(The History of Ancient Israel)
This is the story of the sons of Israel, who were the first official Israelites (that is a descendant of Israel [Jacob]), who would ultimately inherit the Birthright of a blessed and chosen people and their descendants would form into distinct tribes in this new holy nation, and this is also the story of one particular son who would officially inherit a special part of the Abrahamic Birthright.
When Israel and his family moved once his father died, Joseph was a young teenager:
Genesis 37:2
“Joseph, a young man of seventeen, was tending the flocks with his brothers…”
Since Israel love Joseph so much treated him better than his other sons. Because of this he made him a robe fit for a king:
Genesis 37:3
“…he made an ornate robe for him.”
His brothers however took notice of his special treatment and became very jealous and hated him:
Genesis 37:4
“When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.”
Joseph also had gained a special God-given talent of interpreting prophetic dreams and one night he had a dream from God:
In the first one, he had a dream where he and his brothers were out in the field binding sheaves of wheat and then his sheave stood up straight and his 11 brothers sheaves fell down in front of his tall sheave:
Genesis 37:5-7
“Joseph had a dream, and…he told it to his brothers,…He said to them, ‘Listen to this dream I had: We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it.’ ”
While Joseph was just telling his interesting dream his brother clearly understood the symbolic meaning of it (like he did): Their sheaves falling in front of his symbolized them bowing down and thus being ruled over by Joseph! Being the youngest and also being despised as well they could not believe what they were hearing from what they considered this selfish spoiled boy:
Genesis 37:8
“His brothers said to him, ‘Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us?’ And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said.”
He was hated simply from telling what he dreamed: He was being worshiped. God though, was confirming that the Abrahamic Birthright was indeed rightfully his; despite all of them were going to officially be chosen and blessed by God it was clear Joseph was going to get a massive portion of it. But the next night he received another dream from God this time: the sun ,moon and eleven stars in the sky were bowing down to him:
And after this dream, he woke up he told it to all his family:
Genesis 37:9
“Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. ‘Listen,’ he said, ‘I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.’”
However when his family hear it they understood it to be symbolic of them and were very angry that Joseph would even think they would bow down to him like that!
Once again the symbolism was clear: The 11 stars bowing down to him were symbolic of his brothers bowing to him and the sun and moon were symbolic of his mother and father bowing down to him. This time not only were his brothers honoring him as a ruler but also his very own mother and father! When he told him this dream they were very angry Joseph would think he would rule and be honored over them not only his brothers but his father Israel was very angry at what he saw as disrespectful:
Genesis 37:10-11
“When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, ‘What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?’ His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind.”
One day, his brothers had had enough of him and what they saw as his pride and selfishness. They became so angry they decided to kill him!
Genesis 37:17-20
“So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance, and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him. ‘Here comes that dreamer!’ they said to each other. ‘Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.’”
They were going to murder their own brother!
Reuben, as the oldest however, stopped them: He knew how much his father loved Joseph and knew this was wrong and suggested they just throw him into the cistern and leave him there for a little while to teach him a lesson and then later he would get him out and bring him back to Israel.
Genesis 37:21-22
“When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. ‘Let’s not take his life,’ he said. ‘Don’t shed any blood. Throw him into this cistern here in the wilderness, but don’t lay a hand on him.’ Reuben said this to rescue him from them and take him back to his father.”
So when he got there they tore up his special coat and threw him into the cistern:
Genesis 37:23-24
“So when Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his robe—the ornate robe he was wearing— and they took him and threw him into the cistern. The cistern was empty; there was no water in it.”
However, as Reuben when away for a little bit Judah got an idea:
Genesis 37:25-26
“…As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were loaded with spices, balm and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt. Judah said to his brothers, ‘What will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come, let’s sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him; after all, he is our brother, our own flesh and blood.’ His brothers agreed.”
So without Reuben’s presence, they sold him for some silver:
Genesis 37:26
“So…his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.”
When Reuben came back he was going to get Joseph out but saw he was not there anymore:
Genesis 37:29-30
“When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. He went back to his brothers and said, ‘The boy isn’t there! Where can I turn now?’”
But they stuck with their original plan and decided to frame his death by the mauling of a wild animal:
Genesis 37:31-33
“Then they got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They took the ornate robe back to their father and said, ‘We found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son’s robe.’ He recognized it and said, ‘It is my son’s robe! Some ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.’ “
Israel was so heartbroken than he stayed in a constant state of grief and depression for his beloved son and refused to be comforted by his family and wanted to die!
Genesis 37:34-35
“Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and mourned for his son many days. All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. ‘No,’ he said, ‘I will continue to mourn until I join my son in the grave.’ So his father wept for him.”
So while his father grieved for him Joseph was taken to Egypt and sold to a high official to Pharaoh named Potiphar as a slave:
Genesis 37:36
“Meanwhile,…[He was]….sold…in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.”
Back in Canaan, Eventually Judah had enough of his father’s grieving so he decided to leave the house for a little while to see a friend named Adullam:
Genesis 38:1
“At that time, Judah left his brothers and went down to stay with a man of Adullam named Hirah.”
However when he was staying there he saw and feel in love with a Canaanite woman named Shua
Genesis 38:2
“There Judah met the daughter of a Canaanite man named Shua.”
Genesis 38:2
“…He married her and made love to her[Had sex with her];…”
He loved her so much he decided to marry her and then had sex with her which was a BIG NONO!! His great-grandfather Abraham and grandfather Isaac would NOT approve!!! But because his father was still grieving he seemed to be neglecting his duties to get Hebrew wives for his sons so they were getting their own wives…some from Canaanite women, Which was forbidden!
So from having sex she became pregnant and had a son, and then had many more:
Genesis 38:3
“She became pregnant and gave birth to a son, who was named Er. She conceived again and gave birth to a son and named him Onan. She gave birth to still another son and named him Shelah. It was at Kezib that she gave birth to him.”
So Judah got a wife for his oldest son Er once he got old enough he got a woman named Tamar but God was displeased with Er and killed him for it:
Genesis 38:6-7
“Judah got a wife for Er, his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death.”
Seeing this, his middle son Onan had a responsibility in this culture to marry Tamar and have children for his dead older brother Er which he did not want to do because he want his own children:
Genesis 38:8-10
“Then Judah said to Onan, ‘Sleep with your brother’s wife and fulfill your duty to her as a brother-in-law to raise up offspring for your brother.’ But Onan knew that the child would not be his; so whenever he slept[Had sex] with his brother’s wife, he spilled his semen on the ground to keep from providing offspring for his brother. What he did was wicked in the Lord’s sight; so the Lord put him to death also.”
So after 2 of his sons died Judah was afraid for his last son Shelah to marry her so he told here that his youngest son was too young to marry so she would have to wait for Shelah to grow up, this way Judah planned on keeping his last son alive by him marrying someone else:
Genesis 38:11
“Judah then said to his daughter-in-law Tamar, ‘Live as a widow in your father’s household until my son Shelah grows up.’ For he thought, ‘He may die too, just like his brothers.’ So Tamar went to live in her father’s household.”
After many years had passed his wife Shua died and Tamar saw that Shelah was grown now but Judah had not told her, so tired of being a widow she devised a plan:
Genesis 38:12-14
“After a long time Judah’s wife, the daughter of Shua, died. When Judah had recovered from his grief, he went up to Timnah, to the men who were shearing his sheep, and his friend Hirah the Adullamite went with him. When Tamar was told, ‘Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,’ she took off her widow’s clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.”
So she covered up her face so she would not be recognized by Judah and Judah though she was a prostitute and wanted to have sex with her!
Genesis 38:15-19
“When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, ‘Come now, let me sleep[Have sex] with you.’ ‘And what will you give me to sleep with you?’ she asked. ‘I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,’ he said. ‘Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?’ she asked. He said, ‘What pledge should I give you?’ ‘Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand,’ she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her[Had sex with her], and she became pregnant by him. After she left, she took off her veil and put on her widow’s clothes again.”
So Judah eventually sent a young goat by his friend’s house to pay the local prostitute for the paid sex but when he sent it there was no sign of her at all:
Genesis 38:20-23
“Meanwhile Judah sent the young goat by his friend the Adullamite in order to get his pledge back from the woman, but he did not find her. He asked the men who lived there, ‘Where is the shrine prostitute who was beside the road at Enaim?’ ‘There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here,’ they said. So he went back to Judah and said, ‘I didn’t find her. Besides, the men who lived there said, ‘There hasn’t been any shrine prostitute here.’’ Then Judah said, ‘Let her keep what she has, or we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you didn’t find her.’ ”
So Judah became ashamed that he committed a wrong by having sex with an unknown prostitute however about three months later he found out that Tamar had committed adultery with an unknown man so Judah was angry and wanted her killed:
Genesis 38:24
“About three months later Judah was told, ‘Your daughter-in-law Tamar is guilty of prostitution, and as a result she is now pregnant.’ Judah said, ‘Bring her out and have her burned to death!’”
However he was about to get quite a surprise:
Genesis 38:25-26
“As she was being brought out, she sent a message to her father-in-law. ‘I am pregnant by the man who owns these,’ she said. And she added, ‘See if you recognize whose seal and cord and staff these are.’ Judah recognized them and said, ‘She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn’t give her to my son Shelah.’ And he did not sleep [have sex] with her again.”
So through this strange relationship, Judah had twin sons who would be the sons that would form what would be known as the recognized descendants of Judah:
Genesis 38:27-30
“When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. As she was giving birth, one of them put out his hand; so the midwife took a scarlet thread and tied it on his wrist and said, ‘This one came out first.’ But when he drew back his hand, his brother came out, and she said, ‘So this is how you have broken out!’ And he was named Perez.[Hebrew for “breaking out”] Then his brother, who had the scarlet thread on his wrist, came out. And he was named Zerah.[Hebrew for “scarlet”]”
His other brothers also got married and had children(however its unknown what ethnicity many of their wives were) but it can be assumed most of them were also Hebrew because the only other son mentioned to have married and had children with a Canaanite woman was Simeon:
Genesis 45:10
“The son…of Simeon:…Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.”
