The Meaning of Genesis 48:5 Explained

Genesis 48:5

KJV: And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.

YLT: And now, thy two sons, who are born to thee in the land of Egypt, before my coming unto thee to Egypt, mine they are; Ephraim and Manasseh, as Reuben and Simeon they are mine;

Darby: And now thy two sons, who were born to thee in the land of Egypt before I came to thee into Egypt, shall be mine: Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon.

ASV: And now thy two sons, who were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh, even as Reuben and Simeon, shall be mine.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And now thy two  sons,  Ephraim  and Manasseh,  which were born  unto thee in the land  of Egypt  before  I came  unto thee into Egypt,  [are] mine; as Reuben  and Simeon,  they shall be mine. 

What does Genesis 48:5 Mean?

Context Summary

Genesis 48:1-7 - Joseph Visits His Dying Father
How inexorable is the must of death! For many years Jacob had exceeded the ordinary span of human life, and now, like the last apple on the tree, he must be gathered. For seventeen years he had been familiar with Egypt's splendid temples, obelisks and pyramids; he had been surrounded with all the comforts that filial love could devise; but nothing could make him forget that distant cave in the land of Canaan. In his judgment Egypt's most splendid pyramid was not to be compared with that humble sepulcher where the mortal remains of Abraham and Sarah, of Isaac and Rebekah, and of the faithful Leah awaited his. On Joseph's second visit he was weaker, and with an effort nerved himself for the interview. The angel-ladder and Rachel's death stood prominently out before the dying eyes. When he returned from this pathetic reverie he turned to the two boys who stood awestruck beside him and adopted them, for their beloved father's sake. [source]

Chapter Summary: Genesis 48

1  Joseph with his sons visits his sick father
2  Jacob strengthens himself to bless them
3  He repeats God's promise
5  He takes Ephraim and Manasseh as his own sons
7  He tells Joseph of his mother's grave
8  He blesses Ephraim and Manasseh
17  He prefers the younger before the elder
21  He prophesies their return to Canaan

What do the individual words in Genesis 48:5 mean?

Now two sons born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt mine are Ephraim and Manasseh as Reuben and Simeon they shall be mine
וְעַתָּ֡ה שְׁנֵֽי־ בָנֶיךָ֩ הַנּוֹלָדִ֨ים לְךָ֜ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֗יִם עַד־ בֹּאִ֥י אֵלֶ֛יךָ מִצְרַ֖יְמָה לִי־ הֵ֑ם אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ וּמְנַשֶּׁ֔ה כִּרְאוּבֵ֥ן וְשִׁמְע֖וֹן יִֽהְיוּ־ לִֽי

וְעַתָּ֡ה  Now 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: עַתָּה  
Sense: now.
שְׁנֵֽי־  two 
Parse: Number, mdc
Root: שְׁנַיִם  
Sense: two.
בָנֶיךָ֩  sons 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
הַנּוֹלָדִ֨ים  born 
Parse: Article, Verb, Nifal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: יָלַד 
Sense: to bear, bring forth, beget, gender, travail.
לְךָ֜  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
בְּאֶ֣רֶץ  in  the  land 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
מִצְרַ֗יִם  of  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
עַד־  before 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַד  
Sense: as far as, even to, until, up to, while, as far as.
בֹּאִ֥י  I  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, first person common singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֵלֶ֛יךָ  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
מִצְרַ֖יְמָה  in  Egypt 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: מִצְרַיִם  
Sense: a country at the northeastern section of Africa, adjacent to Palestine, and through which the Nile flows adj Egyptians = “double straits”.
לִי־  mine 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙  Ephraim 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֶפְרַיִם  
Sense: second son of Joseph, blessed by him and given preference over first son, Manasseh.
וּמְנַשֶּׁ֔ה  and  Manasseh 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: מְנַשֶּׁה  
Sense: the eldest son of Joseph and progenitor of the tribe of Manasseh.
כִּרְאוּבֵ֥ן  as  Reuben 
Parse: Preposition-k, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: רְאוּבֵן  
Sense: the eldest son of Jacob by Leah.
וְשִׁמְע֖וֹן  and  Simeon 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: שִׁמְעֹון  
Sense: the 2nd son of Jacob by his wife Leah and progenitor of the tribe of Simeon.
יִֽהְיוּ־  they  shall  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
לִֽי  mine 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular