Ephraim: Difference between revisions

'''Ephraim''' ({{IPAc-en |ˈ|ɛ|f|r|aɪ|j|iː|m}};<ref>{{MW|Ephraim}}</ref> {{lang-he|אֶפְרָיִם}}/{{Script/Hebrew|אֶפְרַיִם}}, ''ʾEfrayim'') was, according to the [[Book of Genesis]], the second son of [[Joseph (Hebrew BibleGenesis)|Joseph]] and [[Asenath]]. Asenath was an [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] woman whom [[Pharaoh]] gave to Joseph as wife, and the daughter of [[Potipherah]], a priest of [[On (Ancient Egypt)|On]].<ref>{{bibleverse ||Genesis|41:50–52|HE}}</ref> Ephraim was born in Egypt before the arrival of the [[children of Israel]] from [[Canaan]].<ref>{{bibleverse||Genesis|48:5|HE}}</ref>

The [[Book of Numbers]] lists three sons of Ephraim: Shuthelah, [[Beker ben Ephraim|Beker]], and [[Tahan ben Ephraim|Tahan]].<ref>{{Bibleverse|Numbers|26:35}}</ref> However, [[1 Chronicles]] 7 lists eight sons, including Ezer and Elead, who were killed in an attempt to steal cattle from the locals. After their deaths he had another son, [[ListBeriah (son of minor biblical figures#BeriahEphraim)|Beriah]].<ref>{{bibleverse|1|Chronicles|7:20–23|HE}}</ref> He was the ancestor of [[Joshua]], son of [[Nun (Biblebiblical figure)|Nun]], the leader of the [[Israelite]] tribes in the [[conquest of Canaan]].<ref>{{bibleverse|1|Chronicles|7:20–27|HE}}</ref>

In the biblical account, [[Joseph (patriarchGenesis) |Joseph]]'s other son is [[Manasseh (tribal patriarch)|Manasseh]], and Joseph himself is one of the two children of [[Rachel]] and [[Jacob]], the other being [[Benjamin]]. Biblical scholars regard it as obvious, from their geographic overlap and their treatment in older passages, that originally Ephraim and Manasseh were considered one tribe – that of ''Joseph''.<ref>''Jewish Encyclopedia'', "Ephraim".</ref> According to several biblical scholars, Benjamin was originally part of the suggested Ephraim-Manasseh single "Joseph" tribe, but the biblical account of Joseph as his father became lost.<ref>''Jewish Encyclopedia'' (1906)</ref><ref name= "Peake's commentary on the Bible">''Peake's commentary on the Bible''.</ref> A number of biblical scholars suspect that the distinction of the ''Joseph tribes'' (including Benjamin) is that they were the only Israelites which went to [[Egypt]] [[the Exodus|and returned]], while the main Israelite tribes simply emerged as a subculture from the [[Canaan]]ites and had remained in [[Canaan]] throughout.<ref name= "Peake's commentary on the Bible"/><ref name= "IsraelFinkelstein">[[Israel Finkelstein]], ''The Bible Unearthed''.</ref> According to this view, the story of Jacob's visit to [[Laban (Bible) |Laban]] to obtain a wife originated as a [[metaphor]] for this migration, with the property and family which were gained from Laban representing the gains of the Joseph tribes by the time they returned from Egypt;<ref name= "Peake's commentary on the Bible"/> according to textual scholars, the [[Jahwist]] version of the Laban narrative only mentions the Joseph tribes, and Rachel, and does not mention the other tribal [[matriarch]]s at all.<ref name= "IsraelFinkelstein" /><ref>[[Richard Elliott Friedman]], ''Who Wrote the Bible?''</ref>