As his brothers were getting married and having children, Joseph was being put to work by his new master as a servant and since he was the last heir of the Abrahamic Birthright and a holy Israelite God blessed Potiphar’s family and land because Joseph was there and treated well and eventually he noticed he was being blessed because Joseph was there:
Thus God was fulfilling his promise through the Abrahamic Birthright to Joseph to bless him and to also bless those who blessed him so he was blessing Potiphar for caring for Joseph and treating him well:
Genesis 39:2-6
“The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the Lord was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. So Potiphar left everything he had in Joseph’s care; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.”
So everything was going well for Joseph, despite being sold as a slave by his brothers: he was blessed by God and Potiphar loved him: but soon there would be some trouble for Joseph:
Genesis 39:6-9
“Now Joseph was well-built and handsome, and after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said, ‘Come to bed with me [Have sex with me]!’ But he refused. ‘With me in charge,’ he told her, ‘my master does not concern himself with anything in the house; everything he owns he has entrusted to my care. No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?’”
Despite his rejection she kept pressuring him every day:
Genesis 39:10
“And though she spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her.”
But one day why no one was looking she decided to force Joseph to have sex with her!
Genesis 39:11- 12
“One day he went into the house to attend to his duties, and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said, ‘Come to bed with me!’ But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house.”
So seeing that he left his cloak and he would probably tell her husband about what she was forcing him to do, so she decided to frame him:
Genesis 39:13-19
“When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had run out of the house, she called her household servants. ‘Look,’ she said to them, ‘this Hebrew has been brought to us to make sport of us! He came in here to sleep with me, but I screamed. When he heard me scream for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.’ She kept his cloak beside her until his master came home. Then she told him this story: ‘That Hebrew slave you brought us came to me to make sport of me. But as soon as I screamed for help, he left his cloak beside me and ran out of the house.’ When his master heard the story his wife told him, saying, ‘This is how your slave treated me,’ he burned with anger.”
So Potiphar believed her story and was furious at Joseph and threw him in Jail!
Genesis 39:20
“Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined.”
So once he was thrown in jail he never really saw his master again(thought the bible does not really say: Potiphar and his whole family most likely were cursed by God for cursing Joseph with lying and being thrown in prison) So things look bad again for Joseph, but God blessed him even in prison he made him a guard and he was treated well:
Genesis 39:20-23
“But while Joseph was there in the prison, the Lord was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph’s care, because the Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.”
Promises fulfilled:
His children would be a large uncountable number like the stars in the night sky and then possibly even more greatly multiplied than that.
The whole land of Canaan was given to him and to his Children forever to be their land and all the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates was given to his Children.
Along with his brothers he would become a great nation and his descendants would become a part of these many nations until they formed a nation and a company of people he would be the ancestor of some of them.
Nations would serve/be slaves to his descendants and honor them as their rulers even closely related nations like the nation coming from Esau.
His children would become some kings along with his brother’s children
God would bless him and his descendants with plenty of natural wealth, minerals, farmland, crops, and food.
(First fulfilled when God blessed Joseph in Potiphar’s house in Genesis 39:2-6 around 1700 B.C. and then continued for the rest of his life)
He would become famous
He would be a blessing to others and all blessings would go to all other families through him
If anyone cursed him (does him wrong hates him) or blessed him (treats him well and loves him) God would curse or bless them in return.
(First fulfilled when God blessed Potiphar for blessing and treating Joseph well in Genesis 39:2-6 around 1700 B.C. then possibly fulfilled when God possibly cursed Potiphar for throwing Joseph in prison in Genesis 39:20)
God would be his personal God and his children’s personal God
His descendants would control the cities of their enemies (would dominate their enemies)
Now he would be the carrier of the Abrahamic promises [Birthright] and give it to his own Children to fulfill the promises to his great-grandfather.
His descendants would spread all over the world in every direction (to the west, east, north and south) along with his brother’s descendants
One day the pharaoh’s cup bearer and baker were thrown into this jail
Genesis 40:1-4
“Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined. The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.”
However one night they had strange dreams and were wondering what they meant and Joseph came by and saw they were sad:
Genesis 40:4-11
“After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. When Joseph came to them the next morning, he saw that they were dejected. So he asked Pharaoh’s officials who were in custody with him in his master’s house, ‘Why do you look so sad today?’ ‘We both had dreams,’ they answered, ‘but there is no one to interpret them.’ Then Joseph said to them, ‘Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell me your dreams.’ So the chief cupbearer told Joseph his dream. He said to him, ‘In my dream I saw a vine in front of me, and on the vine were three branches. As soon as it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters ripened into grapes. Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup and put the cup in his hand.’”
