Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Genesis 48:14

And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid [it] upon Ephraim’s head, who [was] the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh [was] the firstborn.

14. guiding his hands wittingly ] Better, as R.V. marg., crossing his hands. So LXX = “the hands crosswise”; Lat. commutans manus.

The aged Jacob is moved by a supernatural impulse to cross his hands as he blesses the two boys; and their destinies are determined accordingly.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Verse 14. Israel stretched out his right hand, c.] Laying hands on the head was always used among the Jews in giving blessings, designating men to any office, and in the consecration of solemn sacrifices. This is the first time we find it mentioned but we often read of it afterwards. See Nu 27:18, Nu 27:23; De 34:9; Mt 19:13, Mt 19:15; Ac 6:6; 1Ti 4:14. Jacob laid his right hand on the head of the younger, which we are told he did wittingly – well knowing what he was about, for (or although) Manasseh was the first-born, knowing by the Spirit of prophecy that Ephraim’s posterity would be more powerful than that of Manasseh. It is observable how God from the beginning has preferred the younger to the elder, as Abel before Cain; Shem before Japheth; Isaac before Ishmael; Jacob before Esau; Judah and Joseph before Reuben; Ephraim before Manasseh; Moses before Aaron; and David before his brethren. “This is to be resolved entirely into the wise and secret counsel of God, so far as it regards temporal blessings and national privileges, as the apostle tells us, Ro 9:11; See Clarke on Ge 25:23. But this preference has no concern with God’s conferring a greater measure of his love and approbation on one person more than another; compare Ge 4:7, with Heb 11:4, and you will see that a difference in moral character was the sole cause why God preferred Abel to Cain.” – Dodd. The grace that converts the soul certainly comes from the mere mercy of God, without any merit on man’s part; and a sufficiency of this is offered to every man, Tit 2:11-12. But it is not less certain that God loves those best who are most faithful to this grace.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

The

right hand was more honourable both in Scripture account, and amongst the Gentiles.

Laid it upon Ephraims head; which was a rite used often, and in divers cases, as in the conferring of offices either sacred or civil, as Num 8:10; Deu 34:9; Act 6:6; 13:3; and among other things, in giving benedictions, as Mat 19:13.

Guiding his hands wittingly; this proceeded not from chance, or the mistake and weakness of his eyes, but from design, and the wisdom of his hands. Heb. He disposed his hands prudently, or, he dealt wisely with his hands. Here was a double wisdom showed.

1. Human, by which he gathered that Manasseh was the eldest, because Joseph placed him towards his right hand.

2. Divine and prophetical, by which he foresaw Ephraims advantage above Manasseh, and wisely suited the ceremony to the substance, giving the greater sign of honour to him, to whom God designed the thing.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

And Israel stretched out his right hand,…. Not directly forward, but across, or otherwise it would have been laid on Manasseh, as Joseph designed it should by the position he placed him in:

and laid [it] upon Ephraim’s head, who [was] the younger, the right hand being the strongest and most in use, as it was reckoned most honourable to sit at it, so to have it imposed, as being significative of the greater blessing:

and his left hand upon Manasseh’s head; who was the older:

guiding his hands wittingly; this was not done accidentally, but on purpose: or made his “hands to understand” q, they acted as if they understood what he would have done, as Aben Ezra; as if they were conscious of what should be, or would be; though he could not see clearly and distinctly, yet he knew, by the position of them before him, which was the elder and which was the younger: he knew that Joseph would set the firstborn in such a position before him as naturally to put his right hand on him, and the younger in such a position as that it would be readiest for him to put his left hand on him; and therefore, being under a divine impulse and spirit of prophecy, by which he discerned that the younger was to have the greater blessing, he crossed his bands, or changed them, and put his right hand on Ephraim, and his left hand on Manasseh:

for Manasseh [was] the firstborn; or rather, though r he was the firstborn, as Aben Ezra.

q “intelligere fecit suas manus”, Paguinus, Montanus, Vatablus, Drusius, Cartwright. r “tametsi”, Tigurine version; “quamvis”, Piscator; so some in Fagius.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

