Who was Ephraim in the Bible?

Second son of Joseph and Asenath. The name is also given to the tribe of which he was the head, and also to the district of Palestine that fell to his lot. When Israel blessed the two sons of Joseph he set Ephraim before his elder brother, saying he should be greater, and his seed should become a multitude (or, 'fatness') of nations. Gen. 48:17-19. Little is recorded of Ephraim personally; and of his descendants, Joshua the son of Nun is the most renowned. The tribe on the second year from the Exodus numbered in fighting men 40,500; but had decreased during the forty years to 32,500. Num. 1:33; Num. 26:37.

The territory of the tribe was in the heart of Palestine, having Manasseh on the north, Benjamin on the south, and Dan on the west. It has beautiful valleys and noble mountains with many springs and streams. Its two principal towns were Shiloh and Shechem.

Then again, it was while Joseph was thus separated from his brethren and exalted among the Gentiles that a bride was given to him, and she was of Gentile stock. Two sons were born to him before the years of famine came, and while he was employed in collecting and laying up the produce of the seven years of plenty. The names of the sons are significant. Manasseh means "Forgetting," and Ephraim means "Fruitful." The name of the elder was negative in its bearing, for it commemorated the fact that he had been severed from all his old family associations, as well as the toil and sorrow of his early years. The name of the younger had a more positive significance, commemorating the fruitfulness that was produced from his former afflictions.

Pharaoh gave Joseph a wife, and God gave Joseph two sons, the oldest was named "Manasseh" ("Forgetting"), for God made Joseph forget his work and sorrow. The younger was named "Ephraim" ("Fruitful"), for God caused him to be fruitful in the land of his trouble.

You remember Esau sold his birthright to Jacob. When Joseph heard that his father Jacob was sick, he went and took his two sons with him. At that time a father used to give a double portion to the oldest son. Reuben was Jacob's oldest son, but he had sinned against his father, and lost this birthright. Jacob gave the blessing of the first-born to Joseph and told him God's promise, "I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thy seed, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession." And he told him that he was to have two portions. Jacob said, "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." So in Israel we hear of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh rather than of Joseph.

When Jacob wished to bless the two boys, Joseph brought Manasseh, his older son, toward Jacob's right hand, and Ephraim, the younger, toward Jacob's left hand; but Jacob laid his right hand upon the head of Joseph's younger son Ephraim, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, and he blessed them. Joseph did not like this. He wanted his father to change it, but Jacob said, No, the younger son should be greater than his older brother (Heb. 11:21). God chose the younger. "God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: That no flesh should glory in His presence." (1 Cor. 1:27-29.) Thus Jacob blessed Joseph, and made him greater than his brothers.

Hosea 4. This commences the appeal to their consciences. The sins of the people are pointed out. Their prophets had failed, and the people were destroyed for lack of knowledge. The priests also had failed and it became 'like people, like priest.' In Hosea 4:15 Judah is warned not to follow the evil example of Israel. In Hosea 4:17, as elsewhere, Israel is called Ephraim, that being the chief of the ten tribes.

Hosea 5. The priests, the people, and the king are addressed. They had all sinned, and had been rebuked, but had not returned to Jehovah. Ephraim, instead of turning to Jehovah in his sickness, had sought the Assyrian — a king who could not cure them.

Ephraim had the place of the first-born (Jer. 31:9), the birthright being taken from Reuben and given to Joseph. 1 Chr. 5:1-2. Also the place of the tabernacle was in the tribe of Ephraim, hence we find in the time of the judges this tribe asserting its own importance. They were angry with Gideon for not calling them to the war sooner than he did; but a soft answer appeased their wrath. Judges 7:24; Judges 8:1-3. Again they complained to Jephthah that he had gone without them to fight the Ammonites, though Jephthah declared that he had called them, and they had not responded. They also haughtily said of the Gileadites that they were fugitives of Ephraim, implying that they were not a tribe, but belonged to Ephraim, from whence they had escaped. The conflict was sharp; the Gileadites seized the ford of the Jordan, and then by putting all who wanted to pass to the test of pronouncing Shibboleth (which the Ephraimites could only call Sibboleth) they slew 42,000 of the men of Ephraim. Judges 12:1-6. Thus was this proud and envious tribe punished for molesting their brethren, whereas they had not driven out the heathen inhabitants of the land, as they should have done. Judges 1:29. Type of many in the church who in pride contend with their brethren, but do not fight God's battles against spiritual wickedness. Later on the Lord forsook Shiloh, and chose, not the tribe of Ephraim, but that of Judah both for the place of royalty and for the sanctuary.