Since Joseph was blessed with Godly dream interpretation, he could tell what the dream meant:
Genesis 40:12-19
“‘This is what it means,’ Joseph said to him. ‘The three branches are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and restore you to your position, and you will put Pharaoh’s cup in his hand, just as you used to do when you were his cupbearer. But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.’ When the chief baker saw that Joseph had given a favorable interpretation, he said to Joseph, ‘I too had a dream: On my head were three baskets of bread. In the top basket were all kinds of baked goods for Pharaoh, but the birds were eating them out of the basket on my head.’ ‘This is what it means,’ Joseph said. ‘The three baskets are three days. Within three days Pharaoh will lift off your head and impale your body on a pole. And the birds will eat away your flesh.’”
So these dreams were symbolically prophesying the future: and just like Joseph interpreted it, these events happened three days later and this day happened to be Pharaoh’s birthday.
Genesis 40:20-23
“Now the third day was Pharaoh’s birthday, and he gave a feast for all his officials. He lifted up the heads of the chief cupbearer and the chief baker in the presence of his officials: He restored the chief cupbearer to his position, so that he once again put the cup into Pharaoh’s hand— but he impaled the chief baker, just as Joseph had said to them in his interpretation. The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him. ”
So Joseph remained in prison, however 2 years later the Pharaoh also began having dreams that were nightmares that constantly woke him up:
Genesis 41:1-8
“When two full years had passed, Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, sleek and fat, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows, ugly and gaunt, came up out of the Nile and stood beside those on the riverbank. And the cows that were ugly and gaunt ate up the seven sleek, fat cows. Then Pharaoh woke up. He fell asleep again and had a second dream: Seven heads of grain, healthy and good, were growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads of grain sprouted—thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven healthy, full heads. Then Pharaoh woke up; it had been a dream. In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told them his dreams, but no one could interpret them for him.”
Pharaoh had very disturbing dreams and wanted an interpretation but no one could find an answer to his dreams. This is when the Cupbearer finally remembered Joseph and told pharaoh about him:
Genesis 41:9-13
“Then the chief cupbearer said to Pharaoh, ‘Today I am reminded of my shortcomings[Forgetfulness]. Pharaoh was once angry with his servants, and he imprisoned me and the chief baker in the house of the captain of the guard. Each of us had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own. Now a young Hebrew was there with us, a servant of the captain of the guard. We told him our dreams, and he interpreted them for us, giving each man the interpretation of his dream. And things turned out exactly as he interpreted them to us: I was restored to my position, and the other man was impaled.’ ”
So once pharaoh heard about Joseph, he immediately got him out of jail to interpret his dream:
Genesis 41:14-24
“So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was quickly brought from the dungeon…he came before Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.’ ‘I cannot do it,’ Joseph replied to Pharaoh, ‘but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.’ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up. In my dream I saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none of them could explain it to me.’ ”
Joseph immediately explains what it means:
Genesis 41:25-27
“Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, ‘The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine. It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.’ “
So Pharaoh’s dream was also a symbolic prophetic warning of what would happen to his nation: a warning of a horrible famine that was going to leave the whole land dead. Seeing this was a massive warning from God, Joseph suggested what pharaoh should do to prepare:
Genesis 41:33-36
“And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.”
So Pharaoh approved of Joseph’s plan and was amazed at Joseph and even decided to make him in charge of all of Egypt so he could lead and supervise the whole plan!
Genesis 41:37-45
“The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?’ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.’ So Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.’ Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, ‘Make way[Bow down]!’ Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I am Pharaoh, but without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt.’ Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah[Egyptian for “the god speaks and he lives”]…”
So this was amazing! Joseph went from being in prison to being a ruler over all of Egypt at 30 years old!
Genesis 41:46
“Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh King of Egypt."
God was fulfilling his promise to Joseph as the main Birthright heir to be blessed, famous, and powerful and he had become all that as the highest ruler of Egypt:
Promises fulfilled:
His children would be a large uncountable number like the stars in the night sky and then possibly even more greatly multiplied than that.
The whole land of Canaan was given to him and to his Children forever to be their land and all the land from the river of Egypt to the Euphrates was given to his Children.
Along with his brothers he would become a great nation and his descendants would become a part of these many nations until they formed a nation and a company of people he would be the ancestor of some of them.
Nations would serve/be slaves to his descendants and honor them as their rulers even closely related nations like the nation coming from Esau.
His children would become some kings along with his brother’s children
God would bless him and his descendants with plenty of natural wealth, minerals, farmland, crops, and food.
(First fulfilled when God blessed Joseph in Potiphar’s house in Genesis 39:2-6 around 1700 B.C. and then continued for the rest of his life)
He would become famous
( fulfilled for Joseph when he became the second highest ruler in Egypt: all of Egypt and beyond knew him as a king and great leader)
He would be a blessing to others and all blessings would go to all other families through him
(fulfilled in Joseph when he blessed Pharaoh with an explanation of his dream and blessed all Egyptians will saving their nation from the famine and a blessing to other nations that also suffered from the famine around 1700 B.C.)
If anyone cursed him (does him wrong hates him) or blessed him (treats him well and loves him) God would curse or bless them in return.
