Discovery BoxGenesis 48:13-14 
Context48:13 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
Context48:17 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.”
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.”
