Commentaria in Genesim
Chapter Forty-eight
Jacob adopts Ephraim and Manasses as his own sons, and, blessing them, in verse 14 prefers Ephraim to Manasses the elder, and in verse 22 sets apart one portion for Joseph.
1. After these things, it was told Joseph that his father was sick: and he set out to go to him, taking his two sons, Manasses and Ephraim. 2. And it was told the old man: Behold thy son Joseph cometh to thee. And being strengthened, he sat on his bed. 3. And when Joseph was come in unto him, he said: God almighty appeared to me at Luza, which is in the land of Chanaan: and he blessed me, 4. And said: I will increase and multiply thee, and I will make thee a multitude of people: and I will give this land to thee, and to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession. 5. So thy two sons, who were born to thee in the land of Egypt before I came hither to thee, shall be mine: Ephraim and Manasses shall be reputed to me as Ruben and Simeon. 6. But the others whom thou shalt have after them, shall be thine, and shall be called by the name of their brethren in their possessions. 7. For when I came out of Mesopotamia, Rachel died from me in the land of Chanaan in the very journey: and it was springtime: and I was going to Ephrata, and I buried her near the way of Ephrata, which by another name is called Bethlehem. 8. And seeing his sons, he said to him: Who are these? 9. He answered: They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said: Bring them to me, that I may bless them. 10. For Israel’s eyes were dim by reason of his great age, and he could not see clearly. And when they were brought to him, he kissed and embraced them, 11. And said to his son: I am not deprived of thy sight: moreover God hath shewn me thy seed. 12. And when Joseph had taken them from his father’s lap, he bowed down with his face to the ground. 13. And he set Ephraim on his right hand, that is, towards Israel’s left hand: and Manasses on his left hand, that is, towards his father’s right hand, and brought them both near him. 14. But he, stretching forth his right hand, put it upon the head of Ephraim the younger brother; and the left upon the head of Manasses that was the elder, changing his hands. 15. And Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph, and said: God, in whose sight my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, God that feedeth me from my youth until this present day: 16. The angel that delivereth me from all evils, bless these boys: and let my name be called upon them, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they grow into a multitude upon the earth. 17. And Joseph seeing that his father had put his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, took it grievously: and taking his father’s hand he tried to lift it from Ephraim’s head, and to remove it to the head of Manasses. 18. And he said to his father: It should not be so, my father: for this is the firstborn, put thy right hand upon his head. 19. But he refusing, said: I know, my son, I know: and this same shall be multiplied into peoples, and shall be exalted: but his younger brother shall be greater than he: and his seed shall grow into nations. 20. And he blessed them at that time, saying: In thee shall Israel be blessed, and it shall be said: God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasses. And he set Ephraim before Manasses. 21. And he said to Joseph his son: Behold I die, and God will be with you, and will bring you back into the land of your fathers. 22. I give thee a portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorrhite with my sword and bow.
Verse 2. STRENGTHENED—both by the joy conceived at the coming of his dearest son Joseph, and by a special gift and strengthening of God, who, as He put a spirit of strength into his body, so put a spirit of prophecy into the mind of Jacob, about to die and take leave of his own, as is plain from what follows.
4. I WILL GIVE THEE THIS LAND—Chanaan. Jacob, certain here from God’s promise that Chanaan would be handed over to himself, that is, to his descendants, here and in the following chapter divides and distributes it among his twelve sons.
FOR AN EVERLASTING POSSESSION—not absolutely, but with respect to thy stock and nation; as if to say: As long as thy nation shall last, thy people, the commonwealth and kingdom of thy sons, so long shall they possess Chanaan, and consequently always, that is, for the whole time of their commonwealth and kingdom they shall possess it: for if the nation be overthrown or perish, what wonder if it no longer possesses its land? See Canon 4.
