And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, your father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
thy father.
John 11:3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.
his two sons.
Genesis 41:50-52 And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him…
Genesis 46:20 And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.
Genesis 50:23 And Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph's knees.
Joseph was told, “Your father is ill.”
The notification of Jacob's illness marks a significant moment, as it prompts Joseph to visit his father. In the ancient Near Eastern context, family ties were crucial, and the presence of a son at a father's deathbed was a sign of respect and duty. This moment foreshadows the impending death of Jacob, a patriarch whose life and legacy are central to the narrative of Israel.
So he set out with his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.
Joseph's decision to bring his sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, is significant. It reflects the importance of family blessings and the transmission of covenant promises. Manasseh and Ephraim, born in Egypt, represent the next generation of Israelites. Their inclusion in this visit highlights their future roles in the tribes of Israel. This act also sets the stage for Jacob's adoption of them as his own sons, which will have lasting implications for the tribal structure of Israel.
• The phrase signals a real, literal passage of time after the events of Genesis 47, where Jacob had settled in Goshen and Joseph secured provisions for the family (Genesis 47:11–12).
• Scripture often uses similar wording to bridge scenes (e.g., Genesis 15:1; 40:1), underscoring that God’s plan unfolds in tangible history, not myth.
• We are reminded that God’s covenant purposes continue steadily, regardless of the weeks, months, or years that slip by (2 Peter 3:9).
• Joseph, though second-in-command in Egypt (Genesis 41:41–44), stays sensitive to family matters; he keeps an open ear for news about his father.
• This mirrors how Moses later “was told” about Israel’s suffering (Exodus 2:11–14) and how David “was told” Saul was dead (2 Samuel 1:4). God often uses timely reports to move His servants into position.
• Faithfulness includes responding promptly when responsibilities at home call (1 Timothy 5:8).
• Jacob’s sickness is the first explicit mention of his failing health, preparing us for the blessings that follow (Genesis 47:29; 48:8–20).
• Scripture treats sickness realistically yet reverently: Isaac’s dimmed eyes (Genesis 27:1) and Elisha’s terminal illness (2 Kings 13:14) both become settings for covenant moments.
• Physical frailty frequently sets the stage for spiritual clarity; God’s promises shine brightest when human strength wanes (2 Corinthians 4:7–16).
• Joseph acts immediately, bringing the very heirs whose futures hinge on Jacob’s forthcoming blessing (Genesis 48:5–6, 15–20).
• Taking the boys underscores parental duty: lead children into the presence of those who will speak God’s promises over them (Deuteronomy 6:6–7; Mark 10:13–16).
• Manasseh and Ephraim’s inclusion prefigures adoption into Israel’s tribes, illustrating how God grafts outsiders into His family (Romans 11:17; Ephesians 2:12–13).
• The scene echoes Abraham taking Isaac to a decisive meeting with God (Genesis 22) and later Joshua leading Israel across the Jordan (Joshua 3:7); fathers guide the next generation to pivotal moments of faith.
Genesis 48:1 records more than a family visit; it marks God’s precise timing to advance covenant blessings. A real stretch of days passes, Joseph hears reliable news, acknowledges his father’s frailty, and swiftly ushers his sons into Jacob’s presence. The verse models alertness to God-given responsibilities, honor for aging parents, and intentional shepherding of children toward God’s promises—all under the steady thread of God’s faithful plan.
XLVIII.THE BLESSING OF MANASSEH AND EPHRAIM, AND THE RECOGNITION OF THEM BY JACOB AS HEADS OF TRIBES.
(1) His two sons.--We have already seen that the purpose of the genealogy given in Genesis 46 was not the enumeration of Jacob's children and grandchildren, but the recognition of those of his descendants who were to hold the high position of heads of "families." In this chapter a still more important matter is settled; for Jacob, exercising to the full his rights as the father and head of the Israelite race, and moved thereto both by his love for Rachel, the high rank of Joseph, and also by the spirit of prophecy, bestows upon Joseph two tribes. No authority less than that of Jacob would have sufficed for this, and therefore the grant is carefully recorded, and holds its right place immediately before the solemn blessing given by the dying patriarch to his sons. The occasion of Joseph's visit was the sickness of his father, who not merely felt generally that his death was near, as in Genesis 47:29, but was now suffering from some malady; and Joseph naturally took with him his two sons, that they might see and be blessed by their grandfather before his death.
Verse 1. - And it came to pass after these things (i.e. the events recorded in the preceding chapter, and in particular after the arrangements which had been made for Jacob s funeral), that one told Joseph, - the verb וַלֺיּאמֶר is here used impersonally, or passively, for "one told," or "it was told," to Joseph (LXX., ἀπεγγέλη; Vulgate, munciatum est; Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch, Murphy, et alii); or probably emphatically, by way of calling attention to the circumstance - denoting perhaps a special messenger (Tayler Lewis). Behold, thy father is sick. The word in the original conveys the idea of being worn down or becoming infirm through age or disease, and may suggest the notion that Jacob was now regarded as rapidly approaching dissolution. And he took with him his two sons, Manasseh end Ephraim - who at this time must have been about eighteen or twenty years of age (Keil), and who appear to have accompanied their father from respectful affection to their aged relative (Murphy), or to have been taken in the hope that "the words of their blessed grand father would make an indelible impression on their hearts (Lawson), rather than in order to obtain from Jacob "a pledge of their unqualified admission as members of his house," of their exclusion from which Joseph was not altogether groundlessly apprehensive, in consequence of their being the children of an Egyptian mother (Kalisch).