וַיְחִ֤י יַעֲקֹב֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם שְׁבַ֥ע עֶשְׂרֵ֖ה שָׁנָ֑ה וַיְהִ֤י יְמֵֽי־יַעֲקֹב֙ שְׁנֵ֣י חַיָּ֔יו שֶׁ֣בַע שָׁנִ֔ים וְאַרְבָּעִ֥ים וּמְאַ֖ת שָׁנָֽה׃

Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. During this time, the economic reforms described in the previous section (verses 14–26) were instituted, and the famine ceased. The days of Jacob, the years of his life, were seven years and one hundred atnd forty years.

וַיִּקְרְב֣וּ יְמֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֘ל לָמוּת֒ וַיִּקְרָ֣א ׀ לִבְנ֣וֹ לְיוֹסֵ֗ף וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ אִם־נָ֨א מָצָ֤אתִי חֵן֙ בְּעֵינֶ֔יךָ שִֽׂים־נָ֥א יָדְךָ֖ תַּ֣חַת יְרֵכִ֑י וְעָשִׂ֤יתָ עִמָּדִי֙ חֶ֣סֶד וֶאֱמֶ֔ת אַל־נָ֥א תִקְבְּרֵ֖נִי בְּמִצְרָֽיִם׃

The time for Israel to die approached, as he sensed that he would soon pass away. And he called his son, Joseph, both because he was his favorite son, and because he was the ruler of Egypt, and he said to him: Please, if I have found favor in your eyes, please place your hand under my thigh and swear to me (see 24:2) that you will perform kindness and truth with me; please do not bury me in Egypt. Jacob felt the need to administer an oath to Joseph, since this was not a simple request, as will be seen below.

וְשָֽׁכַבְתִּי֙ עִם־אֲבֹתַ֔י וּנְשָׂאתַ֙נִי֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם וּקְבַרְתַּ֖נִי בִּקְבֻרָתָ֑ם וַיֹּאמַ֕ר אָנֹכִ֖י אֶֽעֱשֶׂ֥ה כִדְבָרֶֽךָ׃

I shall lie with my fathers after my death, and you will convey me from Egypt and bury me in their, my ancestors’, grave. He, Joseph, said: I will do in accordance with your words.

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הִשָּֽׁבְעָה֙ לִ֔י וַיִּשָּׁבַ֖ע ל֑וֹ וַיִּשְׁתַּ֥חוּ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ הַמִּטָּֽה׃ (פ)

He, Jacob, said: Take an oath to me, as a declaration of intent alone is insufficient. And he, Joseph, took an oath to him. Israel prostrated himself as a sign of gratitude at the head of the bed. He did not prostrate himself on the ground, in the customary manner, as he was ill and confined to bed.

וַיְהִ֗י אַחֲרֵי֙ הַדְּבָרִ֣ים הָאֵ֔לֶּה וַיֹּ֣אמֶר לְיוֹסֵ֔ף הִנֵּ֥ה אָבִ֖יךָ חֹלֶ֑ה וַיִּקַּ֞ח אֶת־שְׁנֵ֤י בָנָיו֙ עִמּ֔וֹ אֶת־מְנַשֶּׁ֖ה וְאֶת־אֶפְרָֽיִם׃

It was after these matters that one, an unnamed person, said to Joseph: Behold, your father is ill. In the previous episode, Jacob had sensed that he was going to die soon; at this point, he became very ill. He, Joseph, took his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with him.

וַיַּגֵּ֣ד לְיַעֲקֹ֔ב וַיֹּ֕אמֶר הִנֵּ֛ה בִּנְךָ֥ יוֹסֵ֖ף בָּ֣א אֵלֶ֑יךָ וַיִּתְחַזֵּק֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיֵּ֖שֶׁב עַל־הַמִּטָּֽה׃

One told Jacob and said: Behold, your son Joseph is coming to you. Joseph likely lived in the capital city, which was far from Goshen, and therefore he could not visit his father frequently. When he was notified that Joseph was coming to visit, Israel exerted himself, and he sat upon the bed instead of lying on it, as he wanted to greet the viceroy in a dignified manner. In addition, perhaps sitting was the more appropriate position for the nature of the conversation that Jacob wished to conduct with his son.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יַעֲקֹב֙ אֶל־יוֹסֵ֔ף אֵ֥ל שַׁדַּ֛י נִרְאָֽה־אֵלַ֥י בְּל֖וּז בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וַיְבָ֖רֶךְ אֹתִֽי׃

Jacob said to Joseph: God Almighty appeared to me in Luz, also known as Beit El, in the land of Canaan, and He blessed me.

