the Second Week after Easter
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Updated Bible Version
Genesis 48:2
Bible Study Resources
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One told Ya`akov, and said, "Behold, your son Yosef comes to you," and Yisra'el strengthened himself, and sat on the bed.
And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
And it was told to Jacob, "Behold, your son Joseph has come to you." Then Israel strengthened himself and he sat up in the bed.
When Joseph arrived, someone told Jacob, "Your son Joseph has come to see you." Jacob was weak, so he used all his strength and sat up on his bed.
When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has just come to you," Israel regained strength and sat up on his bed.
And when Jacob (Israel) was told, "Look now, your son Joseph has come to you," Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed.
When it was told to Jacob, "Behold, your son Joseph has come to you," Israel collected his strength and sat up in the bed.
Also one told Iaakob, and said, Behold, thy sonne Ioseph is come to thee, and Israel tooke his strength vnto him and sate vpon the bed.
Then it was told to Jacob, "Behold, your son Joseph has come to you," so Israel strengthened himself and sat up in the bed.
When Joseph arrived, someone told Jacob, "Your son Joseph has come to see you." Jacob sat up in bed, but it took almost all his strength.
Ya‘akov was told, "Here comes your son Yosef." Isra'el gathered his strength and sat up in bed.
And one told Jacob and said, Behold, thy son Joseph is coming to thee. And Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
When Joseph arrived, someone told Israel, "Your son Joseph has come to see you." Israel was very weak, but he tried hard and sat up in his bed.
And it was told to Jacob, "Your son Joseph has come to you." Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.
And they informed Jacob, and said to him, Behold, your son Joseph has come to you; and Israel strengthened himself, and sat up on the bed.
When Jacob was told that his son Joseph had come to see him, he gathered his strength and sat up in bed.
When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.
And one spoke to Jacob and said, Behold, your son Joseph has come to you. And Israel took strength and sat on the bed.
Then was it tolde Iacob: beholde, yi sonne Ioseph cometh vnto ye. And Israel toke a corage vnto him, & sat vp vpo ye bed,
And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
And when they said to Jacob, Your son Joseph is coming to see you: then Israel, getting all his strength together, had himself lifted up in his bed.
Then this message was declared vnto Iacob: beholde, thy sonne Ioseph cometh vnto thee. And Israel toke his strength vnto hym, and sate vpon the bedde.
And one told Jacob, and said: 'Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee.' And Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
And one told Iacob, and said, Behold, thy sonne Ioseph commeth vnto thee: and Israel strengthened himselfe, and sate vpon the bed.
And it was reported to Jacob, saying, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh to thee; and Israel having strengthened himself, sat upon the bed.
And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to you," Israel rallied his strength and sat up in bed.
And it was seid to the elde man, Lo! thi sone Joseph cometh to thee; which was coumfortid, and sat in the bed.
And [one] declareth to Jacob, and saith, `Lo, thy son Joseph is coming unto thee;' and Israel doth strengthen himself, and sit upon the bed.
And [one] told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh to thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed.
One told Jacob, and said, "Behold, your son Joseph comes to you," and Israel strengthened himself, and sat on the bed.
And Jacob was told, "Look, your son Joseph is coming to you"; and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed.
When Joseph arrived, Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to see you." So Jacob gathered his strength and sat up in his bed.
When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to you," Israel gathered his strength and sat up in bed.
When Jacob was told, "Your son Joseph has come to you," he summoned his strength and sat up in bed.
And one told Jacob, and said - Lo! thy son Joseph, coming in unto thee. So Israel strengthened himself, and sat up on the couch.
And it was told the old man: Behold thy son Joseph cometh to thee. And being strengthened, he sat on his bed.
And it was told to Jacob, "Your son Joseph has come to you"; then Israel summoned his strength, and sat up in bed.
When it was told to Jacob, "Behold, your son Joseph has come to you," Israel collected his strength and sat up in the bed.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
strengthened: Deuteronomy 3:28, 1 Samuel 23:16, Nehemiah 2:18, Psalms 41:3, Proverbs 23:15, Ephesians 6:10
Reciprocal: Genesis 47:31 - And Israel bowed 1 Chronicles 28:2 - stood up
Cross-References
But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you shall see.
