Genesis 48:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me here." And he said, "Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them."

NIV: "They are the sons God has given me here," Joseph said to his father. Then Israel said, "Bring them to me so I may bless them."

NASB: And Joseph said to his father, 'They are my sons, whom God has given me here.' So he said, 'Bring them to me, please, so that I may bless them.'

CSB: And Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons God has given me here." So Israel said, "Bring them to me and I will bless them."

NLT: Yes,' Joseph told him, 'these are the sons God has given me here in Egypt.' And Jacob said, 'Bring them closer to me, so I can bless them.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: 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.”

Joseph has just learned from his dying father Jacob that his own two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, will receive the family blessing. In fact, Jacob has claimed Joseph's sons as his own to make this possible. He has also elevated them to the rank of his own firstborn sons. As a result, Joseph's family will receive the birthright and the blessing (Genesis 48:1–7). This change from the natural birth rank is just as Jacob received blessing ahead of his older brother, Esau. In that case, however, Jacob's blessing came under false pretense. He lied to his blind father, disguising himself (Genesis 27:19; 30–35) and taking what was meant for someone else.

Now Jacob has asked Joseph to identify his two oldest sons. Joseph refers to the pair as God's gift to him. God gave them to him "here," meaning in Egypt where Joseph was held first as a slave (Genesis 37:28) and then elevated to the second most powerful position in the nation (Genesis 41:44). In fact, Joseph had named his sons as recognition that God had cared for him and blessed him, even in Egypt (Genesis 41:50–52).

Satisfied that the two young men are really Joseph's sons, Jacob asks Joseph to bring them to him so that he can bless them. The picture is of Joseph serving as the point of connection between his sons and his father. Ephraim and Manasseh were born before the seven years of famine began, and it has been seventeen years since Jacob moved to Egypt (Genesis 47:28). This would make them both late teenagers at the youngest, possible even well into their twenties, but Jacob still wished for Joseph to formally present them to him for the blessing.

Genesis 48:1–22 describes the blessing Jacob pronounces over Joseph's oldest two sons. Significantly, Jacob claims Joseph's two oldest sons as his own, ensuring that each will receive a full portion of his inheritance. This means Joseph's family will receive a double portion. Jacob blesses the pair with a prayer for God's blessing in their lives as he himself has experienced it.

Genesis 48 describes Jacob's deathbed blessing of Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. In a surprising move, Jacob claims Joseph's two oldest boys as his own. This makes each a full heir. The result is that Joseph's family will receive a double portion of the inheritance. Jacob prays for them to receive many of the blessings God has given to him during his long life. In another twist, Jacob gives greater blessing to the younger of his two grandsons.

Despite a long, difficult life, Jacob survives another 17 years after moving to Egypt. The suffering of his son, Joseph, resulted in the salvation of his family line. Now truly at the end of his days, Jacob claims Joseph's oldest two sons as his own—giving them full rights to a portion of his inheritance. The following chapters will include Jacob's remaining blessings for his sons, and a description of the death and burials of both Jacob and Joseph.

The book of Genesis establishes fundamental truths about God. Among these are His role as the Creator, His holiness, His hatred of sin, His love for mankind, and His willingness to provide for our redemption. We learn not only where mankind has come from, but why the world is in its present form. The book also presents the establishment of Israel, God's chosen people. Many of the principles given in other parts of Scripture depend on the basic ideas presented here in the book of Genesis. Within the framework of the Bible, Genesis explains the bare-bones history of the universe leading up to the captivity of Israel in Egypt, setting the stage for the book of Exodus.