(First fulfilled when God blessed Potiphar for blessing and treating Joseph well in Genesis 39:2-6 around 1700 B.C. and then possibly fulfilled when God possibly cursed Potiphar for throwing Joseph in prison in Genesis 39:20 then continued for the rest of his life)
God would be his personal God and his children’s personal God
His descendants would control the cities of their enemies (would dominate their enemies)
Now he would be the carrier of the Abrahamic promises [Birthright] and give it to his own Children to fulfill the promises to his great-grandfather.
His descendants would spread all over the world in every direction (to the west, east, north and south) along with his brother’s descendants
so he immediately got to work with his plan:
Genesis 41:46-49
“Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh King of Egypt. And Joseph went out from Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout Egypt. During the seven years of abundance the land produced plentifully. Joseph collected all the food produced in those seven years of abundance in Egypt and stored it in the cities. In each city he put the food grown in the fields surrounding it. Joseph stored up huge quantities of grain, like the sand of the sea; it was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure.”
So over the 7 years Joseph collected enough food for all of Egypt to survive for 7 years, but during this time he also was given an Egyptian wife named Asenath
Genesis 41:45
“…[Pharaoh]…gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On,[ city of Heliopolis] to be his wife.”
And had two children during these seven years:
Genesis 41:50-52
“Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh [Hebrew for “forget.”] and said, ‘It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father’s household.’ The second son he named Ephraim [Hebrew for “twice fruitful”] and said, ‘It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering.’”
However the hard times were about to come and things were going to get a little difficult, however not just for Egypt but a lot of the Middle East:
Genesis 41:53-57
“The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food. When all Egypt began to feel the famine, the people cried to Pharaoh for food. Then Pharaoh told all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph and do what he tells you.’ When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. And all the world came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe everywhere.”
However his family back in Canaan were all grown up and had families of their own also at this time and his father Israel had become very old and have eventually stopped grieving for Joseph. However at the beginning of the famine they were also suffering as well from the same famine but Israel soon learned that Egypt had the only major source of food in the entire Middle East:
Genesis 42:1-2
“When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, ‘Why do you just keep looking at each other?’ He continued, ‘I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.’”
So all his sons went except Benjamin because he was afraid that something might happen to Benjamin the last son of his beloved late wife Rachel too:
Genesis 42:3--5
Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt. But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph’s brother, with the others, because he was afraid that harm might come to him. So Israel’s sons were among those who went to buy grain,…”
When they got to Egypt, Joseph was giving out the food rations and they BOWED DOWN TO HIM: without even knowing it, they fulfilled the dream that Joseph had over 12 years ago! He had become a ruler and all his brothers bowed down to him:
Genesis 42:6-7
“So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. ‘Where do you come from?’ he asked. ‘From the land of Canaan,’ they replied, ‘to buy food.’”
Joseph then realized also that this was the fulfillment of his dream: He was now a king and his brothers were reverencing him as that: He then got angry at them for how they had treated him and decided to treat them badly:
Genesis 42:8-13
“Although Joseph recognized his brothers, they did not recognize him. Then he remembered his dreams about them. and said to them, ‘You are spies! You have come to see where our land is unprotected.’ ‘No, my lord,’ they answered. ‘Your servants have come to buy food. We are all the sons of one man. Your servants are honest men, not spies.’ ‘No!’ he said to them. ‘You have come to see where our land is unprotected.’ But they replied, ‘Your servants were twelve brothers, the sons of one man, who lives in the land of Canaan. The youngest is now with our father, and one is no more.’”
After they told him about the youngest son Benjamin he decided to make them suffer by telling them to bring their youngest brother and he imprisoned them:
Genesis 42:14-17
“Joseph said to them, ‘It is just as I told you: You are spies! And this is how you will be tested: As surely as Pharaoh lives, you will not leave this place unless your youngest brother comes here. Send one of your number to get your brother; the rest of you will be kept in prison, so that your words may be tested to see if you are telling the truth. If you are not, then as surely as Pharaoh lives, you are spies!’ And he put them all in custody for three days.”
However later Joseph could not keep his brothers locked up so he lied to them and said he feared their Hebrew God and let most of them go with a warning:
Genesis 42:18-20
“On the third day, Joseph said to them, ‘Do this and you will live, for I fear God: If you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here in prison, while the rest of you go and take grain back for your starving households.But you must bring your youngest brother to me, so that your words may be verified and that you may not die.’ This they proceeded to do.”
His brothers then had grief that this was their punishment for what they did to Joseph:
Genesis 42:21-23
“They said to one another, ‘Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that’s why this distress has come on us.’ Reuben replied, ‘Didn’t I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn’t listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood.’ They did not realize that Joseph could understand them,…”
After this Joseph imprisoned Simeon and gave them some grain and told them not to come back until they brought Benjamin with them:
Genesis 42:24-26
“…He[Joseph] had Simeon taken from them and bound before their eyes. Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain,…and to give them provisions for their journey. After this was done for them, they loaded their grain on their donkeys and left…"
But Joseph decided to pull a dirty prank on them and told his servant to put their silver they used to pay for the food back into their sacks to look like they stole it!