5. THEY SHALL BE MINE—I reckon them my sons, equally as Jacob’s as Ruben and Simeon. Note: Jacob here adopts the two sons of Joseph, his grandsons, namely Ephraim and Manasses, as his own sons, so that each of them may constitute a separate tribe, and receive his own inheritance in Chanaan, equally with Ruben, Simeon and his other sons: for otherwise Ephraim and Manasses, succeeding their father Joseph, would have constituted only one tribe of Joseph, and would have received only one portion of their father in Chanaan; but now by Jacob the tribe of Joseph is divided into two, namely into Ephraim and Manasses, that they may be reckoned with equal right and succeed together with Ruben, Juda and his other immediate sons.
6. BUT THE OTHERS WHOM THOU SHALT HAVE AFTER THEM, SHALL BE THINE—shall be reckoned thine. For Ephraim and Manasses, adopted by me, are reckoned mine. We do not read that Joseph begot others.
AND SHALL BE CALLED BY THE NAME OF THEIR BRETHREN IN THEIR POSSESSIONS.—“Of their brethren,” namely of Ephraim and Manasses; as if to say: If thou shalt beget any sons after these, they shall not constitute a separate tribe, but shall be added to the tribe of Ephraim or Manasses, and in the division of Chanaan shall receive the same portion of inheritance with them.
7. FOR WHEN I CAME OUT OF MESOPOTAMIA, RACHEL DIED.—The word “for” (enim) can, from the Hebrew, be rendered “but” (autem). So Vatablus. Jacob here mentions Rachel to Joseph, first, because Rachel was Joseph’s mother and Jacob’s most beloved wife; for parents often renew before their sons the memory of their mothers; as if to say: I have spoken of thy sons, that I adopt them as mine; for as to Rachel thy mother, she was prematurely taken from me, and died, when she could still have borne me more sons, and therefore in their place I adopt thy sons as mine, for me and for her. Secondly, Jacob seems from the conversation with Joseph in the preceding chapter to have noticed in him some signs of wonder why his father desired with such expense to be buried in Chanaan, namely at Hebron with his forefathers, when he had not buried there his most beloved Rachel, but at Bethlehem. Jacob here therefore meets this wonder, and excuses himself, saying that it was not to avoid expense or the difficulties of the journey, but because of the springtime, in which dead bodies easily waste and putrefy, that he had to bury Rachel at once in the place where he was, namely near Bethlehem, and could not, as he wished, carry her to Hebron. So Lyranus, Abulensis and others.
Thirdly, the Gloss adds that perhaps Jacob here prophetically recalls that Rachel was buried at Bethlehem, because Christ was to be born there, as if Jacob had foreseen this in spirit.
11. I AM NOT DEPRIVED OF THY SIGHT.—The Hebrew is more expressive: “That I should see thy face I had never thought in my mind, and lo, God hath shown me thy seed also.” So Vatablus.
12. FROM HIS FATHER’S LAP.—Ephraim and Manasses, approaching their grandfather Jacob, who from age was sitting in bed, had knelt and laid their heads in his lap; so that they might not burden their grandfather, and that he might bless them more conveniently, Joseph removed them from there and placed them on either side at his father’s side.
Note: Ephraim and Manasses in this 147th year of Jacob, which was Joseph’s 56th, were easily 22 years old; for they were born before the seven years of famine, shortly after their father’s rule, which began in his 30th year, as is plain from chapter 41, verse 50 ff.
HE ADORED—Joseph, both his father, bowing himself reverently to him, and properly God, giving thanks for this benefit and for his father’s blessing.
Note here the humility, obedience, piety and charity of Joseph, a prince, toward a plebeian and infirm parent. So Blessed Thomas More, being Chancellor of England, asked his father’s blessing on bended knees, and likewise served the priest dutifully. Alfonso, king of the Aragonese, going out to meet his father Ferdinand, leapt down from his horse and accompanied him on foot; and when his father urged him to mount his horse and ride beside him after the manner of the other nobles, he replied: “Let others be free to do as they please; I shall never be brought to follow otherwise than on foot my father, my king, and him sick.” Panormitanus is witness. King Solomon, rising, went to meet his mother Bersabee, and bowed himself to do her honour, and ordered a throne to be set for her at his right hand.
