Manasseh
The elder son of Joseph, born in Egypt to Asenath, and founder of one of the two tribes descended from him. When Jacob blessed the boys he crossed his hands, putting his right hand on the younger Ephraim; Joseph tried to correct him and was told that the younger brother would be the greater. The tribe was unusual in settling on both sides of the Jordan — half in Gilead and Bashan, half in the hill country west of the river.
What we know — and how we know it
Zunkir — CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
ArchaeologyManasseh king of Judah is named in the records of two Assyrian emperors: Esarhaddon lists him among 22 vassal kings made to haul building materials to Nineveh, and Ashurbanipal names him among kings who supplied troops — placing the longest-reigning king of Judah firmly in datable history.
Where in scripture
GenesisJoseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh, “For”, he said, “God has made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s house.”
Genesis 41:51 — Born in Egypt
Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn.
Genesis 48:14 — Blessed by Jacob
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
Family
In art
