Reference: Manasseh (1)
Fausets
("causing to forget".) Joseph's firstborn by Asenath, whose birth "made him forget all his toil and all (the sorrow he endured through) his father's house" (Ge 41:51). Jacob adopted them as his own, though "horn in Egypt" and by an alien to Israel (Ge 48:5,9); "as Reuben and Simeon they shall be mine," i.e. patriarchal heads of tribes, as Jacob's immediate sons were; Manasseh and Ephraim gave their names to separate tribes. Joseph had the portion of the firstborn by having the double portion, i.e. two tribal divisions assigned to his sons (1Ch 5:1-2; compare De 21:17). When Joseph took Ephraim in his right toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left toward Israel's right hand, Israel put his right upon Ephraim the younger, and his left upon Manasseh wittingly, notwithstanding Joseph's remonstrance. Their name should be a formula of blessing, "God make thee as Ephraim and Manasseh," and they should "grow as fish do increase" (a natural image near the fish abounding Nile): Ge 48:16,20.
The term "thousands" is especially applied to Manasseh (De 33:17; Jg 6:15 margin.) Manasseh's son by an Aramitess (Syrian) concubine, Machir, had children "borne upon Joseph's knees" (Ge 50:23), i.e. adopted as his from their birth. Manasseh, Ephraim, and Benjamin, the three sprung from Rachel, marched W. of the tabernacle. Moses in his last blessing (De 33:13-17) gives Joseph (i.e. Ephraim and Manasseh) the "precious things of the earth" by "the good will of Him that dwelt in the bush, "in contrast to Joseph's past "separation from his brethren," his horns like the two of the wild bull (not "unicorn"), namely, "the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh shall push," etc. At Sinai Manasseh numbered 32,200 (Nu 1:10,35; 2:20-21; 7:54-59), Ephraim 40,500. But 40 years later, at Jordan, Manasseh 52,700, Ephraim 32,590 (Nu 26:34-37).
Manasseh here resumes his place as firstborn (his having two portions of Canaan, one on each side of Jordan, being also a kind of privilege of the firstborn), probably as having been foremost in the conquest of Gilead, the most impregnable portion of Palestine, as Lejah (asylum) the modern name of Argob implies; their inheritance was northern Gilead, Argob, and Bashan (Nu 32:39-42; De 3:4,13-15; Jos 17:1). Gideon, the greatest of the judges, and one whose son all but established hereditary monarchy in their line, and Jephthah, were samples of their warriors. They advanced from Bashan northwards to the base of Mount Hermon (1Ch 5:23). When David was crowned at Hebron western Manasseh sent 18,000, eastern Manasseh with Gad and Reuben 120,000 armed men (1Ch 12:31,37). Moreover, a prince of each of the two sections of Manasseh stands on a level with the princes of entire tribes (1Ch 27:20-21).
But because of apostasy from the God of their fathers to the gods of the people whom He destroyed before them, Manasseh was first cut short by the Syrian Hazael (2Ki 10:32), then God stirred up the spirit of Pul and of Tiglath Pileser of Assyria to carry the eastern half of Manasseh, Reuben, and Gad captives to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river Gozan (1Ch 5:25-26). Manasseh failed to occupy all the territory assigned to them. "Geshur and Aram (Syria) took the 23 towns of Jair and the 37 of Kenath and her daughters, 60 in all, from them"; so 1Ch 2:23 ought to be translated In Jg 10:4 we find Jair the judge in possession of 30 of them, recovered from the enemy. Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh successfully warred with and dispossessed the Hagarites with Jetar, Nephish, and Nodab (1Ch 5:18-22). The western half of Manasseh failed for long to dispossess completely the Canaanites (Jg 1:27; Jos 17:11-12).
On their complaining that but one portion had been allotted to them, and that the Canaanite chariots prevented their occupying the Esdraelon and Jordan plains, Joshua advised them to go into the wooded mountain, probably Carmel. Accordingly their towns Taanach, Megiddo, Ibleam, and Endor are in the region of Carmel, within the allotments of other tribes. Bethshean was in the hollow of the Ghor or Jordan valley, the connecting point between the eastern and the western Manasseh. Kerr shows that the land of Manasseh, instead of crossing the country from E. to W., occupied only half that space, and lay along the sea to the W., bounded on the E. by the range of Mount Carmel.
Jos 17:7 defines its coast. En Tappuah is Atuf. The town was given to Ephraim, the land N. of it was Manasseh's. Conder thinks that Asher was separated from Manasseh by Zebulun, and that the Asher in Jos 17:10 is Asherham-Michmethah (now Es Sireh) at the N.W. corner of Ephraim. Issachar lay to the E. of Ephraim and Manasseh, along the entire line of the Jordan, from the sea of Chinneroth to the wady Kelt not far from the Salt Sea: thus it was a triangle, its apex at Jericho, its base N. of the Jezreel plain (Palestine Exploration Quarterly Statement, January, 1877, p. 41-50). In the declension of the nation Isaiah (Isa 9:20-21) foretells that the two sons of Joseph, once so intimately united, should be rent into factions thirsting for one another's blood, "they shall eat every man the flesh of his own arm, Manasseh Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh, and they together against Judah."
After the fall of the ten tribes, Psalm 80 expresses Judah's prayer of sympathy for her sister: "give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock. ... Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh (advancing at their head, as formerly in the pillar of cloud in the wilderness) ... come and save us." The book of Numbers (Nu 2:17-24) represents these three kindred tribes together marching after the ark; so in the Psalms. Many out of Manasseh were among the penitents coming southwards to Judah, and joining in the spiritual revivals under Asa (2Ch 15:9), Hezekiah (2Ch 30:1,10-11,18; 31:1), and Josiah (2Ch 34:6-9).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Joseph will call the name of the first-born, Manasseh; for God made me forget all my toils and all my father's house.
And now, thy two sons having been born to thee in the land of Egypt, before I came to thee to Egypt, they are to me: Ephraim and Manasseh shall be to me as Reuben and Simeon.
And Joseph will say to his father, They are my sons which God gave me here. And he will say, Bring them now to me, and I will bless them.
The messenger redeeming me from all evil, shall bless the youths; and my name shall be called upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaak and they shall be increased into a multitude in the midst of the earth.
And he will bless them in that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, Will God set thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he will set Ephraim before Manasseh.
And Joseph will see sons to Ephraim of the third generation; also the sons of Machir, son of Manasseh, were brought forth upon Joseph's knees.
For the sons of Joseph: for Ephraim; Elishama, son of Ammihud. For Manasseh: Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur.
They being reviewed for the tribe of Manasseh, two and thirty thousand and two hundred.
And the tent of appointment shall be removed, the camp of the Levites in the midst of the camp. As they shall encamp, so shall they remove, every man upon his hand according to their flags. The flag of the camp of Ephraim, according to their armies, for their warfare, the sea: and the chief for the sons of Ephraim, Elishama, son of Ammihud. read more. And his army, and they being reviewed, forty thousand five hundred. And by him the tribe of Manasseh: and the chief for the sons of Manasseh, Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur.
And by him the tribe of Manasseh: and the chief for the sons of Manasseh, Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur. And his army, and they being reviewed, two and thirty thousand and two hundred.
And his army, and they being reviewed, two and thirty thousand and two hundred. And the tribe of Benjamin: and the chief for the sons of Benjamin, Abidan, son of Gideoni. read more. And his army, and they being reviewed, five and thirty thousand and four hundred. All they being reviewed of the camp of Ephraim, a hundred thousand and eight thousand and a hundred, according to their armies: and they shall remove third.
