Genesis 46:20

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

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

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

וַיִּוָּלֵ֣ד לְיוֹסֵף֮ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַיִם֒ אֲשֶׁ֤ר יָֽלְדָה־לּוֹ֙ אָֽסְנַ֔ת בַּת־פּ֥וֹטִי פֶ֖רַע כֹּהֵ֣ן אֹ֑ן אֶת־מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה וְאֶת־אֶפְרָֽיִם׃

Transliteration

And wayyiwwālēḏ to-Yôsēp̄ in-land-of Miṣrayim, whom yālĕḏâ-to-him ʾĀsĕnat daughter-of-Pôṭî Peraʿ kōhēn ʾŌn, ʾet-Mĕnaššeh and-ʾet-ʾEp̄rāyim.

Grammar Details

• *wayyiwwālēḏ*: waw consecutive + niphal imperfect 3rd masculine singular - 'and was born'
• *Yôsēp̄*: proper noun, masculine singular - 'Joseph'
• *Miṣrayim*: proper noun, place name - 'Egypt'
• *yālĕḏâ*: qal perfect 3rd feminine singular - 'she bore'
• *ʾĀsĕnat*: proper noun, feminine singular - 'Asenath'
• *Pôṭî Peraʿ*: proper noun, masculine singular - 'Potiphera'
• *kōhēn*: common noun, masculine singular construct - 'priest of'
• *ʾŌn*: proper noun, place name - 'On'
• *ʾet*: direct object marker
• *Mĕnaššeh*: proper noun, masculine singular - 'Manasseh'
• *ʾEp̄rāyim*: proper noun, masculine singular - 'Ephraim'

Word Meanings

• *wayyiwwālēḏ*: were born/there were born
• *yālĕḏâ*: she bore/she gave birth to
• *kōhēn*: priest/minister

Referenced Verses

• Gen 41:50-52 : 50 Two sons were born to Joseph before the famine came. Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, was their mother. 51 Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, saying,“Certainly God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s house.” 52 He named the second child Ephraim, saying,“Certainly God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
• Gen 41:45 : 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah. He also gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. So Joseph took charge of all the land of Egypt.
• Gen 48:4-5 : 4 He said to me,‘I am going to make you fruitful and will multiply you. I will make you into a group of nations, and I will give this land to your descendants as an everlasting possession.’ 5 “Now, as for your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, they will be mine. Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine just as Reuben and Simeon are.
• Gen 48:13-14 : 13 Joseph positioned them; he put Ephraim on his right hand across from Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh on his left hand across from Israel’s right hand. Then Joseph brought them closer to his father. 14 Israel stretched out his right hand and placed it on Ephraim’s head, although he was the younger. Crossing his hands, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, for Manasseh was the firstborn.
• Gen 48:20 : 20 So he blessed them that day, saying,“By you will Israel bless, saying,‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”So he put Ephraim before Manasseh.
• Num 1:32-35 : 32 From the sons of Joseph: From the descendants of Ephraim: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name. 33 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Ephraim were 40,500. 34 From the descendants of Manasseh: According to the records of their clans and families, all the males twenty years old or older who could serve in the army were listed by name. 35 Those of them who were numbered from the tribe of Manasseh were 32,200.
• Num 26:28-37 : 28 Manasseh The descendants of Joseph by their families: Manasseh and Ephraim. 29 The Manassehites: from Machir, the family of the Machirites(now Machir became the father of Gilead); from Gilead, the family of the Gileadites. 30 These were the Gileadites: from Iezer, the family of the Iezerites; from Helek, the family of the Helekites; 31 from Asriel, the family of the Asrielites; from Shechem, the family of the Shechemites; 32 from Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites; from Hepher, the family of the Hepherites. 33 Now Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons, but only daughters; and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah. 34 These were the families of Manasseh; those numbered of them were 52,700. 35 Ephraim These are the Ephraimites by their families: from Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthelahites; from Beker, the family of the Bekerites; from Tahan, the family of the Tahanites. 36 Now these were the Shuthelahites: from Eran, the family of the Eranites. 37 These were the families of the Ephraimites, according to those numbered of them, 32,500. These were the descendants of Joseph by their families.
• Deut 33:13-17 : 13 Blessing on Joseph Of Joseph he said: May the LORD bless his land with the harvest produced by the sky, by the dew, and by the depths crouching beneath; 14 with the harvest produced by the daylight and by the moonlight; 15 with the best of the ancient mountains and the harvest produced by the age-old hills; 16 with the harvest of the earth and its fullness and the pleasure of him who resided in the burning bush. May blessing rest on Joseph’s head, and on the top of the head of the one set apart from his brothers. 17 May the firstborn of his bull bring him honor, and may his horns be those of a wild ox; with them may he gore all peoples, all the far reaches of the earth. They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.
• 1 Chr 5:23-26 : 23 The Half-Tribe of Manasseh The half-tribe of Manasseh settled in the land from Bashan as far as Baal Hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon. They grew in number. 24 These were the leaders of their families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were skilled warriors, men of reputation, and leaders of their families. 25 But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors and worshiped instead the gods of the native peoples whom God had destroyed before them. 26 So the God of Israel stirred up King Pul of Assyria(that is, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria), and he carried away the Reubenites, Gadites, and half-tribe of Manasseh and took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan, where they remain to this very day.
• 1 Chr 7:14-29 : 14 Manasseh’s Descendants The sons of Manasseh:Asriel, who was born to Manasseh’s Aramean concubine. She also gave birth to Makir the father of Gilead. 15 Now Makir married a wife from the Huppites and Shuppites.(His sister’s name was Maacah.)Zelophehad was Manasseh’s second son; he had only daughters. 16 Maacah, Makir’s wife, gave birth to a son, whom she named Peresh. His brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rekem. 17 The son of Ulam:Bedan. These were the sons of Gilead, son of Makir, son of Manasseh. 18 His sister Hammoleketh gave birth to Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah. 19 The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam. 20 Ephraim’s Descendants The descendants of Ephraim:Shuthelah, his son Bered, his son Tahath, his son Eleadah, his son Tahath, 21 his son Zabad, his son Shuthelah(Ezer and Elead were killed by the men of Gath, who were natives of the land, when they went down to steal their cattle. 22 Their father Ephraim mourned for them many days and his brothers came to console him. 23 He slept with his wife; she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Ephraim named him Beriah because tragedy had come to his family. 24 His daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper Beth Horon, as well as Uzzen Sheerah), 25 his son Rephah, his son Resheph, his son Telah, his son Tahan, 26 his son Ladan, his son Ammihud, his son Elishama, 27 his son Nun, and his son Joshua. 28 Their property and settlements included Bethel and its surrounding towns, Naaran to the east, Gezer and its surrounding towns to the west, and Shechem and its surrounding towns as far as Ayyah and its surrounding towns. 29 On the border of Manasseh’s territory were Beth Shean and its surrounding towns, Taanach and its surrounding towns, Megiddo and its surrounding towns, and Dor and its surrounding towns. The descendants of Joseph, Israel’s son, lived here.