Bible Strands
Genesis 48:1
Some time later Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.” So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — A messenger informs Joseph that his father is ill, prompting Joseph to depart with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
The words — וַ/יְהִי (va/y.Hi) translates literally to "and it was," functioning as a narrative connector, while הִנֵּ֥ה (hi.Neh) means "there!" as a demonstrative alert to the father's condition.
The thread — Manasseh and Ephraim are first identified as Joseph’s sons in Genesis 46:20 and Genesis 41:50, and their descendants are later recorded in Genesis 50:23.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to track the immediate familial response to patriarchal decline and the deliberate inclusion of Joseph’s heirs in the journey ahead.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
Cross-references
- Genesis 41:50 Before the years of famine arrived, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
- Genesis 46:20 Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph in the land of Egypt by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
- Genesis 50:23 He saw Ephraim’s sons to the third generation, and indeed the sons of Machir son of Manasseh were brought up on Joseph’s knees.
- Psalms 128:6 that you may see your children’s children. Peace be upon Israel!
- John 11:3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one You love is sick.”
- Job 42:16 After this, Job lived 140 years and saw his children and their children to the fourth generation.