The patriarch then stretched out his right hand and laid it upon Ephraim’s head, and placed his left upon the head of Manasseh (crossing his arms therefore), to bless Joseph in his sons. “ Guiding his hands wittingly; ” i.e., he placed his hands in this manner intentionally. Laying on the hand, which is mentioned here for the first time in the Scriptures, was a symbolical sign, by which the person acting transferred to another a spiritual good, a supersensual power or gift; it occurs elsewhere in connection with dedication to an office (Num 27:18, Num 27:23; Deu 34:9; Mat 19:13; Act 6:6; Act 8:17, etc.), with the sacrifices, and with the cures performed by Christ and the apostles. By the imposition of hands, Jacob transferred to Joseph in his sons the blessing which he implored for them from his own and his father’s God: “ The God ( Ha-Elohim) before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God ( Ha-Elohim) who hath fed me (led and provided for me with a shepherd’s faithfulness, Psa 23:1; Psa 28:9) from my existence up to this day, the Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads.” This triple reference to God, in which the Angel who is placed on an equality with Ha-Elohim cannot possibly be a created angel, but must be the “Angel of God,” i.e., God manifested in the form of the Angel of Jehovah, or the “Angel of His face” (Isa 43:9), contains a foreshadowing of the Trinity, though only God and the Angel are distinguished, not three persons of the divine nature. The God before whom Abraham and Isaac walked, had proved Himself to Jacob to be “the God which fed” and “the Angel which redeemed,” i.e., according to the more fully developed revelation of the New Testament, and , Shepherd and Redeemer. By the singular (bless, benedicat ) the triple mention of God is resolved into the unity of the divine nature. Non dicit ( Jakob) benedicant, pluraliter, nec repetit sed conjungit in uno opere benedicendi tres personas, Deum Patrem, Deum pastorem et Angelum. Sunt igitur hi tres unus Deus et unus benedictor. Idem opus facit Angelus quod pastor et Deus Patrum ( Luther). “Let my name be named on them, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,” i.e., not, “they shall bear my name and my fathers’,” “ dicantur filii mei et patrum meorum, licet ex te nati sint ” ( Rosenm.), which would only be another way of acknowledging his adoption of them, “ nota adoptionis ” ( Calvin); for as the simple mention of adoption is unsuitable to such a blessing, so the words appended, “ and according to the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, ” are still less suitable as a periphrasis for adoption. The thought is rather: the true nature of the patriarchs shall be discerned and acknowledged in Ephraim and Manasseh; in them shall those blessings of grace and salvation be renewed, which Jacob and his fathers Isaac and Abraham received from God. The name expressed the nature, and “being called” is equivalent to “being, and being recognised by what one is.” The salvation promised to the patriarchs related primarily to the multiplication into a great nation, and the possession of Canaan. Hence Jacob proceeds: “ and let them increase into a multitude in the midst of the land.” : , “to increase,” from which the name , a fish, is derived, on account of the remarkable rapidity with which they multiply.

Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament

14. And Israel stretched out his right hand. Seeing his eyes were dim with age, so that he could not, by looking, discern which was the elder, he yet intentionally placed his hands across. And therefore Moses says that he guided his hands wittingly, because he did not rashly put them forth, nor transfer them from one youth to the other for the sake of feeling them: but using judgment, he purposely directed his right hand to Ephraim who was the younger: but placed his left hand on the first-born. Whence we gather that the Holy Spirit was the director of this act, who irradiated the mind of the holy man, and caused him to see more correctly, than those who were the most clear-sighted, into the nature of this symbolical act. I shall avoid saying more, because we shall be able to inquire into it from other passages.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(14) Guiding his hands wittingly.The LXX., Syriac, and Vulg. translate, placing his hands crosswise; but the Targum of Onkelos favours the translation of our version. There is some amount of philological support for the rendering of the three chief versions; but it must mainly rest upon their own authority, which is, however, very great.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

14. Guiding his hands wittingly Literally, he made wise his hands . “Instructing his hands,” says the Targum Onk . ; his hands acted as if wise, and crossed each other, to symbolically express the prophetic preference of Ephraim to Manasseh . “The sacred writer minutely details this wonderful manifestation of inspired prescience . By events like this were the chosen people incessantly indoctrinated in the great truths of the divine foreknowledge and supervision of all human plans, while at the same time human and secondary causes are never ignored.” Newhall.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments