Ephraim and Manasseh



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Ephraim was Joseph's second-born (Gen. 48:14)

Manasseh was Joseph's first-born (Gen. 48:14)

Ephraim is ’Ephrayim (ם.יַר :פ∵א) [pronounced ef-RAH-yim] and it means double-fruit, double portion. He was so-named because Joseph had been so blessed in Egypt (Gen. 41:52)

Manasseh is Menashsheh (ה∵ַנ:מ) [pronounced men-ash-SHEH] means causing to forget. Joseph so named his son because he caused Joseph to forget the hardship that he had been through and the loss of his family (Gen. 41:51).

When Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh, he gave pre-eminence to Ephraim, the younger (Gen. 48:14–20)

Nevertheless, Manasseh would become a great people (Gen. 48:19)

At the first recorded census taken by Moses, Ephraim numbered 40,500 men who were over twenty and able to go to war (Num. 1:32–33)

During this same census, there were found to be 32,200 able-bodied men from the tribe of Manasseh (Num. 1:34–35)

Ephraim, Manasseh and Benjamin marched together on the Western side of the Tabernacle together during the desert wanderings (Num. 2:18–24)

Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim (Num. 13:8)

Gaddi was his corresponding representative from the tribe of Manasseh (Num. 13:11). There were prominent men from this tribe, however—Gideon (Jud. 6:15) and Jephthah (Jud. 11)

The new generation census 40 years later place the second generation of men of Ephraim at 32,500 (Num. 26:37)

Manasseh: 52,700; a remarkable change (Num. 26:34)

Despite this inequity in population, Ephraim later surpassed Manasseh in population, wealth and power. Endnote This was not a result of Jacob's blessing, but a fulfillment of same.

Ephraim's portion of Canaan was directly northwest of the Dead Sea at the bottom of the Jordan. Its boundaries did not extend all the way to the Mediterranean (Josh. 16)

Manasseh possessed the land from the middle of the Jordan, extending to the Mediterranean. Manasseh also occupied a large disjoint plot of land east and northeast of the Sea of Chinnereth (now the Sea of Galilee) (Josh 17)

Ephraim live in the land assigned to them by God but did not completely drive out the Canaanites, so the Canaanites lived among them (Jud. 1:29)

Manasseh did not fully possess the land that God had given them by the time of the judges (Jud. 1:27)

During the time of Joshua, throughout the days of the judges, Shiloh, which is in Ephraim, was the spiritual center of Israel (Josh. 18:1 22:12 Jud. 18:31 21:19 I Sam. 1:3, 9, 24 2:14 3:21 Endnote )

King David chose prominent members of his cabinet from Manasseh (I Chron. 26:31 27:20, 21)

The tribe of Judah became pre-eminent during the time of David and Solomon, moving the political and spiritual center to Jerusalem

Ephraim, at Solomon's death, seceded along with several other tribes to form the northern kingdom under King Jeroboam I of the tribe of Ephraim.

Despite being a part of the Northern Kingdom, Manasseh was involved in the revival under Asa, during the passover celebration during Hezekiah's rule and in the reform measures of Josiah and the restoration of the temple (II Chron. 15:9 30:1, 10, 11, 18 31:1 34:6, 9)

Ephraim became a synonym for the Northern Kingdom, particularly in the books of Chronicles, Isaiah and Hosea.

Manasseh eventually became assimilated by conquering peoples and the tribe of Manasseh degenerated into worshiping idols (I Chron. 5:25)

Ephraim will be reunited with Judah in the millennium under the rule of Judah (Ezek. 37)

Manasseh is loved by God (Psalm 4:7 108:8) and has a future in God's plan (Ezek. 48:4 Rev. 7:6)

Some additional comments:

1.    According to the Targums of Jerusalem and the pseudo-Jonathan of Gene. 42, Manasseh was the interpreter for Joseph when he first spoke to his brothers. Whereas this is a slight possibility, it is highly unlikely because (1) it would have probably been mentioned in Scripture and (2) since Ephraim and Manasseh were born during the seven-year famine and since Joseph's family joined him during the famine, Manasseh would have been only 2-4 years old at the time of this meeting, which would have seemed quite bizarre to the brothers of Joseph to be speaking to the prime minister of Egypt through a pre-school interpreter.

2.    The Talmud tells us that the flag of Manasseh was a black flag emblazoned with a unicorn. As the above story, this is most likely so much tripe.

3.    Manasseh was a strong, fierce tribe which was involved with several important military campaigns (Num. 32:31, 42 39:32 Deut. 3:14 Josh. 22:1, 7, 10–34 Jud. 6:15 I Chron. 5:18–22)