In the eighth day the chief of the sons of Manasseh, Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur: His offering one silver dish, thirty and one hundred its weight; one silver vase, seventy shekels, according to the holy shekel; they two full of fine flour mingled with oil for a gift. read more. One pan, ten of gold, full of incense: One bullock, son of a cow, one ram, one lamb, son of his year, for a burnt-offering: One he goat of the goats for sin: And for the sacrifice of peace, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs, sons of a year; this the offering of Gamaliel, son of Pedahzur.
These the families of Manasseh, and their reviewing, two and fifty thousand and seven hundred. These the sons of Ephraim, according to their families: to Shuthelah, the families of the Shuthalites; to Becher, the families of the Becherites; to Tahan, the families of the Tahanites. read more. These the sons of Shuthelah: to Eran, the families of the Emnites These the families of the sons of Ephraim, according to their reviewing, two and thirty thousand and five hundred. These the sons of Joseph according to their families.
And the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, will go to Gilead., and take it and drive out the Amorite which is in it And Moses will give Gilead to Machir, son of Manasseh., and he will dwell in it read more. And Jair, the son of Manasseh, went, and he will take their villages, and he will call them the villages of Jair. And Nobah went, and he will take Kenath and its houses, and he will call it Nobah in his name.
And we shall take all his cities in that time, and there was not a city which we took not from them: sixty cities, all the region of Argob, from the kingdom of Og in Bashan
And the remnant of Gilead and all Bashan from the kingdom of Og, I gave to the half tribe of Manasseh; all the region of Argob and all Bashan, it will be called the land of Rephaims. Jair, son of Manasseh, took all the region of Argob, even to the boun of Geshuri and Maachathi; and he call them according to his name, Bashan-Havath-Jair, even to this day.. read more. And to Machir I gave Gilead.
But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated, the first-born, to give to him the portion of two in all that shall be found to him; for he is the beginning of his strength; to him is the judgment of the first-born.
And to Joseph he said, His land from the blessing of Jehovah, from the most excellent of the heavens, from the dew and from the deep reclining beneath, And from the most excellent of the produce of the sun, and from the most excellent thrust forth of the moons, read more. And from the head of the mountains of the beginning, and from the most excellent of the perpetual hills, And from the most excellent of the earth and its fulness, and the acceptance of him dwelling in the bramble: it shall come to the head of Joseph, and to the crown of the consecrated of his brethren. The honor to him the first-born of the bullock, his horns the horns of the unicorn: with them he will thrust the peoples together to the extremity of the earth: these the ten thousands of Ephraim, and these the thousands of Manasseh
The honor to him the first-born of the bullock, his horns the horns of the unicorn: with them he will thrust the peoples together to the extremity of the earth: these the ten thousands of Ephraim, and these the thousands of Manasseh
And there will be a bound to the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the first-born of Joseph: to Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead; for he was a man of war, and there will be to him Gilead and Bashan.
And the bound of Manasseh will be from Asher to Michmethah, which is upon the face of Shechem; and the bound went to the right hand to the inhabitants of the Fountain of Tappuah.
South, to Ephraim, and north, to Manasseh, and the sea will be his bound; and in Asher they will strike together from the north, and in Issachar from the sunrisings. And there will be to Manasseh in Issachar and in Asher, the House of Rest, and, her daughters, and Ibleam and her daughters, and the inhabitants of Dor and her daughters, and the inhabitants of En-Dor and her daughters, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her daughters, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her daughters, three heights. read more. And the sons of Manasseh will not be able to dispossess these cities; and the Canaanite will dwell in that land.
And Manasseh did not drive out the House of Rest and her daughters, and Tanach and her daughters, and the inhabitants of Dor and her daughters, and the inhabitants of Ibleam and her daughters, and the inhabitants of Megiddo and her daughters; and the Canaanite wills to dwell in that land.
And he will say to him, With leave, my Lord, by what shall I save Israel? behold, my thousand destitute in Manasseh, and I the least in my father's house.
