Genesis 48:6 kjv
And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.
Genesis 48:6 nkjv
Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.
Genesis 48:6 niv
Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers.
Genesis 48:6 esv
And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.
Genesis 48:6 nlt
But any children born to you in the future will be your own, and they will inherit land within the territories of their brothers Ephraim and Manasseh.
Genesis 48 6 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 48:5 | "Now, your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh... are mine." | Jacob adopting Ephraim and Manasseh as his own, giving Joseph a double inheritance. |
| Gen 12:2 | "I will make you into a great nation... and you will be a blessing." | God's promise to Abram regarding descendants and nationhood, setting the stage for tribal growth. |
| Gen 15:5 | "Look toward the sky... so shall your offspring be." | God promising Abraham innumerable descendants, foreshadowing the multitude of Israel. |
| Gen 17:7 | "I will establish My covenant... between Me and you and your offspring after you..." | God's covenant with Abraham for his descendants, forming the basis of tribal identity. |
| Gen 28:13-14 | "...your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread..." | God reaffirming the Abrahamic covenant to Jacob (Israel) concerning his offspring and land. |
| Gen 35:10-11 | "...a nation, indeed a company of nations, shall come from you..." | God again confirms His covenant and the proliferation of Jacob's descendants. |
| Exod 1:1-5 | "Now these are the names of the sons of Israel..." | Enumerates Jacob's direct sons, whose lines become the tribes. |
| Num 26:28-37 | "The sons of Joseph by their families: Manasseh... Ephraim..." | Census records explicitly showing Ephraim and Manasseh as heads of their own tribes. |
| Deut 33:13-17 | "Blessed of the Lᴏʀᴅ is his land, for the precious things of heaven..." | Moses' blessing upon the tribes, notably speaking of the "thousands of Manasseh" and "tens of thousands of Ephraim," reflecting their significant populations. |
| Josh 16-17 | "The lot for the sons of Joseph went out from the Jordan by Jericho..." | Details the territorial inheritances of Ephraim and Manasseh, underscoring their tribal distinction. |
| 1 Chr 5:1 | "The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel... but Joseph... had the rights of the firstborn." | Explains how Joseph received the firstborn's inheritance (double portion) through his sons. |
| Isa 49:6 | "...I will also make you a light of the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth." | God's plan for Israel's role, pointing to the spiritual inheritance extending beyond literal descendants. |
| Jer 31:9 | "For I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn." | God's special affection for Ephraim, often representing the northern kingdom of Israel. |
| Rom 4:16-17 | "...the promise may be sure to all the offspring... also to those who share the faith of Abraham." | Spiritual fatherhood and inheritance, showing that God’s family includes all believers, not just literal descendants. |
| Rom 8:15 | "...you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'" | Believers are adopted into God's family, paralleling Jacob's adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh. |
| Rom 9:6-8 | "For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel... It is not the children of the flesh who are children of God..." | True sonship and spiritual lineage are by God's promise, not merely physical birth. |
| Rom 11:17 | "But if some of the branches were broken off, and you... were grafted in..." | Gentiles are grafted into the tree of Israel, sharing in the spiritual inheritance of God's people. |
| Gal 3:29 | "And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise." | Christian believers are spiritual heirs of Abraham, extending the concept of inheritance beyond direct lineage. |
| Eph 1:5 | "He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ..." | Emphasizes the divine initiative in our adoption into God's family, reflecting the deliberate act of Jacob. |
| Eph 2:19 | "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God..." | Inclusion of former outsiders into the household of God, resonating with the inclusion of new lines into Jacob's family. |
| Heb 9:15 | "And for this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant... that those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." | Inheritance rooted in God's covenant, fulfilling the long-term blessings established from Jacob. |
| Rev 7:5-8 | Listing of the 12 tribes for the 144,000 redeemed, with Manasseh present but Ephraim absent (Joseph included). | A symbolic tribal structure for the redeemed, showing the enduring significance of these family lines in God's ultimate plan. |
Genesis 48 verses
Genesis 48 6 Meaning
Genesis 48:6 states that any children born to Joseph after Ephraim and Manasseh will not form separate tribes but will be integrated into the tribal allocations of Ephraim and Manasseh. This established the foundational structure for the twelve tribes of Israel, with Joseph receiving a double portion of inheritance through his two sons being counted as direct sons of Jacob, while any subsequent children from Joseph would merge into these established lineages.
