But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations."Given what Jacob did to Esau, I can't say I'm surprised that he would make a switch like this at the last moment. He tricked his brother out of the firstborn's privileges, so as he is dying he gives that swap to the sons of his favorite child. Rather than have it taken, he freely bestows it, with prophecy to support his reasoning.
However, this is one point where my knowledge of Israel fails me. I don't remember anything occurring that made Ephraim more important than Manasseh. Granted, I don't remember much about either tribe, so it could be that I'm just forgetting things. However, I have to wonder why Ephraim is the greater of the two.
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