Welcome to my Hebrew reading & language series.
Genesis 48:17-22
We talked about a different way of blessing children last week because Jacob, who is near death in our story, placed his right and on the younger child's head. We will finish the 48th chapter of Genesis today and Joseph is not okay with the odd blessing being bestowing on the boys by their grandfather.
Our reading today starts with Joseph being unhappy about the unconventional blessing and he tries to move his father's right hand to the correct child. "Not this way, my father..." he says. Israel (who is the rebranded Jacob) holds fast to is original hand placement and assures Joseph that the older child will be prosperous also, but the younger will be greater still. So he basically told Joseph not to worry about it as if to say that this is the way it has to be.
The chapter ends with the younger child receiving the greater blessing (that means 'inheritance' among other things) as Jacob had. Then he tells Joseph of a particular mountain slope which he is giving to him rather than to his brothers. It is one that he himself took in battle so it must be very special in deed, in fact, many believe that mountain slope is where Jacob's bones will lie when they take his remains out of the land of Egypt. See Joshua 24 for more details on that event.
Until next week...
Today's reading
English
When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” So he blessed them that day, saying,
“By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying,
‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’”
Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.
Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow."
Hebrew
The story continues next week as Jacob calls all the brothers...
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