And Jonathan, Saul's son, arose, and went to David into the forest, and strengthened his hand in God.
And I told them of the hand of my God which was good on me, as also of the king's words that he had spoken to me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they strengthened their hands for the good [work].
Yahweh will support him on the couch of languishing: You make all his bed in his sickness.
My son, if your heart be wise, My heart will be glad, even mine:
Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And [one] told Jacob,.... The same that came from Jacob to Joseph might be sent back by him to, his father, to let him know that he was coming to see him, or some other messenger sent on purpose; for it can hardly be thought that this was an accidental thing on either side:
and said, behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee; to pay him a visit, and which no doubt gave him a pleasure, he being his beloved son, as well as he was great and honourable:
and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon his bed; his spirits revived, his strength renewed, he got fresh vigour on hearing his son Joseph was coming; and he exerted all his strength, and raised himself up by the help of his staff, and sat upon his bed to receive his son's visit; for now it was when he blessed the sons of Joseph, that he leaned upon the top of his staff and worshipped, as the apostle says,
Hebrews 11:21.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
- Joseph Visits His Sick Father
The right of primogeniture has been forfeited by Reuben. The double portion in the inheritance is now transferred to Joseph. He is the first-born of her who was intended by Jacob to be his first and only wife. He has also been the means of saving all his fatherâs house, even after he had been sold into slavery by his brethren. He has therefore, undeniable claims to this part of the first-bornâs rights.
Genesis 48:1-7
After these things. - After the arrangements concerning the funeral, recorded in the chapter. âMenasseh and Ephraim.â They seem to have accompanied their father from respectful affection to their aged relative. âIsrael strengthened himselfâ - summoned his remaining powers for the interview, which was now to him an effort. âGod Almighty appeared unto me at Luz.â From the terms of the blessing received it is evident that Jacob here refers to the last appearance of God to him at Bethel Genesis 35:11. âAnd now thy sons.â After referring to the promise of a numerous offspring, and of a territory which they are to inherit, he assigns to each of the two sons of Joseph, who were born in Egypt, a place among his own sons, and a separate share in the promised land. In this way two shares fall to Joseph. âAnd thy issue.â We are not informed whether Joseph had any other sons. But all such are to be reckoned in the two tribes of which Ephraim and Menasseh are the heads. These young men are now at least twenty and nineteen years of age, as they were born before the famine commenced. Any subsequent issue that Joseph might have, would be counted among the generations of their children. âRachel died upon meâ - as a heavy affliction falling upon me. The presence of Joseph naturally leads the fatherâs thoughts to Rachel, the beloved mother of his beloved son, whose memory he honors in giving a double portion to her oldest son.
Genesis 48:8-16
He now observes and proceeds to bless the two sons of Joseph. âWho are these?â The sight and the observant faculties of the patriarch were now failing. âBring them now unto me, and I will bless them.â Jacob is seated on the couch, and the young men approach him. He kisses and folds his arms around them. The comforts of his old age come up before his mind. He had not expected to see Joseph again in the flesh, and now God had showed him his seed. After these expressions of parental fondness, Joseph drew them back from between his knees, that he might present them in the way that was distinctive of their age. He then bowed with his face to the earth, in reverential acknowledgment of the act of worship about to be performed. Joseph expected the blessing to be regulated by the age of his sons, and is therefore, careful to present them so that the right hand of his dim-sighted parent may, without any effort, rest on the head of his first-born. But the venerable patriarch, guided by the Spirit of him who doth according to his own will, designedly lays his right hand on the head of the younger, and thereby attributes to him the greater blessing.
The imposition of the hand is a primitive custom which here for the first time comes into notice. It is the natural mode of marking out the object of the benediction, signifying its conveyance to the individual, and implying that it is laid upon him as the destiny of his life. It may be done by either hand; but when each is laid on a different object, as in the present case, it may denote that the higher blessing is conveyed by the right hand. The laying on of both hands on one person may express the fulness of the blessing conveyed, or the fullness of the desire with which it is conveyed.
