b2 Chr 28:12►
Genesis 48:13-20
48:14 a The right hand was for the head of the firstborn, and Jacob was deliberately giving that position to the younger son. That pattern was followed for four consecutive generations: Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Joseph over Reuben, and Ephraim over Manasseh. Many years later, Ephraim became the leading tribe in the northern kingdom, superior to the tribe of Manasseh. The entire northern kingdom of Israel was occasionally called Ephraim (see study notes on 2 Chr 28:12 b; Isa 11:13; Ezek 37:15-28; Hos 6:4; Zech 9:10).Summary for Gen 48:15-16: 48:15-16 c In his blessing on Joseph, Jacob used a threefold invocation to describe the God in whom he trusted: (1) the God who was in covenant with his fathers Abraham and Isaac (28:13 d; 31:5 e, 42 f; 32:9 g; 46:3 h); (2) the God who had been his shepherd (cp. 49:24 i; Exod 6:6 j; Ps 23:1 k; Isa 59:20 l); and (3) the Angel who rescued him from all harm. He prayed the same blessings for Joseph’s sons.
Summary for Gen 48:17-19: 48:17-19 m Joseph was upset: He expected God to act according to convention, but faith recognizes that God’s ways are not man’s ways, and God’s thoughts are not man’s thoughts. It took Jacob a lifetime to learn this lesson, but he did learn it, and here he acted on it.
Copyright information for
TNotes