Genesis 42:25
“Joseph gave orders to fill their bags with grain, to put each man’s silver back in his sack,…”
So when the stooped for the night on their way back to Canaan they found the silver they used to pay for the food and were extremely disturbed:
Genesis 42:27-28
“At the place where they stopped for the night one of them opened his sack to get feed for his donkey, and he saw his silver in the mouth of his sack. ‘My silver has been returned,’ he said to his brothers. ‘Here it is in my sack.’ Their hearts sank and they turned to each other trembling and said, ‘What is this that God has done to us?’”
Genesis 42:27-34
When they came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, they told him all that had happened to them. They said, ‘The man who is lord over the land spoke harshly to us and treated us as though we were spying on the land. But we said to him, ‘We are honest men; we are not spies. We were twelve brothers, sons of one father. One is no more, and the youngest is now with our father in Canaan.’ Then the man who is lord over the land said to us, ‘This is how I will know whether you are honest men: Leave one of your brothers here with me, and take food for your starving households and go. But bring your youngest brother to me so I will know that you are not spies but honest men. Then I will give your brother back to you, and you can trade in the land.’' ”
So hearing about how they imprisoned Simeon and wanted Benjamin, Israel was very upset:
Genesis 42:36-38
“Their father Jacob said to them, ‘You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!’…Jacob said, ‘My son will not go down there with you; his brother is dead and he is the only one left. If harm comes to him on the journey you are taking, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in sorrow.’”
However, once they ran out of food they had no choice but to go get more food and bring the youngest brother:
Genesis 43:1-10
“Now the famine was still severe in the land. So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, ‘Go back and buy us a little more food.’ But Judah said to him, ‘The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.'' Israel asked, ‘Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?’ They replied, ‘The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’ he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?’ Then Judah said to Israel his father, ‘Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.’”
Finally with Judah’s word and with no choice he agreed:
Genesis 43:11-14
“Then their father Israel said to them, ‘If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved [Sorrowful], I am bereaved [Sorrowful].’”
So finally with Benjamin, they when to Egypt to get more food and hopefully free their captured brother Simeon:
Genesis 43:15-31
“So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, ‘Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal; they are to eat with me at noon.’ The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph’s house. Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, ‘…He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.’…Then he brought Simeon out to them. The steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys…When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. He asked them how they were, and then he said, ‘How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?’ They replied, ‘Your servant our father is still alive and well.’ And they bowed down, prostrating themselves before him. As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, ‘Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?’ And he said, ‘God be gracious to you, my son.’ Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there. After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, ‘Serve the food.’”
So they ate with him and then after the feast sent them back to their home but he had another trick for his brother Benjamin:
Genesis 44:1-10
“Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: ‘Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.’ And he did as Joseph said. As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, ‘Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.’' When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. But they said to him, ‘Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! …why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.’ ‘Very well, then,’ he said, ‘let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.’”
However they would soon regret their words because Benjamin was the one that had the silver cup:
Genesis 44:11-13
“Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.”
They knew this was it; they knew Benjamin was in big trouble and they knew their father would grief himself to death over Benjamin, they were torn: But Joseph decides to make it much worse:
Genesis 44:14-17
“Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. Joseph said to them, ‘What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?’ ‘What can we say to my lord?’ Judah replied. ‘What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.’ But Joseph said, ‘Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.’”
Being very desperate, Judah decides to beg Joseph to Benjamin’s freedom in return for his enslavement for the rest of his life:
Genesis 44:18-34
“Then Judah went up to him and said: ‘Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself… you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said. Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’ But we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. One of them went away from me’, and I said, ‘He has surely been torn to pieces. And I have not seen him since.’ ‘If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’ So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’ Now then, please let your servant [Judah] remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.’”
Seeing how much Judah and his brothers cared for Rachel’s last son Benjamin so much that they were willing to lay their own lives down for his safety made him break out in tears and he could not hide his identity anymore:
Genesis 45:1-9
“Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, ‘Have everyone leave my presence!’ So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it. Joseph said to his brothers, ‘I am Joseph! Is my father still living?’ But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. Then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Come close to me.’ When they had done so, he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So then; it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.’”
Once they realized it was their brother Joseph they hugged him and talked to him for a long time; they had finally reunited after over 19 years!
Genesis 45:14-15
“Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.”
When Pharaoh herd that his brothers had come to Egypt to get food he told them that his entire family could move into Egypt!
Genesis 45:16-20
“When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’ You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.’'”
So his brothers took carts from Egypt and went back to Canaan to get their property and tell their father that Joseph was alive all along and they had been lying to him all these years:
Genesis 45:25-28
“So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him, ‘Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.’ Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, ‘I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.’ ”
So they packed up all their property and family and got ready to leave Canaan and move to Egypt to live during the famine: Israel was overjoyed to see his long lost son and could not wait to see him:
But during the night when they were traveling and stopped to rest, God spoke to him in a dream:
Genesis 46:1-4
“So Israel set out with all that was his…And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, ‘Jacob! Jacob!’ ‘Here I am,’ he replied. ‘I am God, the God of your father,’ he said. ‘Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.’”
