Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ibn Ezra · Torah

Ibn Ezra on Genesis 48:4/אבן עזרא על בראשית מ״ח:ד׳

אוטעם הנני מפרך. על דעת הגאון שאמר לי השם הנני מפרך ובן לא נולד לי, רק מתה רחל, ועתה ידעתי, כי בעבור בניך הנולדים לך אמר הנני מפרך, וזה הפי' אין לו טעם וריח, כי מה הפרש בין בני יוסף ובין בני ראובן, ועוד כי בנימין נולד לו אחר זה הנבואה, והנכון בעיני שאמר, השם אמר לי, כי ארץ כנען תהיה לזרעי אחוזת עולם, ואני אתן לך בנחלת הארץ הבכורה, ויקחו אפרים ומנשה חלקם בארץ, כאשר יקח ראובן ושמעון שהם הגדולים מבני, ואשר תוליד אחרי אפרים ומנשה יקראו על שם אחיהם הנזכרים שירשו עמם בנחלתם, והמפרש שאמר ומולדתך על בני מכיר שיולדו על ברכי יוסף לא ישרו בעיני דבריו, כי מה טעם על שם אחיהם, ואם יטען טוען כי לא מצאנו ליוסף בנים אחרים, גם זו איננה טענה, כי יתכן שהי', ובעבור שירשו עם אחיהם לא הזכירם הכתוב ורבים כאלה:

1[BEHOLD, I WILL MAKE THEE FRUITFUL.] According to Saadiah Gaon Jacob told Joseph: God appeared to me and told me, Behold I will make thee fruitful. However, following this promise I had no other children, and Rachel died. I now know that the Divine promise of Behold, I will make thee fruitful was said concerning your children.⁵ (v. 5). This interpretation is totally unpalatable. What difference is there between Joseph’s children and Reuben’s children?⁶ could apply to both? Furthermore, Benjamin was born after this prophetic vision.⁷, is recorded in Gen. 35:9-16. Benjamin’s birth follows immediately in verse 18. Hence it may refer to him. I believe that Jacob told Joseph the following: “God appeared to me and told me that the land of Canaan will be an everlasting possession for my children. I now give you a first born’s share⁸ in this land. Therefore let Ephraim and Manasseh share in the land in the same manner as Reuben and Simeon, my two eldest sons (v. 5). However, any children that will be born to you in addition to Ephraim and Manasseh⁹. I.E. explains holadta (literally, you begat) as an imperfect, you will beget. shall be called after the name of their just noted brothers, namely, they will receive their inheritance among them (v. 6).¹⁰ I take issue with the one who interprets And thy issue, that thou begettest after them (v. 6) as referring to the children of Machir the son of Manasseh who were born upon Joseph’s knees (Gen. 50:23). If his interpretation is correct, why does Scripture say, they shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance (v. 6)?¹¹ And what if one argues, but we do not find that Joseph had any other children after Manasseh and Ephraim?¹², then it must be true. If we cannot apply it to Joseph’s sons other than Manasseh and Ephraim, since he had no others, then the Bible must be referring to grandchildren. It is not convincing. It is quite possible that Joseph had additional children but they are not mentioned because they received their inheritance among their brothers.¹³ There are many other such instances in Scripture.¹⁴