Genesis 48:19

Plain English Version

But Jacob didn’t move his hand. He said, “No, my son. I know for sure that I’m doing the right thing. Listen, your older son will have a big family, and they will become an important tribe. But your younger son will be more important than your older son. He will have a really big family, and later on, his tribe will be really big and really important.”

Cross References

Genesis 17:4

“I promise that I will do this for you. I will give you a big family. Lots of people will be born into your family, so that you will be the father of lots of nations.

Genesis 25:23

God said to Rebekah, “There are 2 babies inside you. They will grow up and have kids, and their kids will become 2 nations. Right from the start, those 2 nations will fight against each other. One of those nations will be stronger than the other nation. Yes, the younger son’s nation will be stronger, and his nation will be boss over the older son’s nation.”

Genesis 25:28

Isaac loved to eat the wild animals that Esau caught. So Isaac loved Esau more than Jacob. But Rebekah loved Jacob more than Esau.

Genesis 28:14

Lots of people will be born into your family, and they will become a really big mob of people. There will be lots and lots of them, just like there are lots of little bits of dirt on the ground. And those people in your family, they will spread out a long way, and they will live in lots of different places. Some of them will go west, some of them will go east, some of them will go north, and some of them will go south. And I will use your family to do good things for all the families in the world.

Genesis 46:3

And God said, “I am God, I am the one that looked after your father. Don’t be frightened to go to Egypt. I will make your family into a great nation there.”

Genesis 48:14

But Jacob didn’t do that. No, he put his right hand on Ephraim’s head, even though Ephraim was the younger son. And then he crossed his left arm over his right arm, and he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the older son.

Genesis 48:18

And Joseph said to Jacob, “Father, don’t put your right hand on my younger son’s head. Look, here is my older son. Put your right hand on his head.”