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֗י הִנְנִ֤י מַפְרְךָ֙ וְהִרְבִּיתִ֔ךָ וּנְתַתִּ֖יךָ לִקְהַ֣ל עַמִּ֑ים וְנָ֨תַתִּ֜י אֶת־הָאָ֧רֶץ הַזֹּ֛את לְזַרְעֲךָ֥ אַחֲרֶ֖יךָ אֲחֻזַּ֥ת עוֹלָֽם׃

He said to me: Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will render you an assembly of peoples, and I will give this land to your descendants after you as an eternal portion. Jacob received these two promises in his dream at Beit El on his way to Haran (28:12–15) and in his prophetic vision in the same location many years later, upon his return to Canaan (35:9–12). Although the greatness he was promised had yet to materialize, the assurance gave him the strength and authority to deliver blessings that would shape the future of his family and their land, as though God’s promises had already come to pass at that time.

וְעַתָּ֡ה שְׁנֵֽי־בָנֶיךָ֩ הַנּוֹלָדִ֨ים לְךָ֜ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֗יִם עַד־בֹּאִ֥י אֵלֶ֛יךָ מִצְרַ֖יְמָה לִי־הֵ֑ם אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ וּמְנַשֶּׁ֔ה כִּרְאוּבֵ֥ן וְשִׁמְע֖וֹן יִֽהְיוּ־לִֽי׃

And now, based on the aforementioned promises, your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before my coming to you to Egypt, they are mine; I am adopting them as though they were my children. Ephraim and Manasseh, like Reuben and Simeon they shall be for me. Your first and second sons, my grandsons, will be elevated to equivalent status as that of my own first and second sons.

וּמוֹלַדְתְּךָ֛ אֲשֶׁר־הוֹלַ֥דְתָּ אַחֲרֵיהֶ֖ם לְךָ֣ יִהְי֑וּ עַ֣ל שֵׁ֧ם אֲחֵיהֶ֛ם יִקָּרְא֖וּ בְּנַחֲלָתָֽם׃

Manasseh and Ephraim were Joseph’s older sons, born before the onset of the years of famine. Even if no children had been born to Joseph during the famine, as the Sages maintain, he likely had others after those difficult years. However, as they were still young at this point, the matter that Jacob is discussing does not apply to them. And therefore, your progeny that you beget after them, after Manasseh and Ephraim, they shall be yours and considered part of your immediate family, not as my adopted sons. This means that they shall be called after the name of their brothers in their inheritance. When the inheritance is divided among the sons of Jacob, those sons shall be considered part of the tribe of Ephraim or of Manasseh.

וַאֲנִ֣י ׀ בְּבֹאִ֣י מִפַּדָּ֗ן מֵ֩תָה֩ עָלַ֨י רָחֵ֜ל בְּאֶ֤רֶץ כְּנַ֙עַן֙ בַּדֶּ֔רֶךְ בְּע֥וֹד כִּבְרַת־אֶ֖רֶץ לָבֹ֣א אֶפְרָ֑תָה וָאֶקְבְּרֶ֤הָ שָּׁם֙ בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ אֶפְרָ֔ת הִ֖וא בֵּ֥ית לָֽחֶם׃

And I, when coming back from Padan Aram, your mother Rachel died on me in the land of Canaan on the road, while still some distance to arrive at Efrat, not in an inhabited area. And therefore I buried her there on the road to Efrat, which is another name for Bethlehem. Since it was impractical to bring her to the family burial plot in Hebron, I buried her where she died. Indeed, to this day the tombstone assumed to mark Rachel’s grave is located outside the city of Bethlehem. In the past, it was presumably even farther outside of the city than it is currently.

וַיַּ֥רְא יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יוֹסֵ֑ף וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מִי־אֵֽלֶּה׃

Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and he said: Who are these? Perhaps due to the distance between Joseph’s and Jacob’s places of residence, Jacob did not see his grandchildren very often, and therefore he did not recognize them. Although he had met them a few years earlier, their appearances had certainly changed in the meantime. Moreover, Jacob’s vision had deteriorated (verse 10), which may be why he did not immediately identify his grandsons.

וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יוֹסֵף֙ אֶל־אָבִ֔יו בָּנַ֣י הֵ֔ם אֲשֶׁר־נָֽתַן־לִ֥י אֱלֹהִ֖ים בָּזֶ֑ה וַיֹּאמַ֕ר קָֽחֶם־נָ֥א אֵלַ֖י וַאֲבָרֲכֵֽם׃

Joseph said to his father: They are my sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, whom you mentioned previously, whom God has given me here. Jacob subsequently remembers and identifies the boys. Despite his physical impairment, his mental capacities were still fully intact. Therefore, he said decisively: Please take them to me, and I will bless them.