Discovery BoxGenesis 48:19-20 
Context48:19 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 1 of nations.” 48:20 So he blessed them that day, saying,
“By you 2 will Israel bless, 3 saying,
‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”
So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. 4
1 tn Heb “fullness.”
2 tn The pronoun is singular in the Hebrew text, apparently elevating Ephraim as the more prominent of the two. Note, however, that both are named in the blessing formula that follows.
3 tn Or “pronounce a blessing.”
4 sn On the elevation of Ephraim over Manasseh see E. C. Kingsbury, “He Set Ephraim Before Manasseh,” HUCA 38 (1967): 129-36; H. Mowvley, “The Concept and Content of ‘Blessing’ in the Old Testament,” BT 16 (1965): 74-80; and I. Mendelsohn, “On the Preferential Status of the Eldest Son,” BASOR 156 (1959): 38-40.