So God reveals to Jacob that the start of this great nation would happen in another nation which is identified as Egypt: This was the partial fulfillment of Abraham’s promise 2 generations back (in Genesis 15:18-21): That his chosen descendants from Isaac (which were now identified to be from his grandson Israel and all his Israelite children) would go to a foreign country to live for 400 years which God identifies this foreign country as Egypt and God also reveals this great nation he originally told to his Grandfather Abraham was going to finally be formed from Israel’s children in Egypt during this 400 years stay. God also reveals to Israel that he would die in Egypt and Joseph would bury him there, but God promised to Israel once again that he would bring his dead body and all his Israelite Descendants back to Canaan like he promised his Grandfather Abraham he would do: but it would take 400 years for that return to happen.
In fact, even at this time with Israel being 140, Israel’s descendants (children, Grandchildren, and Great-Grandchildren) were 70 people!
Genesis 46:26
“All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, …were seventy in all.”
Of course this was a far cry from a massive uncountable multitude promised to Israel, Isaac, and Abraham but it was happening fast: in just one generation from Israel had at least 13 children (including the 12 sons) and then those sons and daughters had many other sons and daughters and in just three generations almost there were over 50 descendants! At this rate, it would not take too long for Israel’s children to become an uncountable number!
So when Israel and all his children and property finally arrived in Goshen Egypt Joseph was there to greet him and at long last after over 17 years Joseph and his father were reunited!
Genesis 46:28-30
“When they arrived in the region of Goshen, Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time. Israel said to Joseph, ‘Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.’”
So when they came Pharaoh gave them the most fertile part of Egypt: Goshen and let them live there with their animals:
Genesis 47:5-6
“Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Your father and your brothers have come to you, and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.’ ”
So Joseph and his family settled in Goshen (Lower Egypt) and Israel stayed there for 17 more years until one day he was dying and didn’t feel well so he called his favorite son Joseph to talk to him:
Genesis 47:28-30
“Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him,… ‘Do not bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.’ ‘I will do as you say,’ he [Joseph] said.”
Then shortly after that he also wanted Joseph to bring his sons for something very important he decided to finally do something he thought he might never do: officially pass on the Abrahamic Birthright to Joseph and since he had children of his own, Israel directly passed this birthright onto his children Ephraim and Manasseh both of them inherited this special part of the Birthright so he privately called in Joseph and his sons to give this Birthright:
Genesis 48:2-11
“…So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him.…Jacob said to Joseph, ‘God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there he blessed me and said to me, ‘I am going to make you fruitful and increase your numbers. I will make you a community of peoples, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you.’ ‘…When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, ‘Who are these?’ ‘They are the sons God has given me here,’ Joseph said to his father. Then Israel said, ‘Bring them to me so I may bless them.’ Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them. Israel said to Joseph, ‘I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.’”
And after speaking to Joseph and his children he finally gave each of them the Birthright blessing:
Genesis 48:12-14
“Then Joseph removed them from Israel’s knees and bowed down with his face to the ground. And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Israel’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them close to him…Then he blessed Joseph and said, ‘May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who has delivered me from all harm —may he bless these boys. May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they increase greatly on the earth.’”
So along with all his other sons and their descendants Joseph, Ephraim, and Manasseh were going to be a holy people who would inherited the Abrahamic Birthright but they would officially be the last inheritors of this special part of the Abrahamic Birthright:
Promises inherited and promises Added:
Their children would be a large uncountable number like the stars in the night sky and then possibly even more greatly multiplied than that.
Nations would serve/be slaves to his descendants and honor them as their rulers even closely related nations like the nation coming from Esau.
God would bless them and their descendants with plenty of natural wealth, minerals, farmland, crops, and food.
As the main Birthright inheritors Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim and their descendants would always called by Israel’s name as well as Isaac’s and Abraham’s
Now they would be the last carriers of the Abrahamic promises [Birthright] and give it to there own Children to fulfil the promises to their Ancestors.
However while blessing Joseph’s sons Israel does something unexpected:
Genesis 48:14
“…But Israel reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.”
So instead of honoring the oldest: Manasseh; symbolized by giving his right hand on his head he gave it to the youngest: Ephraim!
Joseph though he was mistaken and told him he had placed his right hand on the wrong son:
Genesis 48:17-18
“When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased; so he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. Joseph said to him, ‘No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.’”
But his father told him he was not mistaken: he knew that was the younger; he did this on purpose because out of the two boys he would be the one MORE blessed than the older!
Genesis 48:19
“But his father refused and said, ‘I know, my son, I know. He too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations.’…So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh.”
So in doing this, he was saying they both would turn into a blessed and numerous Israelite people but Manasseh would only form one group while Ephraim would form many Israelite people!
Promises Added:
Their children would be a large uncountable number like the stars in the night sky and then possibly even more greatly multiplied than that.
Nations would serve/be slaves to his descendants and honor them as their rulers even closely related nations like the nation coming from Esau.
God would bless them and their descendants with plenty of natural wealth, minerals, farmland, crops, and food.
As the main Birthright inheritors Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim and their descendants would always called by Israel’s name as well as Isaac’s and Abraham’s
Now they would be the last carriers of the Abrahamic promises [Birthright] and give it to his own Children to fulfil the promises to their Ancestors.
