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| == Bridgeway Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_18570" /> == | | == Fausset's Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_35371" /> == |
| <p> [[Joseph]] and his [[ Egyptian]] wife had two sons, [[ Manasseh]] and [[Ephraim]] ( Genesis 41: 50- 52). When the aged Jacob gave his parting blessings to his family, he gave the firstborn’s blessing to Joseph instead of to [[ Reuben]] ( because of Reuben’s immorality with Jacob’s concubine; Genesis 35: 22; Genesis 49: 3-4; 1 Chronicles 5: 1- 2). This meant that Joseph would father two tribes in [[ Israel]] instead of one. Jacob therefore raised Joseph’s two sons to the same level as Jacob’s other sons, so that Joseph’s two sons would each have his own tribe ( Genesis 48: 5- 6). The tribe of the younger son Ephraim was destined to become stronger than that of the older son Manasseh ( Genesis 48: 12-20). </p> <p> '' 'Good territory'' ' </p> <p> The tribe of Ephraim received as its inheritance possibly the best part of [[ Canaan]] ( cf. Genesis 49: 22- 26). This was the central highland region between the [[ Jordan]] River and the [[ Mediterranean]] Sea ( Joshua 16). ( For information about its more important towns see [[ Bethel; Jericho; Joppa; Shechem; Shiloh]] ) </p> | | <p> ("doubly fruitful".) Joseph's second son by Asenath, named so, "for," said Joseph, "God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction." Born during the seven plenteous years; the "doubly fruitful" may refer to both the fruitfulness vouchsafed to [[Joseph]] and the plenty of the season. As regards [[ Ephraim]] himself, he was doubly blessed: </p> <p> '''(1)''' in being made, as well as Manasseh, a patriarchal head of a tribe, like Jacob's immediate sons ( Genesis 48:5); as Judah received the primary birthright (Reuben losing it by incest, [[ Simeon]] and [[ Levi]] by cruelty), and became the royal tribe from whence king David and the [[Divine]] Son of David sprang, so Ephraim received a secondary birthright and became ancestor of the royal tribe among the ten tribes of [[Israel]] ( Genesis 49:3-10; Genesis 49: 22- 26). </p> <p> '''(2)''' Ephraim the younger was preferred to [[Manasseh]] the elder, just as Jacob himself was preferred before the elder Esau. Jacob wittingly guided his hands so as to lay his right on Ephraim and his left on Manasseh, notwithstanding Joseph's remonstrance; saying, "Manasseh shall be great, but his younger brother shall be greater than he , and his seed shall become a multitude of nations." Jacob called to mind God's promise at Luz, "I will make thee fruitful," a [[ Hebrew]] word related to Ephraim and to Ephrath, the scene of the death of his darling wife, Ephraim's grandmother ( Genesis 35:11; Genesis 35: 16; Genesis 48:4; Genesis 48:7; Genesis 48: 13- 19). Ephraim was about 21 when Jacob blessed him, for he was born before the seven years' famine, and Jacob came to Egypt toward its closing years, and lived 17 years afterward ( Genesis 47:28). </p> <p> Before Joseph 's death Ephraim's family had reached the third generation ( Genesis 50:23). The last notice we have of him is his mourning for his sons killed in the foray by the men of Gath, and naming his new-born son (See [[ Beriah]] from the calamity, unconscious that that son would be the progenitor of the most remarkable of all his descendants, Joshua ( 1 Chronicles 7: 20- 23). Psalms 78:9 is referred in Smith's Bible Dictionary to this time; but the phrase is rather figurative for spiritual apostasy; "the children of Ephraim ... carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle." Ephraim's numbers in the wilderness of [[Sinai]] census were 40,500, Manasseh's 32,200. But at the eve of entering [[Canaan]] Ephraim had decreased to 32,500, while Manasseh had increased to 52,700; and at the conquest Ephraim was fewest in numbers after Simeon (22,200). </p> <p> Still in Moses' blessing Ephraim stands pre-eminent over Manasseh; and he and Manasseh are compared to the two horns of the reem (not unicorn but the gigantic wild ox, now extinct, or urus); "with them he (Joseph) shall push the people together to the ends of the earth, and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim and they are the thousands of Manasseh ." Moreover Joseph's land is "blessed of the Lord for the precious things of heaven ... the dew ... the deep beneath ... the precious fruits brought forth by the sun and ... put forth by the moon ... the chief things of the ancient mountains and ... of the lasting hills ... of the earth and its fullness, and the good will of Him that dwelt in the bush": a glorious issue to the afflictions "of him that was separated from his brethren" ( Deuteronomy 33: 17). "His glory (is like) the firstling of his bullock," rather "the firstling of his (Joseph's) bullock (i.e. Ephraim made by Jacob in privileges the firstborn of Joseph's offspring; the singular 'bullock' being used collectively for all Joseph's offspring, and expressing their strength) is his glory. " </p> <p> [[Whereas]] Jacob dwelt on Joseph' s trials, and prophetically the severe wars of his descendants, in which God would strengthen them as He had strengthened Joseph, Moses looks onward to their final triumph and peaceful enjoyment of all precious things in their land. The tribe Ephraim' s territory . - The two great tribes of Judah and Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) took their inheritance first. The boundaries of Ephraim are traced from W. to E. in Joshua 16:1-10. [[Ataroth]] [[Adar]] and upper Bethheron lay on the center of the southern border of Ephraim. The border on the N. side went out westward, i.e. seaward, to Michmethah, which was in front (W. or N.W.) of [[Shechem]] (Nablus), the latter being in Ephraim. From [[Michmethah]] the border went round to the E. at the back of mount Ebal, then S.E. toward [[Janohah]] (Yanun). It passed Taanath [[Shiloh]] (probably Salim). </p> <p> From Janohah it touched Ataroth on the wady Fasail; then passing [[Naarath]] or [[Naaran]] ( 1 Chronicles 7:28) on the E. of Bethel, called Neara by Josephus, abounding in water, and so likely to be near Ras el [[Ain]] (five miles N. of Jericho), which pours a full stream into the wady Nawayimeh. From Naarath Ephraim' s boundary reached Jericho, and struck into the line that forms the S. baseline of the tribe, running to the Jordan. From En [[Tappuah]] (Ain Abuz, five miles and a half S. of Shechem) Ephraim' s boundary ran S.W. into the brook Kanah, which still retains its ancient name; thence the boundary ran out to the sea. The boundary between Ephraim and his brother Manasseh is not exactly defined; compare Joshua 17:14-18. Generally, Ephraim lay to the S., Manasseh to the N. But Manasseh, instead of crossing the country from E. to W. as it is often represented, occupied only half that space, and lay along the sea to the W., bounded on the E. by mount Carmel. </p> <p> The territory of the twofold "house of Joseph" was 55 miles from E. to W. by 70 from N to S. The northern half of central [[ Palestine]] was "mount Ephraim," hills of limestone material, intersected by wide plains with streams of running water, and therefore, clothed with vegetation. Travelers attest the increasing beauty of the country in going N. from Jerusalem. The "precious things of the earth," "flowers," "olive valleys," and "vines" are assigned to Ephraim ( Isaiah 28: 1- 4; Hosea 10:1). He is compared to a "heifer," whereas Dan, Judah, and [[Benjamin]] among their comparatively barren rocks are compared to lions and wolves. Ephraim lay near the highways from Egypt and [[Philistia]] to [[Galilee]] and from [[Jordan]] to the sea. Ephraim did not extend to