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Genesis Chapter
Forty-eight
Genesis 48
Outlines
New King James Version
(NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO
GENESIS 48
Joseph, hearing that his
father Jacob was sick, paid him a visit, Genesis 49:1; at
which time Jacob gave him an account of the Lord's appearing to him at Luz, and
of the promise he made unto him, Genesis 49:3; then
he adopted his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and blessed them, and Joseph
also, Genesis 49:5; and
whereas he crossed his hands when he blessed the sons of Joseph, putting his
right hand on the youngest, and his left hand on the eldest, which was
displeasing to Joseph, he gave him a reason for so doing, Genesis 49:17; and
then assured him that God would bring him, and the rest of his posterity, into
the land of Canaan, where he assigned him a particular portion above his
brethren, Genesis 49:21.
Genesis 48:1. Now it came to
pass after these things that Joseph was told, “Indeed your father is
sick”; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
YLT 1And it cometh to pass, after these things,
that [one] saith to Joseph, `Lo, thy father is sick;' and he taketh his two
sons with him, Manasseh and Ephraim.
And it came to
pass after these things,....
Some little time after
Jacob had sent for Joseph, and conversed with him about his burial in the land
of Canaan, and took an oath to bury him there, for then the time drew nigh that
he must die:
that one
told Joseph, behold, thy father is sick;
he was very infirm when he
was last with him, and his natural strength decaying apace, by which he knew
his end was near; but now he was seized with a sickness which threatened him
with death speedily, and therefore very probably dispatched a messenger to
acquaint Joseph with it. Jarchi fancies that Ephraim, the son of Joseph, lived
with Jacob in the land of Goshen, and when he was sick went and told his father
of it, but this is not likely from what follows:
and he took
with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim;
to see their grandfather
before he died, to hear his dying words, and receive his blessing.
Genesis 48:2. 2 And
Jacob was told, “Look, your son Joseph is coming to you”; and Israel
strengthened himself and sat up on the bed.
YLT 2And [one] declareth to Jacob, and saith, `Lo,
thy son Joseph is coming unto thee;' and Israel doth strengthen himself, and
sit upon the bed.
And one
told Jacob,....
The same that came from
Jacob to Joseph might be sent back by him to, his father, to let him know that
he was coming to see him, or some other messenger sent on purpose; for it can
hardly be thought that this was an accidental thing on either side:
and said,
behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee;
to pay him a visit, and
which no doubt gave him a pleasure, he being his beloved son, as well as he was
great and honourable:
and Israel
strengthened himself, and sat upon his bed;
his spirits revived, his
strength renewed, he got fresh vigour on hearing his son Joseph was coming; and
he exerted all his strength, and raised himself up by the help of his staff,
and sat upon his bed to receive his son's visit; for now it was when he blessed
the sons of Joseph, that he leaned upon the top of his staff and worshipped, as
the apostle says, Hebrews 11:21.
Genesis 48:3. 3 Then
Jacob said to Joseph: “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan
and blessed me,
YLT 3And Jacob saith unto Joseph, `God Almighty
hath appeared unto me, in Luz, in the land of Canaan, and blesseth me,
And Jacob said
unto Joseph,....
Being come into his
bedchamber, and sitting by him, or standing before him:
God Almighty
appeared unto at Luz in the land of Canaan;
the same with Bethel,
where God appeared, both at his going to Padanaram, and at his return from
thence, Genesis 28:11;
which of those times is here referred to is not certain; very likely he refers
to them both, since the same promises were made to him at both times, as after
mentioned:
and blessed me;
promised he would bless
him, both with temporal and spiritual blessings, as he did as follows.
Genesis 48:4. 4 and
said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make
of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as
an everlasting possession.’
YLT 4and saith unto me, Lo, I am making thee
fruitful, and have multiplied thee, and given thee for an assembly of peoples,
and given this land to thy seed after thee, a possession age-during.
And said unto
me, behold, I will make thee fruitful,....
