all Israel.
Many descendants
Genesis 50:22-23Joseph lives one hundred ten years. He sees Ephraim’s children to the third generation, and the children of Machir, Manasseh’s son, are born on his knees. Jacob’s word begins to be fulfilled before his eyes: the two children born in Egypt become the root of two tribes of Israel.
Test your knowledge
What Ephraim and Manasseh teaches us
- God can make us forget our troubles and make us fruitful in the very place where we have suffered.
- God’s grace does not always follow human order: he often chooses the smallest or the younger.
- Blessing the next generation is an act of faith that recalls God’s faithfulness in our story.
- What God did for our fathers, he can continue in the lives of our children.
Key verses
Joseph gives his sons names that tell of God’s work in his life. Believers, too, can name the graces they have received in the heart of hardship.
Jacob blesses by remembering the God who led him and delivered him from all evil. The blessing rests on what God has already done in the family.
Jacob is not mistaken in crossing his hands. He announces that the younger will be greater than the elder and shows that God freely disposes of his blessing.
The letter to the Hebrews counts the blessing of Joseph’s sons among the acts of faith. The dying Jacob looks toward the future God promised to his descendants.
Bible verses to meditate on
Sermons about Ephraim and Manasseh
Frequently asked questions
Why did Jacob bless Ephraim before Manasseh?
Jacob crossed his hands knowingly, placing his right hand on the younger. When Joseph tries to correct him, he answers that Manasseh will become great, but that his younger brother will be greater than he (Genesis 48:14-19). The Bible presents this choice as a prophetic word, without giving any other explanation.
What do the names Ephraim and Manasseh mean?
The Bible itself gives their meaning. Manasseh is tied to forgetting: God made Joseph forget all his toil. Ephraim is tied to fruitfulness: God made him fruitful in the land of his affliction (Genesis 41:51-52).
Where is the story of Ephraim and Manasseh found in the Bible?
Their birth is told in Genesis 41:50-52. Their adoption and blessing by Jacob are in Genesis 48. Genesis 50:23 mentions their descendants, and Hebrews 11:21 recalls the faith of Jacob who blessed them. Their tribes then appear throughout Israel’s history.