Genesis 48:20

New English Translation

²⁰So he blessed them that day, saying,

“By you^[a] will Israel bless,^[b] saying,
‘May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.’”
Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.^[c]

Genesis 48:20 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.
Genesis 48:20 tn Or “pronounce a blessing.”
Genesis 48:20 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.

New English Translation (NET)