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Genesis 46:20

in Genesis 46

Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On, bare unto him.

KJV

And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Poti–pherah priest of On bare unto him.

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This verse in Genesis 46

Commentary

5 notes on this verse
And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim,.... And therefore not to be reckoned with those that went down with Jacob thither; for which reason the clause, "in the land of Egypt", is inserted, see Gen 41:50, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah, priest of On, bare unto him; here again the Targum of Jonathan makes Asenath to be the daughter of Dinah, who it says was educated in the house of Potipherah prince of Tanis; See Gill on Gen 41:50.

This site's exposition

The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel

on Genesis 46:19-22

Rachel alone is called Jacob's wife in the roll, though she has been dead since chapter 35 and Leah bore him twice as many sons. Manasseh and Ephraim are counted in. In chapter 48 a blind man crosses his hands over those two and says he knows which is which.

This site's exposition

Potiphera, priest of On

On is the city the Greeks called Heliopolis, near modern Cairo, a centre of the worship of the sun. The sons of a priest's daughter from that city are counted with the house of Israel. Jacob adopts both as his own at 48:5.

The record, by era

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

Unto Joseph - were born Manasseh and Ephraim - There is a remarkable addition here in the Septuagint, which must be noticed: Εγενοντο δε υἱοι Μανασση, οὑς ετεκεν αυτῳ ἡ παλλακη ἡ Συρα, τον Μαχιρ· Μαχιρ δε εγεννησε τον Γαλααδ. Υἱοι δε Εφραιμ αδελφου Μανασσῃ, Σουταλααμ και Τααμ. Υἱοι δε Σουταλααμ, Εδεμ· These were the sons of Manasseh whom his Syrian concubine bore unto him: Machir; and Machir begat Galaad. The sons of Ephraim, Manasseh’s brother, were Sutalaam and Taam; and the sons of Sutalaam, Edem.

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

In the speech of Stephen (Ac 7:14) the number is stated to be seventy-five; but as that estimate includes five sons of Ephraim and Manasseh (1Ch 7:14-20), born in Egypt, the two accounts coincide.

The words behind it

17 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וַיִּוָּלֵ֣דand it was born

    vaiyivaledH3205 →496 times

  • לְיוֹסֵף֮to Joseph

    leyosefH3130 →213 times

  • בְּאֶ֣רֶץin [the] land of

    beeretzH776 →2504 times

  • מִצְרַיִם֒Egypt

    mitzrayimH4714 →641 times

  • אֲשֶׁ֤ר[those] whom

    ʾasherH834 →5497 times

  • יָֽלְדָה־she bore

    yaldah-H3205 →496 times

  • לּוֹ֙to him

    lo

  • אָֽסְנַ֔תAsenath

    ʾasenatH621 →3 times

  • בַּת־[the] daughter of

    bat-H1323 →588 times

  • פּ֥וֹטִיPoti-

    potiH6319 →6 times

  • פֶ֖רַע-phera

    fera'H6319 →6 times

  • כֹּהֵ֣ן[the] priest of

    kohenH3548 →750 times

  • אֹ֑ןOn

    ʾonH204 →4 times

  • אֶת־<obj.>

    ʾet-H853 →10935 times

  • מְנַשֶּׁ֖הManasseh

    menashehH4519 →146 times

  • וְאֶת־and <obj.>

    veetH853 →10935 times

  • אֶפְרָֽיִם׃Ephraim

    ʾefrayimH669 →180 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

14 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Genesis 48:5And now your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here shall be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine.6 worksGenesis 41:50Before the years of famine arrived, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.6 worksNumbers 26:28The descendants of Joseph included the clans of Manasseh and Ephraim.4 worksJoshua 17:1Now this was the allotment for the tribe of Manasseh as Joseph’s firstborn son, namely for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh and father of the Gileadites, who had received Gilead and Bashan because Machir was a man of war.4 worksGenesis 41:45Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah, and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt.3 worksGenesis 48:1Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.3 works
The other 8 cross-references, with their words ▾
1 Chronicles 5:23–26Now the people of the half-tribe of Manasseh were numerous. They settled in the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon (that is, Senir, also known as Mount Hermon).2 worksNumbers 1:32–35From the sons of Joseph:2 works1 Chronicles 7:14–29The descendants of Manasseh: Through his Aramean concubine, Asriel, as well as Machir the father of Gilead.2 worksGenesis 48:13–14And Joseph took both of them—with Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand—and brought them close to him.2 worksGenesis 48:20So that day Jacob blessed them and said: “By you shall Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’” So he put Ephraim before Manasseh.2 worksGenesis 48:4–5and told me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you; I will make you a multitude of peoples, and will give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’2 worksDeuteronomy 33:13–17Concerning Joseph he said: “May his land be blessed by the LORD with the precious dew from heaven above and the deep waters that lie beneath,2 worksGenesis 48:14But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger; and crossing his hands, he put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn.2 works

The walk

5 stops

Each 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

    Genesis 41:45

    Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah, and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt.

    it leads to

    • Ezekiel 30:17

      The young men of On and Pi-beseth will fall by the sword, and those cities will go into captivity.

    • Exodus 2:16

      Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father’s flock.

    • Genesis 14:18

      Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine—since he was priest of God Most High—

    • 2 Samuel 8:18

      Benaiah son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and Pelethites; and David’s sons were priestly leaders.

    • 2 Samuel 20:26

      and Ira the Jairite was David’s priest.

Where this verse is studied

About Genesis

Jacob Goes to Egypt — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Jacob Goes to Egypt — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain
Genesis: the study guide →Read Genesis 46 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament.

Read on in Genesis 46 →