Lives of Scripture

Ephraim was Joseph's second son, born in Egypt to Asenath, daughter of Potiphera priest of On, during the years of Joseph's rise to power under Pharaoh (Genesis 41:50-52). Joseph named him Ephraim, saying, "God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction" (41:52) -- a name that became a lasting testimony to God's providence even in exile. Ephraim's defining moment comes near the end of Jacob's life in Genesis 48: Jacob, near death, summons Joseph and his two sons to bless them, formally adopting Ephraim and Manasseh as his own, equal in status to Reuben and Simeon (48:5). When Joseph positions his sons so that Manasseh, the firstborn, would receive Jacob's right hand of greater blessing, Jacob deliberately crosses his arms, placing his right hand on younger Ephraim's head instead. Joseph, displeased, tries to correct him, but Jacob refuses: "I know, my son, I know... his younger brother shall be greater than he" (48:19). Jacob's blessing places Ephraim's name ahead of Manasseh's, and history bore this out -- the tribe of Ephraim grew to such prominence in the territory of central Canaan that the prophets later use "Ephraim" as a name for the entire northern kingdom of Israel (Jeremiah 31:18-20; Ezekiel 37:16-19; Hosea, throughout). Ephraim's story is a clear instance of a pattern that runs throughout Genesis: God's blessing repeatedly bypassing human expectations of birth order, choosing the younger over the elder.