Genesis 48:20

Then Jacob blessed them with these words and said, “When Israelite people pray to God and ask him to bless other people and make them strong, they will say, ‘O God make this person just like Efraim and Manasseh.’” In this way Israel made Efraim more important than Manasseh.

Barkly (portions)

In The King James Version

And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

In Context

19But his father would not move his hand. He said to Joseph, “I know that he was born first. He will be a great man and a big family will come from him. But I tell you the younger brother will be more important than the older brother, and a group of nations will come from his family.”

21Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but I know that God will be with all of my family. And one day God will take you all back to the country your father and grandfather came from.

Read all of Genesis 48

Cross References

Ruth 4:11All the elders and people at the meeting said to Boaz, “Yes, we are your witnesses. This is our prayer for you and Ruth as you get married and live together. We ask the Lord to give Ruth a lot of children like Rachel and Leah, our grandmothers from a long time ago. They had a lot of children with Jacob, and from those children the nation of Israel got really big. Boaz, we ask the Lord to give you a good life here with the Ef-rath (Ephrath) clan. We ask the Lord to make you an important man here in Bethlehem so that everyone respects you.

Matthew Henry on Genesis 48:9-22

Jacob Blesses the Sons of Joseph; Jacob's Dying Prophecy. ( b. c. 1689.) 8 And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these? 9 And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. 10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them. 11 And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Genesis 48:20