Genesis 48:20

Genesis 48:20, in plain English

Jacob declares that his blessing on these boys will become the standard blessing Israel uses going forward: 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.' He's ensuring that this blessing echoes through generations.

Why it's here

This final statement locks the blessing into Israel's identity and future. Jacob isn't just blessing two boys; he's establishing a blessing formula that Israel will repeat for generations. When Israelite parents bless their sons, they'll invoke the names of Ephraim and Manasseh, making this moment perpetually present.

Who's speaking

Jacob

Where it sits in the story

Jacob's words at the end of Genesis 48 become literally true—to this day, Jewish tradition includes the blessing 'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh' in blessing children. The blessing Jacob spoke continues living in God's people across millennia.

The scholarly reading

Jacob concludes by blessing both boys and declaring that in future generations, Israelites will invoke their names when blessing—'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh' will become a standard blessing formula.

Language and setting

This final verse is extraordinary: rather than the blessing ending with Jacob's pronouncement, it becomes perpetual through liturgical repetition. Israelite fathers will bless their sons using this formula—'May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh'—making this blessing generative and continuous. The use of 'Israel' (*Yisrael* in the reflexive *yitbarekh*—'Israel shall bless itself') suggests that the entire nation incorporates this blessing into its practice. Historically, this remains true in Jewish tradition: the blessing of sons still invokes Ephraim and Manasseh. This transforms a particular patriarchal act into a normative, repeatable blessing formula that shapes communal practice across generations.

Voice

Jacob, pronouncing the perpetual blessing

Significance

This concludes not just the blessing of two boys but establishes a pattern that will endure throughout Israel's history. The blessing transcends the particular historical moment and becomes embedded in the spiritual practice of God's people, making Ephraim and Manasseh paradigmatic exemplars of covenantal blessing.

18“Not so, my father!” Joseph said. “This one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”

19But his father refused. “I know, my son, I know!” he said. “He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great; nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”

20So that day Jacob blessed them and said: “By you shall Israel pronounce this blessing: ‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”

21Then Israel said to Joseph, “Look, I am about to die, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers.

22And to you, as one who is above your brothers, I give the ridge of land that I took from the Amorites with my sword and bow.”

Read all of Genesis 48 — Jacob blesses Joseph's sons with crossed hands — putting the younger ahead of the older. The pattern of God's upside-down choices continues.