Genesis 49:22

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough near a spring whose branches climb over the wall.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

בֵּ֤ן פֹּרָת֙ יוֹסֵ֔ף בֵּ֥ן פֹּרָ֖ת עֲלֵי־עָ֑יִן בָּנ֕וֹת צָעֲדָ֖ה עֲלֵי־שֽׁוּר

Transliteration

bēn pōrāt yôsēp bēn pōrāt upon-ʿāyin bānôt ṣāʿădāh upon-šûr

Grammar Details

• *bēn*: noun masculine singular construct - son of
• *pōrāt*: noun feminine singular - fruitfulness
• *yôsēp*: proper noun, masculine singular - Joseph
• *ʿāyin*: noun common singular - spring/eye
• *bānôt*: noun feminine plural - daughters
• *ṣāʿădāh*: Qal perfect 3rd feminine singular - she stepped/marched
• *šûr*: noun masculine singular - wall

Word Meanings

• *bēn pōrāt*: fruitful son/son of fruitfulness/fruitful bough
• *ʿāyin*: spring/fountain/eye
• *bānôt ṣāʿădāh*: daughters marched/stepped/ran over
• *šûr*: wall/fence/terrace

Referenced Verses

• Gen 41:52 : 52 He named the second child Ephraim, saying,“Certainly God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.”
• Gen 46:27 : 27 Counting the two sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt, all the people of the household of Jacob who were in Egypt numbered seventy.
• Gen 48:1 : 1 Manasseh and Ephraim After these things Joseph was told,“Your father is weakening.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him.
• Gen 48:5 : 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 48:16 : 16 the Angel who has protected me from all harm– bless these boys. May my name be named in them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac. May they grow into a multitude on the earth.”
• Gen 48:19-20 : 19 But his father refused and said,“I know, my son, I know. He too will become a nation and he too will become great. In spite of this, his younger brother will be even greater and his descendants will become a multitude of nations.” 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 32:1-9 : 1 The Petition of the Reubenites and Gadites Now the Reubenites and the Gadites possessed a very large number of cattle. When they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were ideal for cattle, 2 the Gadites and the Reubenites came and addressed Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the community. They said, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 the land that the LORD subdued before the community of Israel, is ideal for cattle, and your servants have cattle.” 5 So they said,“If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants for our inheritance. Do not have us cross the Jordan River.” 6 Moses’ Response Moses said to the Gadites and the Reubenites,“Must your brothers go to war while you remain here? 7 Why do you frustrate the intent of the Israelites to cross over into the land which the LORD has given them? 8 Your fathers did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to see the land. 9 When they went up to the Eshcol Valley and saw the land, they frustrated the intent of the Israelites so that they did not enter the land that the LORD had given them. 10 So the anger of the LORD was kindled that day, and he swore, 11 ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years old and upward who came from Egypt will see the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, 12 except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the LORD wholeheartedly.’ 13 So the LORD’s anger was kindled against the Israelites, and he made them wander in the wilderness for forty years, until all that generation that had done wickedly before the LORD was finished. 14 Now look, you are standing in your fathers’ place, a brood of sinners, to increase still further the fierce wrath of the LORD against the Israelites. 15 For if you turn away from following him, he will once again abandon them in the wilderness, and you will be the reason for their destruction.” 16 The Offer of the Reubenites and Gadites Then they came very close to him and said,“We will build sheep folds here for our flocks and cities for our families, 17 but we will maintain ourselves in armed readiness and go before the Israelites until whenever we have brought them to their place. Our descendants will be living in fortified towns as a protection against the inhabitants of the land. 18 We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has his inheritance. 19 For we will not accept any inheritance on the other side of the Jordan River and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on this eastern side of the Jordan.” 20 Then Moses replied,“If you will do this thing, and if you will arm yourselves for battle before the LORD, 21 and if all your armed men cross the Jordan before the LORD until he drives out his enemies from his presence 22 and the land is subdued before the LORD, then afterward you may return and be free of your obligation to the LORD and to Israel. This land will then be your possession in the LORD’s sight. 23 “But if you do not do this, then look, you will have sinned against the LORD. And know that your sin will find you out. 24 So build cities for your descendants and pens for your sheep, but do what you have said you would do.” 25 So the Gadites and the Reubenites replied to Moses,“Your servants will do as my lord commands. 26 Our children, our wives, our flocks, and all our livestock will be there in the cities of Gilead, 27 but your servants will cross over, every man armed for war, to do battle in the LORD’s presence, just as my lord says.” 28 So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the heads of the families of the Israelite tribes. 29 Moses said to them:“If the Gadites and the Reubenites cross the Jordan with you, each one equipped for battle in the LORD’s presence, and you conquer the land, then you must allot them the territory of Gilead as their possession. 30 But if they do not cross over with you armed, they must receive possessions among you in Canaan.” 31 Then the Gadites and the Reubenites answered,“Your servants will do what the LORD has spoken. 32 We will cross armed in the LORD’s presence into the land of Canaan, and then the possession of our inheritance that we inherit will be ours on this side of the Jordan River.” 33 Land Assignment So Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the realm of King Sihon of the Amorites, and the realm of King Og of Bashan, the entire land with its cities and the territory surrounding them. 34 The Gadites rebuilt Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, 35 Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, 36 Beth Nimrah, and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and constructed pens for their flocks. 37 The Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim, 38 Nebo, Baal Meon(with a change of name), and Sibmah. They renamed the cities they built. 39 The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, took it, and dispossessed the Amorites who were in it. 40 So Moses gave Gilead to Machir, son of Manasseh, and he lived there. 41 Now Jair son of Manasseh went and captured their small towns and named them Havvoth Jair. 42 Then Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages and called it Nobah after his own name.
• 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.
• Josh 16:1-9 : 1 Joseph’s Tribal Lands The land allotted to Joseph’s descendants extended from the Jordan at Jericho to the waters of Jericho to the east, through the desert and on up from Jericho into the hill country of Bethel. 2 The southern border extended from Bethel to Luz, and crossed to Arkite territory at Ataroth. 3 It then descended westward to Japhletite territory, as far as the territory of lower Beth Horon and Gezer, and ended at the sea. 4 Joseph’s descendants, Manasseh and Ephraim, were assigned their land. 5 The territory of the tribe of Ephraim by its clans included the following: The border of their assigned land to the east was Ataroth Addar as far as upper Beth Horon. 6 It then extended on to the sea, with Micmethath on the north. It turned eastward to Taanath Shiloh and crossed it on the east to Janoah. 7 It then descended from Janoah to Ataroth and Naarah, touched Jericho, and extended to the Jordan River. 8 From Tappuah it went westward to the Valley of Kanah and ended at the sea. This is the land assigned to the tribe of Ephraim by its clans. 9 Also included were the cities set apart for the tribe of Ephraim within Manasseh’s territory, along with their towns. 10 The Ephraimites did not conquer the Canaanites living in Gezer. The Canaanites live among the Ephraimites to this very day and do hard labor as their servants.
• Josh 17:14-17 : 14 The descendants of Joseph said to Joshua,“Why have you assigned us only one tribal allotment? After all, we have many people, for until now the LORD has enabled us to increase in number.” 15 Joshua replied to them,“Since you have so many people, go up into the forest and clear out a place to live in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites, for the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you.” 16 The descendants of Joseph said,“The whole hill country is inadequate for us, and the Canaanites living down in the valley in Beth Shean and its surrounding towns and in the Valley of Jezreel have chariots with iron-rimmed wheels.” 17 Joshua said to the family of Joseph– to both Ephraim and Manasseh:“You have many people and great military strength. You will not have just one tribal allotment.
• Ps 1:1-3 : 1 ¶ Book 1(Psalms 1-41) How blessed is the one who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand in the pathway with sinners, or sit in the assembly of scoffers! 2 Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the LORD’s commands; he meditates on his commands day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by flowing streams; it yields its fruit at the proper time, and its leaves never fall off. He succeeds in everything he attempts.
• Ps 128:1 : 1 A song of ascents. How blessed is every one of the LORD’s loyal followers, each one who keeps his commands!
• Ps 128:3 : 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in the inner rooms of your house; your children will be like olive branches, as they sit all around your table.
• Ezek 19:11 : 11 Its boughs were strong, fit for rulers’ scepters; it reached up into the clouds. It stood out because of its height and its many branches.
• Gen 30:22-24 : 22 Then God took note of Rachel. He paid attention to her and enabled her to become pregnant. 23 She became pregnant and gave birth to a son. Then she said,“God has taken away my shame.” 24 She named him Joseph, saying,“May the LORD give me yet another son.”