In a spiritual sense, in
grace and good works; in a literal sense, in an increase of worldly substance,
and especially of children:
and multiply
thee;
make his posterity
numerous as the sand of the sea:
and I will make
of thee a multitude of people;
a large nation, consisting
of many tribes, even a company of nations, as the twelve tribes of Israel were:
and I will give
this land unto thy seed after thee, for an everlasting possession;
the land of Canaan, they
were to possess as long as they were the people of God, and obedient to his
law; by which obedience they held the land, even unto the coming of the
Messiah, whom they rejected, and then they were cast out, and a "Loammi"
(i.e. not my people, Hosea 1:9) written
upon them, and their civil polity, as well as church state, at an end: and
besides, Canaan was a type of the eternal inheritance of the saints in heaven,
the spiritual Israel of God, which will be possessed by them to all eternity.
Genesis 48:5. 5 And
now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of
Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon,
they shall be mine.
YLT 5`And now, thy two sons, who are born to thee
in the land of Egypt, before my coming unto thee to Egypt, mine they [are]; Ephraim
and Manasseh, as Reuben and Simeon they are mine;
And now thy two
sons, Ephraim and Manasseh,....
Ephraim was the youngest,
but is mentioned first, as he afterwards was preferred in the blessing of him:
which were born
unto thee in the land of Egypt, before I came unto thee into Egypt;
and therefore must be
twenty years of age, or upwards: for Jacob had been in Egypt seventeen years,
and he came there when there had been two years of famine, and Joseph's sons
were born to him before the years of famine began, Genesis 41:50; of
these Jacob says, they
are mine: as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine;
that is, by adoption;
should be reckoned not as his grandchildren, but as his children, even as his
two eldest sons, Reuben and Simeon; and so should be distinct tribes or heads
of them, as his sons would be, and have a distinct part and portion in the land
of Canaan; and thus the birthright was transferred from Reuben, because of his
incest, to Joseph, who in his posterity had a double portion assigned him.
Genesis 48:6. 6 Your
offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the
name of their brothers in their inheritance.
YLT 6and thy family which thou hast begotten after
them are thine; by the name of their brethren they are called in their
inheritance.
And thy issue,
which thou begettest after them, shall be thine,....
The children of Joseph,
that either were, or would be begotten after Ephraim and Manasseh; though
whether ever any were is not certain; and this is only mentioned by way of
supposition, as Jarchi interprets it, "if thou shouldest beget",
&c. these should be reckoned his own, and not as Jacob's sons, but be
considered as other grandchildren of Jacob's were, and not as Ephraim and
Manasseh:
and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their
inheritance;
they should not have
distinct names, or make distinct tribes, or have a distinct inheritance; but
should be called either the children of Ephraim, or the children of Manasseh,
and should be reckoned as belonging either to the one tribe, or the other, and have
their inheritance in them, and with them, and not separate.
Genesis 48:7. 7 But
as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan
on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I
buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”
YLT 7`And I -- in my coming in from Padan-[Aram]
Rachel hath died by me in the land of Canaan, in the way, while yet a kibrath
of land to enter Ephrata, and I bury her there in the way of Ephrata, which
[is] Bethlehem.'
And as for me,
when I came from Padan,....
From Syria, from Laban's
house:
Rachel died by
me in the land of Canaan;
his beloved wife, the
mother of Joseph, on whose account he mentions her, and to show a reason why he
took his sons as his own, because his mother dying so soon, he could have no
more children by her; and she being his only lawful wife, Joseph was of right
to be reckoned as the firstborn; and that as such he might have the double
portion, he took his two sons as his own, and put them upon a level with them,
even with Reuben and Simeon. By this it appears, as by the preceding account,
that Rachel came with him into the land of Canaan, and there died:
in the way,
when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath;
about a mile, or two
thousand cubits, as Jarchi observes:
and I buried
her there in the way of Ephrath;
where she died, and dying
in childbed, could not be kept so long as to carry her to Machpelah, the
burying place of his ancestors; and especially as he had his flocks and herds
with him, which could move but slowly; and what might make it more difficult to
keep her long, and carry her thither, it might be, as Ben Melech conjectures,
summertime; and the Vulgate Latin adds to the text, without any warrant from
the original, "and it was springtime"; however, she was buried in the
land of Canaan, and which is taken notice of, that Joseph might observe it: it
follows:
the same is
Bethlehem;
that is, Ephrath; and so
Bethlehem is called Bethlehem Ephratah, Micah 5:2; whether
these are the words of Jacob, or of Moses, is not certain, but said with a view
to the Messiah, the famous seed of Jacob that should be born there, and was.