Ephraim would be blessed more than Manasseh because Manasseh’s descendants would be a great Israelite people BUT Ephraim’s descendants would be many nations of Israelite people!
Regardless of that, they both inherited the Abrahamic Birthright and Joseph got a double portion of blessing from it!
After this private Birthright ceremony, Israel called for all his original 12 sons to give them a divine prophecy of their nature especially of their descendants:
Genesis 49:2-28
“ ‘Assemble and listen, sons of Jacob; listen to your father Israel:
Reuben, you are my firstborn,
my might, the first sign of my strength,
excelling in honor, excelling in power.
Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel,
for you went up onto your father’s bed,
onto my couch and defiled it (Referring to when Reuben had sex with Israel’s concubine Bilhah: Genesis 35:22).
Simeon and Levi are brothers—
their swords are weapons of violence.
Let me not enter their council,
let me not join their assembly,
for they have killed men in their anger(Possibly referring to their murder of an entire Canaanite town in Genesis 34:25-29)
and hamstrung oxen as they pleased.
Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury, so cruel!
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.
Judah, your brothers will praise you;
your hand will be on the neck of your enemies;
your father’s sons will bow down to you.
You are a lion’s cub, Judah;
you return from the prey, my son.
Like a lion he crouches and lies down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?
The scepter will not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,[ from his descendants]
until he to whom it belongs shall come
and the obedience of the nations shall be his.
He will tether his donkey to a vine,
his colt to the choicest branch;
he will wash his garments in wine,
his robes in the blood of grapes.
His eyes will be darker than wine,
his teeth whiter than milk.[ Or will be dull from wine, his teeth white from milk]
Zebulun will live by the seashore
and become a haven for ships;
his border will extend toward Sidon.
Issachar is a rawboned [strong] donkey
lying down among the sheep pens.
When he sees how good is his resting place
and how pleasant is his land,
he will bend his shoulder to the burden
and submit to forced labor.
Dan will provide justice for his people
as one of the tribes of Israel.
Dan will be a snake by the roadside,
a viper along the path,
that bites the horse’s heels
so that its rider tumbles backward.
…
Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders,
but he will attack them at their heels.
Asher’s food will be rich;
he will provide delicacies fit for a king.
Naphtali is a doe set free
that bears beautiful fawns.
Joseph is a fruitful vine,
a fruitful vine near a spring,
whose branches climb over a wall.
With bitterness archers attacked him;
they shot at him with hostility.
But his bow remained steady,
his strong arms stayed limber,
because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob,
because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel,
because of your father’s God, who helps you,
because of the Almighty, who blesses you
with blessings of the skies above,
blessings of the deep springs below,
blessings of the breast and womb.
Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than the bounty of the age-old hills.
Let all these rest on the head of Joseph,
on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
Benjamin is a ravenous wolf;
in the morning he devours the prey,
in the evening he divides the plunder.’
All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.”
After this, Israel said his final farewells to his sons and family and the last patriarch for a chosen people died at 145:
Genesis 49:33
“When Jacob had finished…, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.”
Joseph hugged and kissed his father and had his mummified before taking him back to Canaan to be buried with his family:
Genesis 50:1-2
“Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm [Mummify] his father Israel.”
Genesis 50:12-13
“So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them: They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre,…”
After his Death he found out his father’s wish was for Joseph to forgive his brothers because they afraid after Israel died that he would treat them wrong again:
Genesis 50:15
“What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?”
Genesis 50:16
‘Your father left these instructions before he died:’…I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.’ When their message came to him, Joseph wept.”
But Joseph assured his brothers that he had completely forgiven them and would take care of them and their children:
Genesis 50:19-21
“ But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.’ ”
So the 12 brothers lived the rest of their lives in Egypt gaining property and watching their families grow into a massive multitude of Israelite people:
Genesis 47:27
“…the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number.”
So from there the Israelites (the descendants of Israel) grew rapidly and got very rich in their temporary homeland just as God had promised Israel he would do with his descendants: make them an uncountable number and bless them.
Eventually the 12 brothers grew old and Joseph himself lived to be very old and got to see the third generation of his youngest son’s children: his Great-great grandchildren!
Genesis 50:22-23
“Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father’s family. He lived a hundred and ten years and saw the third generation of Ephraim’s children.”
When Joseph turned 110 he began to die and called his children and all the Israelites to have a meeting promising them that they would return to Canaan to conquer it and when they did to bring what was left of his mummified body with them:
Genesis 50:24-25
“Then Joseph said …’I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’ And Joseph made the Israelites swear an oath and said, ‘God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.’”
So after they agreed Joseph the last official Birthright inheritor died and was mummified:
Genesis 50:26
“So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him [Mummified him], he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.”
So, this was the end of not only of the last Birthright inheritors Israel and Joseph, but the beginning of this chosen nation God had just begun: The descendants of Israel would be called Israelites and would form this great nation in Egypt called Israel. And the descendants of the sons of Israel would form into 12 tribes that would make up this nation, and from their Israel would be God’s holy people and nation.