14. HE PUT HIS RIGHT HAND UPON THE HEAD OF EPHRAIM.
Ephraim—Jacob here prophetically prefers the younger Ephraim to the elder Manasses. First, because from Ephraim the kings of Israel, namely of the ten tribes, were to be born. So Eusebius. Secondly, because this tribe will surpass the tribe of Manasses both in glory and in number, as Jacob foretells in verse 19. Thirdly, because from Ephraim Josue was to be born, who was leader of Israel and led it into Chanaan, whence he was also a type of Christ, who leads us into heaven. So St. Jerome.
Note: Jacob signifies this preference and pre-eminence of Ephraim over Manasses by the right hand which he laid upon him; for the right hand is nobler, stronger and more robust than the left.
The right hand—Where observe that in Scripture the right hand is a symbol “Let thy right hand find out all that hate thee;” and Psalm 43: “Their own arm saved them not, but thy right hand.” Secondly, of aid and assistance, as Job 14: “Thou shalt reach out thy right hand to the work of thy hands.” Thirdly, of honour and glory, as Psalm 109: “The Lord said to my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand.” And in Matthew 25 the elect on the day of judgment are said to be placed at Christ’s right hand; and Solomon, 3 Kings 2, wishing to honour his mother, placed her on a throne at his right hand. Fourthly, of exceptional love, as Canticles 2: “His right hand shall embrace me.” Fifthly, of marvellous pleasure and sweetness, as Psalm 15: “Delights at thy right hand.” Sixthly, the right hand in Scripture signifies what is good, right and holy, as the left signifies what is evil, mean and perverse, as Proverbs 4: “The Lord knoweth the ways that are on the right hand; but those are perverse that are on the left.” And Ecclesiastes 10: “The heart of a wise man is in his right hand, and the heart of a fool in his left.” So commonly we say a sinister suspicion, a sinister eye, a sinister judgment, that is, an evil one. Seventhly, the right hand signifies the greatest goods, such as are eternal; the left signifies small and slender ones, such as are temporal, Proverbs 3:16: “Length of days is in her right hand, and in her left hand riches and glory.” Where by length of days is signified the eternity of the blessed life, which wisdom brings; and by riches and glory are signified the human and temporal goods of the present life. So Pererius.
CHANGING HIS HANDS.—The Hebrew is sikkel et yadav: he made his hands to understand, that is, willingly, knowingly and prudently he crossed his hands, namely crosswise, in the form of a cross.
Hence allegorically Rupert says: Ephraim, he says, are the Gentiles, who by the crossing of the hands, that is, by the cross of Christ, in which they believed, were preferred to Manasses, that is, to the Jews. So too Tertullian, in the book On Baptism, and Damascene, book 4, chapter 12, teach that Jacob’s crossed hands prefigured the cross of Christ.
Tropologically Theodoret says: Learn here, he says, that God does not choose and prefer first and more noble things, as men do, but the last and humbler. So God preferred and set man above the angel, Abel above Cain, Isaac above Ishmael, Jacob above Esau, Joseph above Ruben, Moses above Aaron, and David above his seven brothers.
15. IN WHOSE SIGHT MY FATHERS WALKED—whom, as present and ever beholding them, they revered, before whom as servants they stood and served, in whose presence my fathers lived continually in holiness and reverence. See what was said in chapter 5, verse 22.
GOD WHO FEEDETH ME FROM MY YOUTH—“These,” says St. Chrysostom, “are the words of a grateful and pious soul, mindful of God’s benefits (1).”
16. THE ANGEL—my guardian; understand here a prayer also, as if to say: May God bless these boys; may my angel also bless them. So Vatablus and Abulensis (2).
LET MY NAME BE CALLED UPON THEM—that is, let them be called my sons, and consequently sons of Isaac and Abraham. So Theodoret. For in Scripture this signifies “that someone’s name be invoked upon another,” as when it is said: “Thy name is invoked upon us,” the sense is, we are called by thy name, that is, we are called thy sons, thy people.
Morally, St. Chrysostom, homily 66, teaches parents, after the example of Jacob, to leave their sons not so much wealth as the blessing of God. “Let us not, then,” he says, “spend our labour in gathering riches to leave to our sons. But let us teach them virtue, and call down upon them the blessing of God. These are ineffable riches which are not consumed, which daily increase our substance. For nothing equals virtue, nothing is more powerful than virtue: unless he who wears a diadem have this, he will be more wretched than any ragged pauper. This, then, let us teach our sons, that they prefer virtue to all things, and make nothing of abundance of riches.” For to the young it is often what the knife is to boys, which their mothers take from them lest they hurt themselves with it. “For from it are born luxury, delicacies, absurd pleasures, and infinite evils.”
19. SHALL GROW INTO NATIONS.—In the Hebrew, there shall be a fullness or multitude of nations, that is, fully, many and numerous nations, families and peoples shall be born of him, and so kings, who shall rule the ten tribes as if many nations.
like thee: for the preposition beth is put for the kindred caph of likeness, as if to say: When parents wish to pray well for their sons [the Israelites], they will say: May God multiply thee, as He multiplied Ephraim and Manasses.
MY SWORD AND BOW.—This singular portion, which Jacob took out of the division of Chanaan and gave to Joseph by a special gift, was the field of the city of Sichem or Sichar, as is plain from John 4:5, and from the Septuagint, who translate: I give thee Sichima, chief above all thy brethren, etc. For they took the Hebrew shechem as a proper name, signifying Sichem or Sichima, which St. Jerome, the Chaldee and others took as a common noun, signifying shoulder, that is, a portion.
You will say: Jacob bought this field, chapter 33, verse 19, and Josue, the last chapter, verse 32; how then is it said here that he acquired the field of Sichem with the sword? Answers are given.
First, Eusebius and St. Chrysostom answer that Simeon and Levi subdued the city and field of Sichem to themselves and their father by right of war, on account of the violation of Dina by the Sichemites. But this violence and this war the father Jacob himself condemned, not only living but also dying, as is plain from the following chapter, verse 6. Secondly, the Chaldee, and following him Abulensis and Aben-Ezra, translate: which I took with the sword, that is, by prayer and supplication: for these are the arms and swords of the pious and holy, such as Jacob was.
Thirdly, St. Jerome: With sword and bow, he says, that is, with strength, namely with money, which I acquired by much labour and sweat. Whence the Hebrew keshet, which our version renders bow, if it be written with tet, qeset, signifies a coin. So in Latin the word sagittarius is ambiguous: for it signifies both a man and a Persian coin, so called from the mark upon it. Which kind of coin were the same that are also called Darics, as Plutarch attests in the Apophthegms. From which came the famous saying of Agesilaus, that “he had been driven out of Asia by thirty thousand archers,” when the king of the Persians, by that sum of coins with which he corrupted the Athenians through Timocrates, brought it about that he withdrew from the province.
Fourthly, some Hebrews think it to be a prolepsis and an enallage of tense: “which I took,” that is, which I shall take away and receive, namely through my grandsons and posterity, who under Josue will conquer Sichima and all Chanaan and subject it to themselves.
Fifthly, and best, Jacob first bought the field situated in Sichem with money from Hemor, chapter 33, verse 19. But when after the slaughter of the Sichemites wrought by his sons, fearing that the Chanaanites would rush upon him in turn, he had departed from there, the neighbouring Amorrhites then occupied this Sichemite field, and on returning Jacob drove them out by force and arms, and recovered his field with sword and bow. For this is clearly said here, though the deed is not narrated elsewhere. So Pererius from Andrew Masius (1).