Genesis 48:8. 8 Then
Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?”
YLT 8And Israel seeth the sons of Joseph, and
saith, `Who [are] these?'
And Israel
beheld Joseph's sons,....
Ephraim and Manasseh, of
whom he had been speaking as if they were absent, and he might not know until
now that they were present, for his eyes were dim that he could not see
clearly, Genesis 49:10; he
saw two young men standing by Joseph, but knew not who they were, and therefore
asked the following question:
and said, who are
these?
whose sons are they? the
Targum of Jonathan is,"of whom were these born to thee?'as if he knew them
to be his sons, only inquired who the mother of them was; but the answer shows
he knew them not to be his sons, and as for his wife, he could not be ignorant
who she was.
Genesis 48:9. 9 And
Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in
this place.” And he said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless
them.”
YLT 9and Joseph saith unto his father, `They [are]
my sons, whom God hath given to me in this [place];' and he saith, `Bring them,
I pray thee, unto me, and I bless them.'
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, Psalm 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, &c. but of Heathens, as the Greeks and
Romans, among whom are frequent the names of men which show it, as Theodorus,
Deodatus, Apollodorus, Artemidorus, &c.
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 48:10. 10 Now
the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then
Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them.
YLT 10And the eyes of Israel have been heavy from
age, he is unable to see; and he bringeth them nigh unto him, and he kisseth
them, and cleaveth to them;
Now the eyes of
Israel were dim for age,....
Or "heavy"F16כבדו "graves erant", Pagninus, Montanus, Junius
& Tremellius, Piscator, &c. , that he could not lift them up easily and
see clearly; his eyebrows hung over, his eyes were sunk in his head, and the
humours pressed them through old age, that it was with difficulty he could
perceive an object, at least not distinctly:
so that he could not see;
very plainly, otherwise he
did see the sons of Joseph, though he could not discern who they were, Genesis 49:8,
and he brought
them near unto him;
that he might have a
better sight of them and bless them:
and he kissed
them, and embraced them:
as a token of his
affection for them.
Genesis 48:11. 11 And Israel said to Joseph,
“I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your
offspring!”
YLT 11and Israel saith unto Joseph, `To see thy
face I had not thought, and lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.'
And Israel said
unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face,....
Some years ago he never
expected to have seen him any more; he had given him up for lost, as a dead
man, when his sons brought him his coat dipped in blood; and by reason of the
long course of years which passed before ever he heard anything of him:
and, lo, God
hath showed me also thy seed;
it was an additional
favour to see his offspring; it can hardly be thought, that in a course of seventeen
years he had been in Egypt, he had not seen them before, only he takes this
opportunity, which was the last he should have of expressing his pleasure on
this occasion.
Genesis 48:12. 12 So
Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to
the earth.
YLT 12And Joseph bringeth them out from between his
knees, and boweth himself on his face to the earth;
And Joseph
brought them out from between his knees,....
Either from between his
own, where they were kneeling, as he was sitting, in order that they might be
nearer his father, to receive his blessing by the putting on of his hands; or
rather from between his father's knees, he, as Aben Ezra observes, sitting on
the bed, having kissed and embraced them, they were still between his knees;
and that they might not be burdensome to his aged father, leaning on his
breast, and especially, in order to put them in a proper position for his
benediction, he took them from thence, and placed them over against him to his
right and left hand:
and he bowed
himself with his face to the earth;
in a civil way to his
father, and in reverence of him; in a religious way to God, expressing his
thankfulness for all favours to him and his, and as supplicating a blessing for
his sons through his father, under a divine influence and direction.
Genesis 48:13. 13 And
Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand,
and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them
near him.
YLT 13and Joseph taketh them both, Ephraim in his
right hand towards Israel's left, and Manasseh in his left towards Israel's
right, and bringeth [them] nigh to him.
And Joseph took
them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand,....