the sea, but had separate cities assigned to it in Manasseh on the coast. In it were Shechem, Jacob's original settlement, "his parcel of ground" and well; [[Ebal]] and Gerizim, the mounts of cursing and blessing; and Shiloh, the seat of the sanctuary until the time of Eli. </p> <p> Here too was the great Joshua's tomb, as also his patrimony. [[Jealous]] sensitiveness as to any exploit achieved without Ephraim's sharing in it betrayed at once their tribal self importance and their recognized high standing among the tribes. So toward Gideon, [[ Jephthah]] and David ( Judges 8:1; Judges 12:1; 2 Samuel 19:41-43). In one instance they nobly interposed to clothe, feed, and restore in freedom their captive brethren of Judah ( 2 Chronicles 28:9-15). Psalm 78 was designed to soothe their tribal soreness at the transference of the religious capital from Shiloh to [[ Jerusalem]] ( Psalms 78:60-70). They attached themselves to David after Ishbosheth's fall; 20,800 warriors of them "coming with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel." Among his state officers there was more than one [[Ephraimite]] ( 1 Chronicles 27:10-14); and after Absalom's rebellion they were probably foremost among the men of Israel in expressing jealousy of Judah in respect to the latter's greater share in promoting David's return. </p> <p> From the time of the severance of the ten tribes from Judah, brought about by Rehoboam's infatuation and Jeroboam's ("ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph") rousing Ephraim's innate self-elation, Ephraim became the representative and main portion of the northern kingdom; for the surrounding pagan, the luxurious Phoenicians, the marauding Midianites, the [[Syrians]] and [[Assyrians]] from the N., and the [[Egyptians]] from the S., left to Israel little which was permanently, exclusively, and distinctively its own, beyond the secure territory of Ephraim with its hilly fastnesses. The plain of Esdraelon, to the N. beyond Ephraim, was the natural battlefield for [[ Egyptian]] forces advancing along the seacoast plain from the S. and Syrians and Assyrians from the N. to operate in; but Ephraim could only be reached through precipitous ascents and narrow passes, where invaders could be easily repelled. </p> <p> But her continually increasing moral degeneracy and religious apostasy rendered all her natural advantages unavailing. No temporary revival, as in Judah's case, relieves the gloomy picture, until the cup of her iniquity was full; and God, though His amazing love long forbore to judge her, at last swept her away permanently from her home and her abused privileges and opportunities. (Hosea 5; Hosea 6; Hosea 7; Hosea 9; Hosea 10; Hosea 11:1-8; Hosea 12; Hosea 13; Ezekiel 23; 2 Kings 17) . </p> |
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| == Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament <ref name="term_55793" /> == | | == International Standard Bible Encyclopedia <ref name="term_3188" /> == |
| <p> <b> EPHRAIM. </b> — John 11:54 only. After the raising of Lazarus, Jesus departed, in consequence of the plots of the chief priests against Him, ‘unto a country ( Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885 ‘into the country’) near to the wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples.’ </ p> <p> There are scarcely any textual variations. TR spells Ἐφραΐα; Lachmann, Tischendorf, Westcott-Hort spell Ἑφραὶμ; Stephanus, 1550, had on the margin the reading Ἑφρὲμ, which is supported by אL and Latin witnesses, and the name Σαμφουρείμ as to be supplied after χώραν. This is the reading of D, <i> Sapfurim </i> in its Latin part, for which Chase ( <i> Syro-Lat. Text of [[Gospels]] </i> , 108) and R. Harris ( <i> A Study of Codex Bezœ </i> , p. 184) suggested that σαμ might be the Heb. שׁם ‘the name’; but more probable is the identification with <i> [[Sepphoris]] </ i> , which in Jos. < i> Ant. </i> xiv. 91 is spelt Σατφὁροις ( <i> v.ll </i> . Σαμφὸροις and other forms); so [[ Jerome]] ( <i> s. v. </i> ‘Araba’ in <i> OS </i> 17. 13 f.): ‘Diocaesareae, quae olim <i> Safforine </i> dicehatur.’ </p> <p> [[Eusebius]] in his <i> Onomasticon </i> says ( <i> ad </i> Ephron, Joshua 15: 9) καἰ ἔστι νῦν κώμη Ἐφραὶμ μεγίστη περὶ τἀ βόρεια Αἰλίας ὠς ἀπὸ σημείων κ; in the Latin rendering of Jerome: ‘est et villa pergrandis <i> Efrœa </i> nomine contra septentrionem in vicesimo ab aelia miliario’ ( ed. Klostermann, p. 86. 1, 90. 18). With this has been identified <i> [[ Afra]] </i> [=עִפָרָה Joshua 18: 23]: ‘in tribu Beniamin; et est hodie vicus <i> Efraim </i> in quinto miliario Bethelis ad orientem respiciens’ (p. 29. 4; the Greek text [ 28. 4: καὶ νῦν ἔστι κώμη Αἰφρὴλ ἀπό] is here defective); further, 1 [[Maccabees]] 11:34 = Jos. <i> Ant. </i> xiii. 127 [ed. Niese]: τοὺς τρεῖς νομοὐς Ἀφαίρεμα ( <i> v. l. </i> Ἀφέρεμα) καὶ Αύδδα καὶ Ῥαμαθείν; finally, the notice of [[Josephus]] ( <i> BJ </i> iv. 551), that [[Vespasian]] took Βήθηγά τε (earlier reading Βαιθήλ or Βηθήλ) καὶ Ἐφραὶμ πολίχνια. Since Robinson, the site has been sought at the modern <i> ct-Taiyibeh </i> , 4 miles N. E. from Bethel. Schürer ( <i> GJV </i> 3 i. 233) quotes Robinson, ii. 332–338; Guérin, <i> Judéc </i> , iii. 45–51; Buhl, <i> GAP </i> p. 177; Heidet, art. ‘Ephrem’ in Vigouroux’s <i> Dict. </i> ii. 1885 ff.; cf., further, art. ‘Ephraim’ by J. H. Kennedy in Hastings’ <i> DB </i> , and by T. K. Cheyne in <i> Encyc. Biblica </i> .* [Note: Schürer (GJV3 ii. 163, n. 435) is certainly right in rejecting the identification of Sapfurim with [[Sepharvaim]] ( 2 Kings 17:24 ) put forward by Resch (TU x. 4, pp. 141, 204) and approved by Blass (Ev. sec. Joh. 1902, p. xl), and in finding in Sapfurim the name of the town Sepphoris, which covered a very large area. But it is not vet certain whether Codex D has preserved here a correct tradition. Luke 9: 16 offers similar variations in the text (τολιν καλουμενην, τότον λεγομενον, τότον ἐ͂ρημον, etc). Ἐφραια might itself be derived from Sepphoris, the first letter being dropped after the ς of εἱς.] </p> <p> [[Origen]] compares, for the retirement of Jesus, Matthew 4: 12 f. and then allegorizes: Ephraim, according to Genesis 41:51 f. ‘καρτοφοριαʼ; ἀτῆλθεν ἑκεϊθεν εἰς τὴν χώραν ‘τοῦ ἁλου κὀσμου,’ ἐλλὺς τῆς ἐρήμου ‘ἐκκλησια’ εἰς Ἐφραΐμ τὴν ‘καρτοφοροῦσαν’ λεγομἑνηντόλιν, etc. (new Berlin edition, pp. 420, 551). About the site he says nothing. </p> <p> Eb. Nestle. < /p> | | <p> ''''' ē´fra ''''' - ''''' im ''''' , ''''' ē´frā̇ ''''' - ''''' im ''''' ( אפרים , <i> ''''' 'ephrayim ''''' </ i> , "double fruit"): < /p> 1. The [[Patriarch]] <p> The younger of the two sons of Joseph and Asenath, born in Egypt. He and his brother Manasseh were adopted by Jacob, and ranked as his own sons, each becoming the ancestor of a tribe in Israel. In blessing his grandchildren, despite their father's protest, Jacob preferred the younger, foreshadowing the future eminence of his descendants ( Genesis 41:50; Genesis 48:20 ). In the Blessing of Jacob however, the two are included under the name of Joseph ( Genesis 49:22 f). </ p> 2. The [[Tribe]] < p> At the first census on leaving Egypt, Ephraim's men of war numbered 40,500; and at the second census they are given as 32,500 ( Numbers 1:33; Numbers 26:37 ). See, however, article [ [Numbers]] . The head of the tribe at the Exodus was Elishama, son of [[Ammihud]] ( Numbers 1: 10 ) . With the standard of the tribe of Ephraim on the West of the tabernacle in the desert march were Manasseh and Benjamin ( Numbers 2:18 ). The Ephraimite among the spies was [[Hoshea]] (i. e. Joshua), the son of [[ Nun]] ( Numbers 13: 8 ). At the division of the land Ephraim was represented by prince Kemuel, son of [ [Shiphtan]] ( Numbers 34: 24 ). The future power of this tribe is again foreshadowed in the Blessing of Moses ( Deuteronomy 33:17 ). When Moses died, a member of the tribe, Joshua, whose faith and courage had distinguished him among the spies, succeeded to the chief place in Israel. It was natural that the scene of national assemblies, and the center of the nation's worship, should be chosen within the land occupied by the children of Joseph, at Shechem and Shiloh respectively. The leadership of Ephraim was further emphasized by the rule of Samuel. From the beginning of life in Palestine they enjoyed a certain prestige, and were very sensitive on the point of honor ( Judges 7:24 ; Judges 8:1; Judges 12:1 ). Their acceptance of and loyalty to Saul, the first king chosen over Israel, may be explained by his belonging to a Rachel tribe, and by the close and tender relations existing between Joseph and Benjamin. But they were never reconciled to the passing of the scepter to Judah in the person of David ( 2 Samuel 2: 8 f). That Israel would have submitted to the sovereignty of Absalom, any more than to that of David, is not to be believed; but his revolt furnished an opportunity to deal a shrewd blow at the power of the southern tribe ( 2 Samuel 15: 13 ). Solomon's lack of wisdom and the crass folly of [[Rehoboam]] in the management of the northern tribes fanned the smoldering discontent into a fierce flame. This made easy the work of the rebel Jeroboam; and from the day of the disruption till the fall of the Northern [[Kingdom]] there was none to dispute the supremacy of Ephraim, the names Ephraim and Israel being synonymous. The most distinguished of Ephraim's sons were Joshua, Samuel and [[Jeroboam]] I. </p> 3. The Territory <p> The central part of Western Palestine fell to the children of Joseph; and, while the boundaries of the territory allotted to Ephraim and Manasseh respectively are given in Joshua 16: 1-10; Joshua 17: 1 , it seems to have been held by them in common for some time ( Joshua 17: 14 ). The [ [Canaanites]] in certain cities of both divisions were not driven out. It was probably thought more profitable to enslave them ( Joshua 16: 10; Joshua 17:13 ). The boundaries of Ephraim cannot be followed with accuracy, but roughly, they were as follows: The southern boundary, agreeing with the northern border of Benjamin, started from Bethel, and passed down westward by nether Beth-horon and [[Gezer]] toward the sea ( Joshua 16: 3; in Joshua 16: 5 it stops at upper Beth-horon) ; it turned northward to the southern bank of the brook [[Kanah]] ( < i> ''''' Wādy Kānāh ''''' < /i> ) along which it ran eastward ( Joshua 17: 10 ) to Michmethath (the plain of <i> ''''' Mukhneh ''''' </i> ); thence it went northward along the western edge of the plain to Shechem. It then bent eastward and southward past Taanath-shiloh ( < i> ''''' Ta‛ana ''''' </ i> ) , [[ Janoah]] ( <i> ''''' Yanūn ''''' </i> ) to Ataroth and [[ Naarah]] (unidentified) and the Jordan ( Joshua 16:7 ). From Ataroth, which probably corresponds to Ataroth-addar ( Joshua 16: 5 ), possibly identical with the modern <i> ''''' et ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Trūneh ''''' </i> , the southern border passed up to Bethel. Along the eastern front of the land thus defined there is a steep descent into the Jordan valley. It is torn by many gorges, and is rocky and unfruitful. The long slopes to the westward, however, furnish much of the finest land in Palestine. Well watered as it is , the valleys are beautiful in season with cornfields, vineyards, olives and other fruit trees. The uplands are accessible at many points from the maritime plain; but the great avenue of entrance to the country runs up <i> ''''' Wādy esh ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' Sha‛ı̄r ''''' </i> to ''''' Nāblus ''''' , whence, threading the pass between [[ Gerizim]] and Ebal, it descends to the Jordan valley. In this favored region the people must have lived in the main a prosperous and happy life. How appropriate are the prophetic allusions to these conditions in the days of Ephraim's moral decay ( Isaiah 28: 1 , & nbsp;Isaiah 28:4; Jeremiah 31:18; Hosea 9: 13; & nbsp; Hosea 10 :11 , etc. )! </p> |
