Genesis 48:12
in Genesis 48Then Joseph removed his sons from his father’s knees and bowed facedown.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Joseph brought them out from between his knees; and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
KJV
And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.
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This verse in Genesis 48
Commentary
5 notes on this verseJoseph - bowed himself with his face to the earth - This act of Joseph has been extravagantly extolled by Dr. Delaney and others. “When I consider him on his knees to God,” says Dr. Delaney, “I regard him as a poor mortal in the discharge of his duty to his Creator. When I behold him bowing before Pharaoh, I consider him in the dutiful posture of a subject to his prince. But when I see him bending to the earth before a poor, old, blind, decrepit father, I behold him with admiration and delight.
This site's exposition
I never expected to see your face again
on Genesis 48:11-12
The last thing of Joseph's that Jacob held was a robe soaked in blood at Genesis 37:33. He refused to be comforted then, and now God has shown him the son and the son's children. Joseph takes the boys from his father's knees and bows facedown. He is on the floor before a blind old man.
This site's exposition
removed his sons from his father’s knees
The knees were the place of adoption in Genesis. Rachel had Bilhah bear children on her knees at 30:3, and Joseph's great-grandsons are received on his own knees at 50:23. Joseph lifts the boys off once the adoption is sealed and brings them forward for the blessing.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
See how he also taught his sons from the very beginning to show due respect for the old man. Joseph brought them along according to seniority, the text says, and presented Manasseh and then Ephraim. At this point notice, I ask you, how the good man's bodily eyes were by this time weak through old age ("His eyes had faded with age," remember, "and he could not see"), but the eyes of his mind were strengthened, and by faith Jacob already saw what was going to happen. I mean, instead of heeding Joseph, Jacob crossed his hands over in blessing them and gave precedence to the younger, putting Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And Joseph brought them out from between his knees,....
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
This verse should have followed And he blessed them that day, etc. (v. 20). 15 So Krinsky, Weiser and Cherez.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Its meaning is: And Joseph had taken them both. 18 In other words va-yikkach (took) is a pluperfect that means had taken.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיּוֹצֵ֥א | vaiyotze' | and he took | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| יוֹסֵ֛ף | yosef | Joseph | H3130 → | 213 times |
| אֹתָ֖ם | ʾotam | <obj.> them | H853 → | 10935 times |
| מֵעִ֣ם | meim | from with | H5973 → | 1050 times |
| בִּרְכָּ֑יו | birkav | knees his | H1290 → | 25 times |
| וַיִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּ | vaiyishtachu | and he bowed down | H7812 → | 172 times |
| לְאַפָּ֖יו | leapav | to face his | H639 → | 276 times |
| אָֽרְצָה׃ | ʾaretzah | [the] ground towards | H776 → | 2504 times |
וַיּוֹצֵ֥אand he took
vaiyotze'H3318 →1067 times
יוֹסֵ֛ףJoseph
yosefH3130 →213 times
אֹתָ֖ם<obj.> them
ʾotamH853 →10935 times
מֵעִ֣םfrom with
meimH5973 →1050 times
בִּרְכָּ֑יוknees his
birkavH1290 →25 times
וַיִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּand he bowed down
vaiyishtachuH7812 →172 times
לְאַפָּ֖יוto face his
leapavH639 →276 times
אָֽרְצָה׃[the] ground towards
ʾaretzahH776 →2504 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Leviticus 19:3Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must keep My Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God.
it leads to
- Exodus 20:12
Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.
- Exodus 20:8
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
- Ephesians 6:1–3
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
- Exodus 20:12
Through
Leviticus 19:32You are to rise in the presence of the elderly, honor the aged, and fear your God. I am the LORD.
it leads to
- 1 Timothy 5:1
Do not rebuke an older man, but appeal to him as to a father. Treat younger men as brothers,
- Proverbs 16:31
Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is attained along the path of righteousness.
- Proverbs 20:29
The glory of young men is their strength, and gray hair is the splendor of the old.
- 1 Timothy 5:1
Through
Proverbs 31:28Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband praises her as well:
it leads to
- 2 Timothy 1:5
I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am convinced is in you as well.
- 2 Timothy 3:15–17
From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
- 2 Timothy 1:5
Where this verse is studied
About Genesis
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; John Chrysostom, HOMILIES ON GENESIS 66.9; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.