And to him will be thirty sons riding upon thirty young asses, and thirty cities to them; and they will call them the villages of Jair even to this day, which are in the land of Gilead.
In those days Jehovah began to out off in Israel, and Hazael will strike them in all the bound of Israel;
And he will take Geshur and Aram, with the villages of Jair from them, with Kenath and its daughters sixty cities. All these the sons of Machir the father of Gilead.
And the sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel, (for he the firstborn; and in his defiling his father's bed, the birth-right was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; and not to be enrolled for the birthright For Judah was strong over his brethren, and for a leader from him; and the birthright to Joseph:)
The sons of Reuben and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh from the sons of strength, men lifting up shield and sword, and bending the bow, and accustomed to war; forty and four thousand and seven hundred and sixty going forth to war. And they will make war with the Hagarites, and Jetur and Nephish, and Nodab read more. And they will be helped against them, and the Hagarites will be given into their hand, and all with them: for they cried to God in the war, and he was entreated for them, for they trusted in him. And they will take captive their cattle; their camels fifty thousand, and sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and asses two thousand, and the soul of man, a hundred thousand. For many fell down wounded, for the war was from God. And they dwelt in their stead even to the exile. And the sons of half the tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: from Bashan even to Baal-Hermon and Senir and mount Hermon they multiplied.
And they will transgress against the God of their fathers, and they will commit fornication after the gods of the peoples of the land, which God destroyed from before them. And the God of Israel will rouse up the spirit of Pul, king of Assur and the spirit of Tilgath-Pileser, king of Assur; and he will carry them into exile to the Reubenites and to the Gadites, and to half the tribe of Manasseh; and he will bring them to Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and the river Gozan, even to this day.
And from half the tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand who were distinguished by names, to come to make David king.
And from beyond Jordan, from the Reubenites and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, with all utensils of the army of the war, a hundred and twenty thousand.
To the sons of Ephraim: Hoshea son of Azaziah: to the half tribe of Manasseh: Joel son of Pedaiah: To the half of Manasseh-Gilead: Iddo son of Zechariah: to Benjamin: Jaasiel, son of Abner:
And he will gather all Judah and Benjamin, and the strangers with them from Ephraim and Manasseh and from Simeon: for they fell to him from Israel for multitude in their seeing that Jehovah his God was with him.
And Hezekiah will send to all Israel and Judah, and also he wrote letters to Ephraim and Manasseh to come to the house of Jehovah in Jerusalem, to do the passover to Jehovah the God of Israel.
And the runners will be passing from city to city in the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, and even to Zebulon: and laughing upon them, and deriding over them. But men from Asher and Manasseh, and from Zebulon, were humbled, and they will come to Jerusalem.
For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulon, were not cleansed, for they ate the Passover not as written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, Jehovah the good will expiate in behalf
And as all this was finished, all Israel being found will go forth to the cities of Judah, and they will break the images and cut off the statues and tear down the heights, and the altars of all Judah and Benjamin, and in Ephraim and Manasseh even to finishing. And all the sons of Israel will turn back each to his possession to their cities.
And in the cities of Manasseh and Ephraim, and Simeon, and even to Naphtali he proved their houses round about And he will pull down the altars and the statues, and the carved images he beat down to make fine, and he cut down all the images in all the land of Israel, and he will turn back to Jerusalem. read more. And in the eighteenth year to his reigning, to cleanse the land and the house he sent Shaphan son of Azaliah, and Maaseiah chief of the city, and Joah son of Joahaz the rememberer to strengthen the house of Jehovah his God. And they will come to Hilkiah the great priest, and they will give the silver being brought to the house of God, which the Levites watching the threshold gathered from the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and from all the remnant of Israel, and from all Judah and Benjamin; and they will turn back to Jerusalem.
And he shall cut upon the right hand, and hungering; and he shall eat upon the left, and they were not satisfied: they shall eat a man the flesh of his arm. Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: they being united against Judah. In all this his anger turned not back, and yet his hand stretched out