Joseph had been told that his father was dying, so he rushed over to see Jacob, bringing his two sons. They immediately are the object of Jacob's blessing. He adopts them as his own sons. (We can't help but wonder how the other 49 grandchildren felt about Grandpa's decision. Would they be the kind to contest the will in court? Would they act like their parents, Joseph's brothers?) But why both sons? Is Jacob just being fair? No, the firstborn received a double portion of the inheritance, so both benefited, including eventually being given a portion of land in the promised land. Jacob's practice anticipates the law in Deuteronomy.
By claiming them as his own, Jacob tells his grandsons that they belong to the covenant, not Egypt. The adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh—who were born of an Egyptian woman and reared in the pagan land of Egypt— foreshadows the adoption of Gentiles into Christ, receiving the blessing of Abraham.
In facing his death, Jacob can't help but recall the death that affected him the most: Rachel's. In Jacob's mind, she was his only true love and lawful wife, in terms of the inheritance. It is proper and legal for Jacob to transfer the birthright from the actual firstborn, Reuben, to Joseph, the firstborn of the legitimate wife.
Jacob then commands the boys to come forward to receive the blessing, and in response, Joseph — the second most powerful man in Egypt, garbed in the accouterments of power – prostrates himself to the ground in love and gratitude before his father.
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Kurt Snow serves as a ruling elder at Covenant Reformed Church of Sacramento (RCUS). He served as a member of the Board of Governors of City Seminary of Sacramento from 2000 to 2020.