He took Ephraim his
youngest son in his right hand, and led him up to his father, by which means he
would stand in a right position to have his grandfather's left hand put upon
him:
and Manasseh in
his left hand toward Israel's right hand;
Manasseh his eldest son he
took in his left hand, and brought him to his father, and so was in a proper
position to have his right hand laid upon him, as seniority of birth required,
and as he was desirous should be the case:
and brought them
near unto him;
in the above manner, so
near as that he could lay his hands on them.
Genesis 48:14. 14 Then
Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was
the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly,
for Manasseh was the firstborn.
YLT 14And Israel putteth out his right hand, and
placeth [it] upon the head of Ephraim, who [is] the younger, and his left hand
upon the head of Manasseh; he hath guided his hands wisely, for Manasseh [is]
the first-born.
And Israel
stretched out his right hand,....
Not directly forward, but
across, or otherwise it would have been laid on Manasseh, as Joseph designed it
should by the position he placed him in:
and laid it
upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger,
the right hand being the
strongest and most in use, as it was reckoned most honourable to sit at it, so
to have it imposed, as being significative of the greater blessing:
and his left
hand upon Manasseh's head;
who was the older:
guiding his
hands wittingly;
this was not done
accidentally, but on purpose: or made his "hands to understand"F17שכל את ידיו
"intelligere fecit suas manus", Paguinus, Montanus, Vatablus,
Drusius, Cartwright. , they acted as if they understood what he would have
done, as Aben Ezra; as if they were conscious of what should be, or would be;
though he could not see clearly and distinctly, yet he knew, by the position of
them before him, which was the elder and which was the younger: he knew that
Joseph would set the firstborn in such a position before him as naturally to
put his right hand on him, and the younger in such a position as that it would
be readiest for him to put his left hand on him; and therefore, being under a
divine impulse and spirit of prophecy, by which he discerned that the younger
was to have the greater blessing, he crossed his bands, or changed them, and
put his right hand on Ephraim, and his left hand on Manasseh:
for Manasseh was
the firstborn;
or rather, thoughF18כי "tametsi", Tigurine version;
"quamvis", Piscator; so some in Fagius. he was the firstborn, as Aben
Ezra.
Genesis 48:15. 15 And
he blessed Joseph, and said: “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac
walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day,
YLT 15And he blesseth Joseph, and saith, `God,
before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked habitually: God who is feeding
me from my being unto this day:
And he blessed
Joseph,....
In his sons who were
reckoned for him, and became the heads of tribes in his room:
and said, God
before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk;
in whom they believed,
whom they professed, and whom they feared, served, and worshipped, and with
whom they had communion:
the God which
fed me all my long unto this day;
who had upheld him in life,
provided for him all the necessaries of life, food and raiment, and had
followed him with his goodness ever since he had a being, and had fed him as
the great shepherd of the flock, both with temporal and spiritual food, being
the God of his life, and of his mercies in every sense.
Genesis 48:16. 16 The
Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads;
Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers
Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the
earth.”
YLT 16the Messenger who is redeeming me from all
evil doth bless the youths, and my name is called upon them, and the name of my
fathers Abraham and Isaac; and they increase into a multitude in the midst of
the land.'
The Angel which
redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads,....
Ephraim and Manasseh, now
about twenty years old or upwards: this is not to be understood of a created
angel he wishes to be their guardian, but of an eternal one, the Son of God,
the Angel of God's presence, the Angel of the covenant; the same with the God
of his father before mentioned, as appears by the character he gives him, as
having "redeemed him from all evil"; not only protected and
preserved him from temporal evils and imminent dangers from Esau, Laban, and
others; but had delivered him from the power, guilt, and punishment of sin, the
greatest of evils, and from the dominion and tyranny of Satan the evil one, and
from everlasting wrath, ruin, and damnation; all which none but a divine Person
could do, as well as he wishes, desires, and prays, that he would
"bless" the lads with blessings temporal and spiritual, which a
created angel cannot do; and Jacob would never have asked it of him:
and let my name
be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;
having adopted them, he
foretells they would be called not only the sons of Joseph, but the children of
Israel or Jacob, and would have a name among the tribes of Israel, and be heads
of them, as well as would be called the seed of Abraham and of Isaac, and
inherit their blessings: and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the
earth; where they increased as fishes, as the word signifiesF19וידגו "et instar piscium sint", Pagninus,
Montanus; so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Ainsworth, and the Targum of
Onkelos, and Jarchi. , and more than any other of the tribes; even in the times
of Moses the number of them were 85,200 men fit for war, Numbers 26:34; and
their situation was in the middle of the land of Canaan.
