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Bible Dictionaries
Ephraim
Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary
or was the name of Joseph's second son, by Asenath, Potiphar's daughter. He was born in Egypt, A.M. 2294. Ephraim, with his brother Manasseh, was presented by his father Joseph to Jacob on his death bed, Genesis 48:8 , &c. Jacob laid his right hand on Ephraim the younger, and his left on Manasseh the older. Joseph was desirous to change his hands, but Jacob answered, "I know it, my son; Manasseh shall be multiplied, but Ephraim shall be greater." The sons of Ephraim having made an inroad into Palestine, the inhabitants of Gath killed them. Ephraim their father mourned many days for them, and his brethren came to comfort him, 1 Chronicles 7:20-21 . Afterward, he had a son named Beriah, and a daughter Sherah. He had also other sons, Rephah, Resheph, Tela, &c.
His posterity multiplied in Egypt to the number of forty thousand five hundred men capable of bearing arms. In the land of promise, Joshua, who was of this tribe, gave them their portion between the Mediterranean west, and the river Jordan east. The ark and tabernacle remained long in this tribe at Shiloh; and after the separation of the ten tribes, the seat of the kingdom was in Ephraim, and hence Ephraim is frequently used to denote the whole kingdom. The district belonging to this tribe is called Ephratah, Psalms 132:6 . Ephraim was led captive beyond the Euphrates, with all Israel, by Salmaneser, king of Assyria, A.M. 3283.
2. EPHRAIM was also the name of a city, into which Christ retired with his disciples a little before his passion, John 11:54 . It was situated in the tribe of Ephraim, near the river Jordan. There was also the wood or forest of Ephraim, situated on the other side Jordan, in which Absalom's army was routed and himself killed, 2 Samuel 18:6 .
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Watson, Richard. Entry for 'Ephraim'. Richard Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/wtd/e/ephraim.html. 1831-2.
