After reading chapter 48:
* Later, Jacob became ill. So, Joseph took his two sons to visit Jacob. Jacob told Joseph how God had appeared to him in the past and told him the land of Canaan would be given to his descendants. He claims Joseph's sons as his own, so that they will inherit part of the territory promised. Then Jacob does something strange and asks who Joseph's sons are, which historians think is because of the meshing of two traditional stories into one, which also accounts for the names Jacob and Israel not being consistently used.
*Israel can hardly see,like Isaac of old. So, Joseph brings his children to his father and he kisses and hugs them. Joseph led Manasseh, the oldest, to Israel's right hand. He put Ephraim at Israel's left. These were the proper birth order blessing places. (These things don't work right unless you do them properly.) However, Israel crossed his arms, putting his hands on the opposite heads, the younger brother receiving the blessing of the first born. Joseph was displeased and tried to correct his father, but Israel said the younger would be greater than the older. In this manner, he continued the younger brother theme that we will see again. Why can't we still give our children prophetic blessings with our hands that will come true?
*Israel says God will be with Joseph and will take him back to Canaan. The ridge of land that Jacob took from the Amorites would belong to Joseph.
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