-
†. Gen 48:1a . . Some time afterward, Joseph was told "Your father
is ill"
The Hebrew word for "ill" is chalah (khaw-law') and can mean not only sick,
but also weak (Judg 16:17) sad (1Sam 22:8) suppliant (1Kgs 13:6) injured
(1Kgs 22:34) in pain (Jer 4:31) drunk (Hos 7:5) and evil: as disaster or
misfortune. (Ecc 5:13)
†. Gen 48:1b . . So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and
Ephraim.
The visit was probably just a comfort call; like visiting a friend or relative at
the hospital. I really don't think it was prompted by a fear that Jacob was
going to die at any moment. Joseph's boys apparently came on their own,
rather than by request, because Jacob wasn't expecting them; and what kid
can resist a trip to grandpa's house.
The boys by this time were young men, having been born during the seven
years of plenty, prior to the beginning of the seven years of famine (Gen
41:50). Jacob lived in Egypt at least seventeen years prior to this current
event (Gen 47:28), and immigrated during the second year of the seven
years of famine (Gen 45:6, Gen 45:11). So his grandsons Manasseh and
Ephraim were both in their early twenties by now.
†. Gen 48:2 . .When Jacob was told "Your son Joseph has come to
see you" Israel gathered his strength and sat up in bed.
No greetings or social graces are recorded from this meeting; though they
must have occurred. Surely Jacob wouldn't just launch into a speech the
moment his kin walked through the door. How weird would that be;
especially since Joseph was Jacob's very favorite son? But Genesis skips over
that part of the meeting, and without even so much as hinting how the topic
came up at this point in the visit; just goes right to the meat of it.
The speech Jacob is going to make was probably one he had been
rehearsing in his mind for some time as he sensed the nearness of his
impending death; which would certainly serve to remind him that he was
running out of time; so if he was ever going to get these things off his chest,
he better do it at the very next opportunity, while he was able, because who
really knows how many more opportunities one might have left?
People often put off important things-- e.g. making out their will --till sudden
death, or the onset of dementia finally closes the door. Jacob had something
important to say about his two grandsons, so it was fortuitous that they
came along with their dad to visit grandpa that day.
†. Gen 48:3a . . And Jacob said to Joseph: El Shaddai appeared to me
at Luz
El Shaddai-- the god who controls the laws of nature (cf. Col 1:17) --is also
Yhvh because that's an appellation Genesis labels Him at Bethel (Gen
28:13). And an appellation Jacob labeled Him too, at the very same site.
(Gen 28:16-20)
Luz is Bethel (Gen 28:10-19, Gen 35:6-7). That location was an especially
sacred site for Jacob because it was his very first personal encounter with
God. You know, hearing about God, and reading about God, and praying to
God, just aren't the same as actually meeting God. Not the same at all.
Head knowledge is one thing, personal experience is quite another; yes,
quite, quite another. There's nothing like a close encounter with God to set
someone's faith in concrete.
†. Gen 48:3b . . and He blessed me
At this point, Jacob paraphrases the essential elements of El Shaddai's Luz
blessing, with the exception of one element which I would esteem even
more valuable than the prosperity elements: God's ever-abiding
companionship.
"Remember, I am with you: I will protect you wherever you go and will bring
you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have
promised you." (Gen 28:15)
†. Gen 48:4 . . and said to me; "I will make you fertile and
numerous, making of you a nation; and I will assign this land to your
offspring to come for an everlasting possession."
Although Israel's possession of Palestine is eternal, their occupation of it
isn't, as the Jews' past evictions have easily demonstrated.
Jacob's statement of the blessing is selective, and left out a couple of items;
one of which is that God also assigned the land to Jacob himself, not just to
his offspring (Gen 28:13) so God will have to resurrect Jacob in order to
make good on that portion of the blessing.
What Jacob does next in the book of Genesis may seem weird; but
apparently not an unusual practice in his own day. What he did was to
legally adopt his two grandsons; thus positioning Manasseh and Ephraim as
his own sons rather than Joseph's, which elevated the boys from their
natural status as grandsons to that of children biologically produced in his
own bedroom by he and Rachel.
