Commentary - Genesis 48:1-7

Bird's-eye view

As the patriarch Jacob approaches the end of his life, the narrative shifts from the grand drama of famine and reunion to the solemn business of covenant succession. This passage is not a sentimental deathbed scene; it is a formal, legal, and theological transaction of immense importance. Jacob, acting in his official capacity as Israel, the head of God's chosen people, deliberately and authoritatively restructures the future of the twelve tribes. He does this by adopting Joseph's two Egyptian-born sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, elevating them to the same status as his own sons, Reuben and Simeon. This act of adoption is grounded in God's covenant promise to Jacob at Bethel and is fueled by a deep, abiding love for his long-dead wife, Rachel. In this moment, Jacob ensures that the double portion of the firstborn, forfeited by Reuben, will pass to Joseph, the faithful son of his most beloved wife.

This is a profound illustration of sovereign grace. Two boys who are half-Gentile are grafted into the very center of the covenant line, not by birthright, but by the authoritative word of the patriarch. This act sets the stage for the rest of the chapter, where Jacob will unexpectedly bless the younger over the older, further demonstrating that God's favor is not bound by human custom but flows according to His good pleasure. The entire scene is a living parable of our own adoption into the family of God through Jesus Christ.

Outline

Context In Genesis

Genesis 48 is a pivotal moment of transition. The book began with the creation of one family and will end with the formation of the twelve tribes of a nation. Joseph has saved his family from famine and they are now settled in Goshen. Jacob's life, which has been a tumultuous journey of wrestling with his brother, his father-in-law, and God Himself, is drawing to a close. These final chapters (Gen 48-50) are his last will and testament, not just concerning material possessions, but concerning the blessing and the covenant promise of God. This chapter directly precedes Jacob's prophetic blessings over all twelve of his sons in Genesis 49. The adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh here is what establishes the final configuration of the tribes of Israel, with Joseph receiving a double portion through his two sons, and the tribe of Levi being set apart for priestly duties without a land inheritance.

Key Issues

Adoption into the Promise

We live in an egalitarian age that is allergic to the concept of patriarchy. But to understand the Bible, we must set our modern sensibilities aside and see what the text is actually doing. Jacob is not just an old father getting his affairs in order. He is a covenant head, a patriarch, vested with God-given authority to bless and to direct the flow of the covenant promise. What we witness here is a formal exercise of that authority. The adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh is not a sentimental gesture; it is a world-altering legal act. Jacob is taking two boys who were born in a foreign land to an Egyptian mother and, by his word alone, is making them foundational heads of the tribes of Israel. This is a staggering display of authority, but it is an authority that Jacob wields under the authority of God Almighty, who first gave him the promise. This is a picture in miniature of the authority Christ gives to His church, to bind and to loose, to declare who belongs to the family of God.

Verse by Verse Commentary

1 Now it happened after these things that Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is sick.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him.

The time has come. The phrase "after these things" signals a new and final episode in the life of Jacob. The news of his sickness is the catalyst for the action. Joseph, the powerful vizier of Egypt, immediately responds as a dutiful son. And he understands the gravity of the moment. He does not go alone; he brings his two sons. He knows that this is not merely a final goodbye, but an occasion for the passing on of the blessing. Manasseh, the firstborn, and Ephraim, the second, are about to have their lives irrevocably altered.

2 Then it was told to Jacob, “Behold, your son Joseph has come to you,” so Israel strengthened himself and sat up in the bed.

Notice the subtle but crucial shift in names. The report comes to "Jacob," the man in his weakness and frailty. But upon hearing that Joseph has arrived for this official business, "Israel strengthened himself." He is no longer acting merely as Jacob, the father, but as Israel, the prince with God, the bearer of the covenant. He summons his remaining strength, not just to greet his favorite son, but to perform his final and most important patriarchal duty. This is a conscious act of will, enabled by God, for a holy purpose.

3-4 Then Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and He said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply, and I will make you an assembly of peoples, and I will give this land to your seed after you for an everlasting possession.’

Before Jacob acts, he establishes the legal basis for his authority. He is not acting on a personal whim. He grounds his upcoming declaration in a direct revelation from God Almighty, El Shaddai. This is the God who is all-powerful and all-sufficient, the God who makes barren wombs fruitful and brings nations out of aging patriarchs. He recalls the specific place, Luz, later named Bethel, the "house of God." This was the place where God confirmed the Abrahamic covenant with him. He recites the core elements of the promise: fruitfulness (many descendants), corporate identity (an assembly of peoples), and inheritance (the land of Canaan). This is the charter, the divine constitution, upon which he is about to act.

5 So now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are.

Here is the central declaration. Based on the authority of God's promise to him, Jacob performs the act of adoption. The word "now" connects his action directly to the divine promise he just recited. These boys, born in pagan Egypt, are now his. He doesn't just make them part of the family; he elevates them to the highest rank, placing them on par with his own firstborn, Reuben and Simeon. This is a radical act of grace. By natural law, they are Joseph's sons and Jacob's grandsons. By this patriarchal decree, they are now legally Jacob's sons and heads of their own tribes. He is rewriting the family tree in conformity with God's covenantal purpose.

6 But your kin that have been born after them shall be yours; they shall be called by the names of their brothers in their inheritance.

Jacob clarifies the legal scope of his declaration. This special elevation applies only to Manasseh and Ephraim. Any other sons born to Joseph will be considered Joseph's, and their inheritance will be subsumed under the lines of their two older brothers. This emphasizes that the adoption of these two is a specific, sovereign choice, not a general principle. It establishes them as the unique recipients of the double portion that is being granted to the house of Joseph.

7 Now as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died, to my sorrow, in the land of Canaan on the journey, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).

This might seem like a sudden, sentimental detour, but it is anything but. This is the heart of the matter. Why is Jacob doing this for Joseph's sons? Because they are the sons of Joseph, who was the son of Rachel. Jacob's love for Rachel was the great driving force of his life. Her death in childbirth was his deepest sorrow. He buried her near Bethlehem, the future birthplace of the King. Now, on his own deathbed, he ensures that Rachel, who gave him only two sons, will receive the honor of the double portion through her grandsons. This act of adoption is the final, poignant expression of Jacob's lifelong love for Rachel. It is a testament to the fact that our deepest human affections, when submitted to God, can become instruments of His covenantal purposes.

Application

The story of this adoption is our story. In the gospel, God does for us what Jacob did for Ephraim and Manasseh. We were outsiders, born in a foreign land, spiritual Egyptians. We had no natural claim on the promises of God. But God Almighty, in His sovereign grace, chose to act. He sent His Son, Jesus, to be our kinsman redeemer. And through faith in Him, God declares, "You are mine."

This is the doctrine of adoption. It is not just that we are forgiven; we are given a new name and a new legal standing. We are made sons and heirs, placed on par with Christ Himself, the firstborn over all creation. We are granted an "everlasting possession," an inheritance that can never fade. This status is not based on our performance or our lineage, but on the authoritative declaration of the Father, grounded in the finished work of the Son. Like Ephraim and Manasseh, we have been grafted into the family. Our response should be one of profound gratitude, and a desire to live as dutiful sons of the Father who has so graciously called us His own.