And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.
And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine. They will be like Reuben and Simeon—they will be my sons too.
Jacob is adopting his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh as his own sons, giving them equal status with his other sons in the family inheritance.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs when Jacob is near death and is blessing his son Joseph's family. Joseph had married an Egyptian woman and had these two sons while serving as a high official in Egypt during the seven years of plenty, before Jacob and the rest of the family moved to Egypt during the famine. By adopting his grandsons, Jacob was ensuring they would each receive a full tribal inheritance in the Promised Land, effectively giving Joseph a double portion through his sons.
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