Genesis 48:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

NIV: Then Joseph removed them from Israel's knees and bowed down with his face to the ground.

NASB: Then Joseph took them from his knees, and bowed with his face to the ground.

CSB: Then Joseph took them from his father's knees and bowed with his face to the ground.

NLT: Joseph moved the boys, who were at their grandfather’s knees, and he bowed with his face to the ground.

KJV: And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.

NKJV: So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth.

Jacob, on his death bed, is preparing to give his formal blessing to Joseph's two sons Ephraim and Manasseh. Jacob has just embraced them and kissed them, pausing to marvel at God's great gift of allowing him to see his son Joseph alive again and even to see Joseph's offspring. It is a tender moment (Genesis 48:1–11).

Now Joseph responds by bowing with his face to the ground before his father in a sign of great respect. The action may also have expressed his own gratitude to God and to his father for the privilege of seeing his own sons blessed by Jacob.

First, though, Joseph is said to have removed his sons "from [Jacob's] knees." This is a somewhat confusing line. It is likely that Joseph's two oldest sons are well into their twenties by this point. Thus, it is unlikely they were sitting on Jacob's lap. What's more likely is that Jacob was seated, and the two boys were close to him as he embraced them. Joseph, preparing for the official blessing, is now moving them into position (Genesis 48:13).

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.

Accessed 5/6/2024 8:18:06 PM