In the kingdom under David and Solomon we read very little of Ephraim, but it is twice called in the Psalms 'the strength (or defence) of mine head.' Ps. 60:7; Ps. 108:8. At the division of the tribes Ephraim took the most prominent place; Shechem and Samaria being in their territory naturally contributed to this, and accounts for the ten tribes being constantly called 'Ephraim' by the prophets. In the same way the two tribes are called 'Judah.' Hosea 5:3, 5, 13, 14, etc. Isaiah prophesied that in sixty-five years Ephraim should be broken and should not be a people. Isa. 7:8. This was in B.C. 742, and Samaria was taken and Israel carried into captivity in B.C. 721, so that the prophecy doubtless referred to Esarhaddon planting a colony of foreigners in Samaria in B.C. 678, which fulfils the sixty-five years. This also agrees with the prophecy saying 'the head of Ephraim ' is Samaria.

In the prophecies also that refer to the future blessing of the twelve tribes Ephraim is regarded as representing the ten tribes. Ezek. 37:16-22, where the twelve tribes are to become one nation in their own land, with one king over them: a prophecy which clearly has never yet been fulfilled, but which will surely be accomplished in God's own time.

Joshua's answer to Ephraim at the time we have referred to was a significant one. He says, "if you are a great people, go up into the mountain and hew down for yourselves. You are a great people. Go up and overthrow the enemy, with his chariots of iron." Let your greatness be shown in work, not boasting. That was his answer to Ephraim then; but from that time on, the tribe of Ephraim was always jealous as to its position in the nation of Israel. It always envied those who did anything for God. We find them repeatedly putting themselves forward all through Judges and in David's time, till the jealousy bore its proper fruit in the division of the kingdom.

No doubt the tribe had received as a cherished tradition, the promise that Ephraim the younger should take precedence over the elder Manasseh. So it would be specially galling to see the initiative taken by the feebler tribe. But God's ways are the opposite of ours, and all excellency and pride of man must be humbled. In fact, Ephraim's precedency is an illustration of this, for he was the younger, and so when he was put over the elder, as Reuben the first-born was displaced, it emphasized God's sovereignty, which exalts the lowly and abases the high.

1 Chronicles 7 gives the remaining tribes with the chief men among them. The two divinely important things, the throne and the temple having been given with care and detail, all other tribes not so immediately connected with them as were Judah and Levi respectively are passed over with exceeding brevity. One event is recorded in connection with Ephraim which is not given elsewhere, namely, the disaster that befell some of the sons of Ephraim (1 Chron. 7:21). The men of Gath slew them "because they came down to take away their cattle." This happened during Ephraim's life, perhaps before that Pharaoh arose who knew not Joseph. The land of Goshen bordered upon the land of Gath (the Philistine's land). And no doubt the inhabitants of each land made inroads upon the other, and in one the sons of Ephraim were slain. The moral state of the children of Ephraim was no better than that of the Philistines. The law had not yet said, "Thou shalt not steal." It is not probable that this could have happened when the Israelites were slaves under the last Pharaoh. A son was born to Ephraim after this, whose name, Beriah, was commemorative of their death, "because it went evil with his house." And there was blessing in his daughter Sherah, and other sons were born to him. This was a healing of the breach.

Joseph was not pleased that Jacob had placed his right hand on Ephraim's head and took hold of his hand to change it to the head of Manasseh, telling him that since Manasseh was firstborn, Jacob should put his right hand on his head. But Jacob firmly refused, for he knew well what he was doing. It is natural to think that the firstborn should have the prime honor, but God often reverses such things. Adam had the place of the firstborn in creation, but Christ has rightly taken the place of having all the rights of the firstborn (Col. 1:15-16). Jacob too no doubt remembered that Esau was set aside so that Jacob would take first place (Gen. 25:23).

Another important feature of this is evident in the meaning of the names of these brothers. Manasseh means “forgetting” and Ephraim means “fruitful,” because Joseph was caused to forget the natural blessings of his father's house, then became fruitful in Egypt. But forgetting is negative: fruitfulness is positive, and the positive must take the first place. Jacob says that Manasseh would become great, but Ephraim would be greater than he (v. 19). Both are blessed (v. 20), but Ephraim is set before Manasseh.

Now it is that he can declare God's blessing upon the two sons of Joseph as they are brought before him. Joseph would have had the eldest in the first-born's place; but Jacob blesses the two sons of Joseph according to the purpose of God. Ephraim (fruitfulness) is put before Manasseh (forgetting); that is, the positive side of divine things as more important than the negative side.