Patriarchs

Manasseh

The firstborn son of Joseph and Asenath, born in Egypt before the years of famine. When the elderly Jacob blessed Joseph’s sons, he crossed his hands and placed the greater blessing on the younger Ephraim—a reversal that echoed Jacob’s own story. Manasseh’s tribe received a double inheritance, settling on both sides of the Jordan River, and his half-tribe east of the Jordan was known for its vast herds and skilled warriors.

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Manasseh

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The verse that names Manasseh

Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, saying, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s household.”Genesis 41:51 · Berean Standard Bible

Where to read about Manasseh

Genesis 41:51

Joseph named the firstborn Manasseh, saying, “God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father’s household.”

Pharaoh has a dream no one can explain. Joseph goes from a dungeon to second-in-command over all of Egypt in a single day.

Genesis 48:1-20

Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Israel rallied his strength and sat up in bed. Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me and 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…

Jacob blesses Joseph's sons with crossed hands — putting the younger ahead of the older. The pattern of God's upside-down choices continues.

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