Genesis 48 6 Context
Genesis 48 recounts Jacob's final days, as he is old and infirm, nearing his death. Joseph brings his two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, to be blessed by his father. This act is significant as Jacob adopts them as his own sons (Gen 48:5), elevating them to the status of Reuben and Simeon, his firstborn. This adoption means Joseph, though not Jacob's firstborn son, effectively receives the double portion of the firstborn's inheritance. Verse 6 specifically addresses any future children of Joseph, stipulating that they would not form new, distinct tribes but would be counted under the tribal allocations of Ephraim and Manasseh. This ensures that the structure of the twelve tribes stemming from Jacob would remain intact, honoring the foundational prophecy and structure of Israel's twelvefold division. The broader context includes the continuation of the Abrahamic covenant through Jacob and his offspring, and the preparation for the Israelites' national identity.
Genesis 48 6 Word analysis
- וילדיך (ū-yĕlādeykā): "And your children" (masculine plural, with possessive suffix for "your" - referring to Joseph). This word immediately points to future progeny beyond the two sons currently present.
- אשׁר (ʾasher): "who/which/that." A common relative pronoun connecting "children" to the subsequent description of their origin.
- הולדת (hôladtā): "you have begotten" (Qal perfect, masculine singular). Signifies future fathering by Joseph. The use of the perfect tense here indicates a completed action in the future relative to a past point or a certainty.
- אחריהם (ʾaḥărêhem): "after them" (masculine plural suffix "them" referring to Ephraim and Manasseh). Clearly marks a distinction in time or birth order, highlighting children born subsequently.
- יהיו (yihyū): "they shall be" (Qal imperfect, masculine plural). A strong declarative future tense, indicating a definite status for these future children.
- לך (lekā): "for you/to you" (preposition with possessive suffix). Emphasizes possession, indicating that these children are indeed Joseph's by birthright.
- יקראו (yiqqārĕʾū): "they shall be called/named" (Nifal imperfect, masculine plural, passive voice). This denotes a designated status, not necessarily by individual naming but by being identified or classified. It signifies integration.
- על שם (ʿal shēm): "according to the name of / by the name of." This idiomatic phrase implies that their identity and place would be defined through the names of their elder brothers.
- אחיהם (ʾaḥîhem): "their brothers" (masculine plural with possessive suffix "their," referring to the preceding children, i.e., Ephraim and Manasseh).
- Word-group analysis:
- וילדיך אשׁר הולדת אחריהם: "And your children whom you father after them (Ephraim and Manasseh)." This phrase clearly defines the group being discussed: Joseph's subsequent offspring. It distinguishes them from the two privileged sons already adopted by Jacob.
- יהיו לך: "they shall be yours/for you." While still Joseph's biological children, this stresses that their direct legal and tribal lineage for Jacob’s household would flow through the lines of Ephraim and Manasseh.
- יקראו על שם אחיהם: "they shall be named/called according to the name of their brothers." This is the core instruction of the verse. It means they will not form new distinct tribal groups within Israel but will be absorbed into or inherit their portion through the existing tribal allocations of Ephraim and Manasseh. This crucial instruction solidifies the number of the twelve tribes stemming directly from Jacob, effectively preventing the formation of more than the foundational twelve.
Genesis 48 6 Bonus section
The act of Jacob's blessing and the specifics outlined in this verse underscore the profound theological concept of adoption, not just physically but covenantally. It sets a precedent for how God integrates people into His purposes and family. Just as Jacob could, by an act of will, make Joseph's sons his own, so God orchestrates the inclusion of various members into His broader spiritual family, demonstrating His sovereignty over lineage and inheritance, foreshadowing the inclusion of Gentiles into the commonwealth of Israel through Christ, as referenced in the New Testament.
Genesis 48 6 Commentary
Genesis 48:6 is a precise clarification of the tribal structure. Jacob's adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh in verse 5 secured for Joseph a unique double portion of inheritance among his brothers, by counting his sons as direct heirs alongside Jacob's own. Verse 6 then sets a clear boundary: while Joseph might have more children, they would not generate additional tribal entities. Instead, they would be incorporated into the tribal designations of Ephraim and Manasseh, ensuring the twelve-tribe structure (including Levi and excluding Joseph directly, but acknowledging his lineage through his two sons) remained consistent. This reveals the patriarchal authority in establishing the nation's framework and demonstrates divine providence in the precise formation of God's chosen people, ensuring order and defined identity within the covenant community. Practically, this highlights the principle of designated inheritance and the careful, divinely-guided establishment of a national identity rooted in specific family lines.