Genesis 48:15-16
And he blessed Joseph. - In blessing his seed he blesses himself. In exalting his two sons into the rank and right of his brothers, he bestows upon them the double portion of the first-born. In the terms of the blessing Jacob first signalizes the threefold function which the Lord discharges in effecting the salvation of a sinner. âThe God before whom walked my fathers,â is the Author of salvation, the Judge who dispenses justice and mercy, the Father, before whom the adopted and regenerate child walks. From him salvation comes, to him the saved returns, to walk before him and be perfect. âThe God, who fed me from my being unto this day,â is the Creator and Upholder of life, the Quickener and Sanctifier, the potential Agent, who works both to will and to do in the soul. âThe Angel that redeemed me from all evil,â is the all-sufficient Friend, who wards off evil by himself satisfying the demands of justice and resisting the devices of malice. There is a beautiful propriety of feeling in Jacob ascribing to his fathers the walking before God, while he thankfully acknowledges the grace of the Quickener and Justifier to himself. The Angel is explicitly applied to the Supreme Being in this ministerial function. The God is the emphatic description of the true, living God, as contradistinguished from all false gods. âBless the lads.â The word bless is in the singular number. For Jacobâs threefold periphrasis is intended to describe the one God who wills, works, and wards. âAnd let my name be put upon them.â Let them be counted among my immediate sons, and let them be related to Abraham and Isaac, as my other sons are. This is the only thing that is special in the blessing. âLet them grow into a multitude.â The word grow in the original refers to the spawning or extraordinary increase of the finny tribe. The after history of Ephraim and Menasseh will be found to correspond with this special prediction.
Genesis 48:17-22
Joseph presumes that his father has gone astray through dulness of perception, and endeavors to rectify his mistake. He finds, however, that on the other hand a supernatural vision is now conferred on his parent, who is fully conscious of what he is about, and therefore, abides by his own act. Ephraim is to be greater than Menasseh. Joshua, the successor of Moses, was of the tribe of Ephraim, as Kaleb his companion was of Judah. Ephraim came to designate the northern kingdom of the ten tribes, as Judah denoted the southern kingdom containing the remaining tribes; and each name was occasionally used to denote all Israel, with a special reference to the prominent part. âHis seed shall be the fullness of the nations.â This denotes not only the number but the completeness of his race, and accords with the future pre-eminence of his tribe. In thee, in Joseph, who is still identified with his offspring.
At the point of death Jacob expresses his assurance of the return of his posterity to the land of promise, and bestows on Joseph one share or piece of ground above his brethren, which, says he, I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow. This share is, in the original, ש××× shekem, Shekem, a shoulder or tract of land. This region included âthe parcel of the field where he had spread his tentâ Genesis 33:19. It refers to the whole territory of Shekem, which was conquered by his sword and his bow, inasmuch as the city itself was sacked, and its inhabitants put to the sword by his sons at the head of his armed retainers, though without his approval Genesis 34:0. Though he withdrew immediately after to Bethel Genesis 35:0, yet he neither fled nor relinquished possession of this conquest, as we find his sons feeding his flocks there when he himself was residing at Hebron Genesis 37:13. The incidental conquest of such a tract was no more at variance with the subsequent acquisition of the whole country than the purchase of a field by Abraham or a parcel of ground by Jacob himself. In accordance with this gift Josephâs bones were deposited in Shekem, after the conquest of the whole land by returning Israel. The territory of Shekem was probably not equal in extent to that of Ephraim, but was included within its bounds.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Genesis 48:2. Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. — He had been confined to his bed before, (see Genesis 47:31), and now, hearing that Joseph was come to see him, he made what efforts his little remaining strength would admit, to sit up in bed to receive his son. This verse proves that a bed, not a staff, is intended in the preceding chapter, Genesis 47:31.