Genesis 48:17. 17 Now
when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it
displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from
Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head.
YLT 17And Joseph seeth that his father setteth his
right hand on the head of Ephraim, and it is wrong in his eyes, and he
supporteth the hand of his father to turn it aside from off the head of Ephraim
to the head of Manasseh;
And when Joseph
saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased
him,....
To see the younger
preferred to the elder; parents, generally speaking, having the greatest regard
to the firstborn with respect to honour and estate, and to them, in those
times, the patriarchal blessing particularly was thought to belong; but it did
not always go to them, but to the younger, as in Jacob's own case:
and he held up
his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head;
he took him by the right
hand, and lifted it up from the head of Ephraim, and held it in order that he
might put it by his direction on the head of Manasseh.
Genesis 48:18. 18 And
Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the
firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
YLT 18and Joseph saith unto his father, `Not so, my
father, for this [is] the first-born; set thy right hand on his head.'
And Joseph said
unto his father, not so, my father,....
It is not right, it should
not so be, that the right hand should be put on the youngest, and the left hand
on the eldest:
for this is
the firstborn;
directing him to Manasseh,
and seeking to guide his hand towards him:
put thy right
hand upon his head;
Joseph was for proceeding
according to the order of birthright, but Jacob was directed by a spirit of
prophecy, as follows.
Genesis 48:19. 19 But
his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a
people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be
greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.”
YLT 19And his father refuseth, and saith, `I have
known, my son, I have known; he also becometh a people, and he also is great,
and yet, his young brother is greater than he, and his seed is the fulness of
the nations;'
And his father
refused,....
To have any alteration
made, and therefore, though Joseph lifted it up from. Ephraim's head and held
it over it, Jacob put it on again and went on with the blessing:
and said, I
know it, my son, I know it;
he knew what he did, and
he repeats it to confirm it, as well as to show the vehemency of his mind, and
his resolution to abide by what he had done; he knew on whom he laid his right
hand, and he knew that Manasseh was the firstborn: so the Targum of Jonathan:
and he also
shall become a people;
a tribe or nation:
and he also
shall be great;
in number, riches, and
honour:
but truly his
younger brother shall be greater than he;
more numerous, as the
tribe of Ephraim was, than that of Manasseh, when they came out of Egypt; for
in numbering them there appeared to be 8300 more in the one tribe than in the
other, Numbers 1:33, as
well as more honourable; Ephraim's standard was placed before Manasseh's, Numbers 2:18; and
upon the division of the tribes in Rehoboam's time, as Jeroboam was of the
tribe of Ephraim, that tribe was at the head of the ten tribes, and the seat of
the kingdom was in it, and the whole kingdom of Israel often goes by the name
of Ephraim:
and his seed
shall become a multitude of nations;
that is, of families, for
as nations are called families, Amos 3:1; so
families may be called nations; the Targum of Onkelos is,"his sons shall
be rulers among the people,'so Joshua, who was of the tribe of Ephraim,
conquered and subdued the nations of the Canaanites, and Jeroboam of this tribe
ruled over the ten tribes or nations of Israel: it may be rendered, "his
seed shall fill the nations"F20יהיה מלא הגוימ "implebit
nationes", Munster; "erit plenitudo gentium", Pagninus,
Montanus, Schmidt; "impletio gentium", Tigurine version. , or be
"the fulness" of them; which Jarchi interprets of the whole world
being filled with the fame and renown of Joshua, who was of this tribe, when
the sun and moon stood still in his days; but it is best to understand this of
the large share he should have of the land of Canaan among the rest of the
tribes or nations of Israel.
Genesis 48:20. 20 So
he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God
make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.
YLT 20and he blesseth them in that day, saying, `By
thee doth Israel bless, saying, God set thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh;' and
he setteth Ephraim before Manasseh.
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 48:21. 21 Then Israel said to
Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the
land of your fathers.
YLT 21And Israel saith unto Joseph, `Lo, I am
dying, and God hath been with you, and hath brought you back unto the land of
your fathers;
And Israel said
unto Joseph, behold, I die,....
Expected to die very
shortly; and he not only speaks of it as a certain thing, and what would
quickly be, but with pleasure and comfort, having no fear and dread of it on
him, but as what was agreeable to him, and he had made himself familiar with:
but God shall
be with you;
with Joseph and his
posterity, and with all his brethren, and theirs, to comfort and support them,
to guide and counsel them, to protect and defend them, to carry them through
all they had to endure in Egypt, and at length bring them out of it; he
signifies he was departing from them, but God would not depart from them, whose
presence would be infinitely more to them than his; and which, as it made him
the more easy to leave them, so it might make them more easy to part with him:
and bring you
again unto the land of your fathers;
the land of Canaan, where
their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had dwelt, and which was given to
them and theirs for an inheritance, and where Joseph and his brethren had
lived, and would be brought thither again, as the bones of Joseph were, and as
all of them in their posterity were in Joshua's time.
Genesis 48:22. 22 Moreover
I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand
of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.”
YLT 22and I -- I have given to thee one portion
above thy brethren, which I have taken out of the hand of the Amorite by my
sword and by my bow.'
Moreover, I
have given to thee one portion above thy brethren,....
The word for
"portion" is "Shechem", and which some take to be, not an
appellative, as we do, but the name of a city, even Shechem; so the Targum of
Jonathan and Jarchi interpret it; and though that is not directly meant, yet
there is a reference had to it, and it seems to be enigmatically understood;
for this portion or parcel spoken of was near to Shechem, and not only that,
but the city itself, and all the adjacent country, came to the lot of Ephraim,
and were possessed by that tribe:
which I took
out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow;
not referring, as some
think, to the taking and spoiling of the city of Shechem by his sons, and so
said to be done by him in them; for Jacob would never make that his act and
deed, which he so much abhorred and detested, and still did, as appears by what
he says of it in the following chapter; nor was this taken from the Amorite,
but from the Hivite, and not by his sword and bow, whether taken literally or
metaphorically, and so interpreted of his prayer and supplication, as by
Onkelos; but he was so far from assisting in that affair by supplication, that
his imprecations fell on Levi and Simeon, for that fact of theirs: if this is
to be understood of the city of Shechem, what Aben Ezra and Ben Gersom propose
seems most agreeable, that this is said by way of anticipation, the past tense
being put for the future; Jacob, under a spirit of prophecy, foreseeing and
declaring that his sons, and he in his sons in future time, would take it out
of the hands of the Amorites, the principal of the Canaanitish nations, and
then it should be given to Joseph's seed; but the first and special regard is
to the part or parcel of ground which lay near Shechem; and this Jacob is said
to take by his sword and bow, which some interpret of his money, which were his
arms and defence, and which he had got by much labour; and if it could be
proved that his money was marked with a sword and bow upon it, as the Persian
Darics were with an archer with his bow and arrow, and therefore called
sagittaries or archersF21Vid. Heidegger. Hist. Patriarch. tom. 2.
Exercit. 22. sect. 12. p. 690. , it would countenance this sense; though even
then it could not with propriety be said that he by this means obtained it of
the Amorite, since he bought it of the children of Hamor the Hivite; but it
seems more likely, that after Jacob departed from Shechem to Hebron, the
Amorite came and seized on this parcel of ground; which he hearing of, went
with his sons and servants, and recovered it out of their hands by his sword
and bow; though this warlike action of his is nowhere recorded in Scripture,
the Jewish writersF23Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 5. 1. say, that Jacob
and his sons had very grievous war with the Amorites on account of the
slaughter and captivity of the Shechemites: by giving to Joseph this portion
above his brethren, it appears that the birthright was become his, he having
the double portion, and indeed all that Jacob had of his own in the land of
Canaan; and hence Joseph's bones were buried here, it being his own ground; see
Joshua 24:32.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》