Exactly how Ephraim and Manasseh felt about that isn't stated; nor would
they have had a say in it anyway as Jacob was the reigning paterfamilias at
the time; and within his own clan, Jacob was only one step in rank below
Yhvh.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
†. Gen 48:1a . . Some time afterward, Joseph was told "Your father
is ill"
The Hebrew word for "ill" is chalah (khaw-law') and can mean not only sick,
but also weak (Judg 16:17) sad (1Sam 22:8) suppliant (1Kgs 13:6) injured
(1Kgs 22:34) in pain (Jer 4:31) drunk (Hos 7:5) and evil: as disaster or
misfortune. (Ecc 5:13)
†. Gen 48:1b . . So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and
Ephraim.
The visit was probably just a comfort call; like visiting a friend or relative at
the hospital. I really don't think it was prompted by a fear that Jacob was
going to die at any moment. Joseph's boys apparently came on their own,
rather than by request, because Jacob wasn't expecting them; and what kid
can resist a trip to grandpa's house.
The boys by this time were young men, having been born during the seven
years of plenty, prior to the beginning of the seven years of famine (Gen
41:50). Jacob lived in Egypt at least seventeen years prior to this current
event (Gen 47:28), and immigrated during the second year of the seven
years of famine (Gen 45:6, Gen 45:11). So his grandsons Manasseh and
Ephraim were both in their early twenties by now.
†. Gen 48:2 . .When Jacob was told "Your son Joseph has come to
see you" Israel gathered his strength and sat up in bed.
No greetings or social graces are recorded from this meeting; though they
must have occurred. Surely Jacob wouldn't just launch into a speech the
moment his kin walked through the door. How weird would that be;
especially since Joseph was Jacob's very favorite son? But Genesis skips over
that part of the meeting, and without even so much as hinting how the topic
came up at this point in the visit; just goes right to the meat of it.
The speech Jacob is going to make was probably one he had been
rehearsing in his mind for some time as he sensed the nearness of his
impending death; which would certainly serve to remind him that he was
running out of time; so if he was ever going to get these things off his chest,
he better do it at the very next opportunity, while he was able, because who
really knows how many more opportunities one might have left?
People often put off important things-- e.g. making out their will --till sudden
death, or the onset of dementia finally closes the door. Jacob had something
important to say about his two grandsons, so it was fortuitous that they
came along with their dad to visit grandpa that day.
†. Gen 48:3a . . And Jacob said to Joseph: El Shaddai appeared to me
at Luz
El Shaddai-- the god who controls the laws of nature (cf. Col 1:17) --is also
Yhvh because that's an appellation Genesis labels Him at Bethel (Gen
28:13). And an appellation Jacob labeled Him too, at the very same site.
(Gen 28:16-20)
Luz is Bethel (Gen 28:10-19, Gen 35:6-7). That location was an especially
sacred site for Jacob because it was his very first personal encounter with
God. You know, hearing about God, and reading about God, and praying to
God, just aren't the same as actually meeting God. Not the same at all.
Head knowledge is one thing, personal experience is quite another; yes,
quite, quite another. There's nothing like a close encounter with God to set
someone's faith in concrete.
†. Gen 48:3b . . and He blessed me
At this point, Jacob paraphrases the essential elements of El Shaddai's Luz
blessing, with the exception of one element which I would esteem even
more valuable than the prosperity elements: God's ever-abiding
companionship.
"Remember, I am with you: I will protect you wherever you go and will bring
you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have
promised you." (Gen 28:15)
†. Gen 48:4 . . and said to me; "I will make you fertile and
numerous, making of you a nation; and I will assign this land to your
offspring to come for an everlasting possession."
Although Israel's possession of Palestine is eternal, their occupation of it
isn't, as the Jews' past evictions have easily demonstrated.
Jacob's statement of the blessing is selective, and left out a couple of items;
one of which is that God also assigned the land to Jacob himself, not just to
his offspring (Gen 28:13) so God will have to resurrect Jacob in order to
make good on that portion of the blessing.
What Jacob does next in the book of Genesis may seem weird; but
apparently not an unusual practice in his own day. What he did was to
legally adopt his two grandsons; thus positioning Manasseh and Ephraim as
his own sons rather than Joseph's, which elevated the boys from their
natural status as grandsons to that of children biologically produced in his
own bedroom by he and Rachel.
Exactly how Ephraim and Manasseh felt about that isn't stated; nor would
they have had a say in it anyway as Jacob was the reigning paterfamilias at
the time; and within his own clan, Jacob was only one step in rank below
Yhvh.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=