Kejadian 48:20

48:20 So he blessed them that day, saying,

“By you ¹  will Israel bless, ²  saying,

‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”

So he put Ephraim before Manasseh. ³ 

Keluaran 39:43

39:43 Moses inspected ⁴  all the work – and ⁵  they had done it just as the Lord had commanded – they had done it exactly – and Moses blessed them. ⁶ 

[48:20]  ¹ tn The pronoun is singular in the Hebrew text, apparently elevating Ephraim as the more prominent of the two. Note, however, that both are named in the blessing formula that follows.

[48:20]  ² tn Or “pronounce a blessing.”

[48:20]  ³ sn On the elevation of Ephraim over Manasseh see E. C. Kingsbury, “He Set Ephraim Before Manasseh,” HUCA 38 (1967): 129-36; H. Mowvley, “The Concept and Content of ‘Blessing’ in the Old Testament,” BT 16 (1965): 74-80; and I. Mendelsohn, “On the Preferential Status of the Eldest Son,” BASOR 156 (1959): 38-40.

[39:43]  ⁴ tn Or “examined” (NASB, TEV); NCV “looked closely at.”

[39:43]  ⁵ tn The deictic particle draws attention to what he saw in such a way as to give the reader Moses’ point of view and a sense of his pleasure: “and behold, they…”

[39:43]  ⁶ sn The situation and wording in Exod 39:43 are reminiscent of Gen 1:28 and 31, with the motifs of blessing people and inspecting what has been made.