Genesis 48:13-14

48:13 Joseph positioned them; ¹  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. ²  48:14 Israel stretched out his right hand and placed it on Ephraim’s head, although he was the younger. ³  Crossing his hands, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

Genesis 48:17-19

48:17 When Joseph saw that his father placed his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him. ⁴  So he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 48:18 Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”

48:19 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 ⁵  of nations.”

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¹ tn Heb “and Joseph took the two of them.”

² tn Heb “and he brought near to him.” The referents of the pronouns “he” and “him” (Joseph and his father respectively) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn The disjunctive clause is circumstantial-concessive here.

⁴ tn Heb “it was bad in his eyes.”

⁵ tn Heb “fullness.”