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| == Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible <ref name="term_50905" /> ==
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| <p> <strong> EPHRAIM </strong> . A grandson of Jacob, and the brother of Manasseh, the first-born of Joseph by Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On ( [[Genesis]] 41:50 f. [E [Note: Elohist.] ], cf. Genesis 41:45 [J [Note: Jahwist.] ]). The ‘popular etymology’ of E [Note: Elohist.] connects the name with the verb <em> pârâh </em> , ‘to be fruitful,’ and makes it refer to Joseph’s sons. In the Blessing of Jacob ( Genesis 49:22 ) there may be a play upon the name when Joseph, who there represents both Ephraim and Manasseh, is called ‘a fruitful bough.’ The word is probably descriptive, meaning ‘fertile region’ whether its root be <em> pârâh </em> , or <em> ’çpher </em> , ‘earth’(?). </p> <p> Genesis 48:14 ff. (J [Note: Jahwist.] ) tells an interesting story of how Jacob adopted his Egyptian grandsons, Ephraim and Manasseh, into his own family, and at the same time, against the remonstrances of Joseph, conferred the blessing of the firstborn upon Ephraim hence Ephraim’s predestined superiority in later history. </p> <p> P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] ’s [[Sinai]] census gives 40,500 men of war ( Numbers 1:33 ), but this is reduced at the [[Plains]] of [[Moab]] to 32,500 (26:37), which is less than any of the tribes except Simeon, which ‘hardly existed except in name’ (Sayce, <em> Hist. of Heb </em> . p. 77). [[Contrary]] to what we should have expected from the Blessing of Jacob, Ephraim, according to P [Note: Priestly Narrative.] , lost in the meantime 20 per cent. while Manasseh gained 40 per cent. </p> <p> The appearance of Joseph in the Blessing of Jacob, with no mention of his sons, who according to J [Note: Jahwist.] had been adopted as Jacob’s own, and were therefore entitled on this important occasion to like consideration with the others, points to a traditional echo of the early days in the land when Ephraim and Manasseh were still united. In the Song of [[Deborah]] ( Judges 5:1-31 ) it is the ‘family’ Machir, the firstborn ( Joshua 17:1 ), the only ( Genesis 50:23 ) son of Manasseh, that is mentioned, not a Manasseh tribe. From 2 Samuel 19:20 (cf. art. Benjamin) it is plain that [[Shimei]] still regarded himself as of the house of Joseph; and, despite the traditional indications of a late formation of [[Benjamin]] (wh. see), the complete political separation of Manasseh from Ephraim appears to have been still later. At all events, [[Jeroboam]] the Ephraimite, who afterwards became the first king of Israel ( <em> c </em> <em> [Note: circa, about.] </em> . b.c. 930), was appointed by [[Solomon]] superintendent of the forced labour of the ‘house of Joseph,’ not of Ephraim alone. Ephraim, Machir, and Benjamin were apparently closely related, and in early times formed a group of clans known as ‘Joseph.’ There are no decisive details determining the time when they became definitely separated. Nor are there any reliable memories of the way in which Ephraim came into possession of the best and central portion of the land. </p> <p> The traditions in the Book of Joshua are notably uninforming. [[Canaanites]] remained in the territory until a late date, as is seen from Judges 1:29 and the history of [[Shechem]] (ch. 8 f.). Ephraim was the strongest of the tribes and foremost in leadership, but was compelled to yield the hegemony to David. From that time onwards the history is no longer tribal but national history. Eli, priest of [[Shiloh]] and judge of Israel, Samuel, and Jeroboam I. were among its great men. Shechem, Tirzah, and Samaria, the capitals of the North, were within its boundaries; and it was at Shiloh that Joshua is said to have divided the land by lot. See also Tribes of Israel. </p> <p> James A. Craio. </p> <p> <strong> EPHRAIM </strong> . <strong> 1 </strong> . A place near Baal-hazor ( 2 Samuel 13:23 ) It may be identical with the Ephraim which the <em> Onomasticon </em> places 20 Roman miles N. of Jerusalem, somewhere in the neighbourhood of <em> Sinjil </em> and <em> el-Lubbân </em> . If Baal-hazor be represented, as seems probable, by <em> Tell ‘Asûr </em> , the city by relation to which such a prominent feature of the landscape was indicated must have been of some importance. It probably gave its name in later times to the district of [[Samaria]] called <strong> Aphærema </strong> ( 1Ma 11:34 , Jos. [Note: Josephus.] <em> Ant </em> . XIII. iv. 9). The site is at present unknown. <strong> 2 </strong> . A city ‘near the wilderness,’ to which Jesus retired after the raising of [[Lazarus]] ( John 11:54 ). ‘The wilderness’ is in Arab. [Note: Arabic.] <em> el-barrîyeh, i.e </em> ., the uncultivated land, much of it affording excellent pasture, on the uplands to the N. W. of Jerusalem. The <em> Onomasticon </em> mentions an ‘Efralm’ 5 Roman miles E. of Bethel. This may be the modern <em> et-Taiyibeh </em> , about 4 miles N.E. of <em> Beitîn </em> , with ancient cisterns and rockhewn tombs which betoken a place of importance in old times. See also Ephron, 4. </p> <p> <strong> The [[Forest]] of Ephraim </strong> (Heb. <em> ya’ar Ephraîm </em> .) was probably not a forest in our sense of the term, but a stretch of rough country such as the Arabs still call <em> wa‘r </em> , abounding in rocks and thickets of brushwood. The district is not identified, but it must have been E. of the Jordan, in the neighbourhood of Mahanaim. It was the scene of Absalom’s defeat and death ( 2 Samuel 18:6 ff). The origin of the name cannot now be discovered. <strong> Mount Ephraim </strong> , Heb, <em> har Ephraîm </em> , is the name given to that part of the central range of Western [[Palestine]] occupied by Ephraim, corresponding in part to the modern <em> Jebel Nâblus </em> the district under the governor of <em> Nâblus </em> . Having regard to Oriental usage, it seems a mistake to tr. [Note: translate or translation.] with RV [Note: Revised Version.] ‘the hill country of Ephraim.’ <em> Jebel el-Quds </em> does not mean ‘the hill country of Jerusalem,’ but that part of ‘the mountain’ which is subject to the city. We prefer to retain, with AV [Note: Authorized Version.] , ‘Mount Ephraim.’ </p> <p> W. Ewing. </p>
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| == Morrish Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_65958" /> ==
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| <p> Second son of Joseph and Asenath. The name is also given to the tribe of which he was the head, and also to the district of Palestine that fell to his lot. When Israel blessed the two sons of Joseph he set Ephraim before his elder brother, saying he should be greater, and his seed should become a multitude (or, 'fatness') of nations. Genesis 48:17-19 . Little is recorded of Ephraim personally; and of his descendants, Joshua the son of [[Nun]] is the most renowned. The tribe on the second year from the Exodus numbered in fighting men 40,500; but had decreased during the forty years to 32,500. Numbers 1:33; Numbers 26:37 . </p> <p> The territory of the tribe was in the heart of Palestine, having Manasseh on the north, Benjamin on the south, and Dan on the west. It has beautiful valleys and noble mountains with many springs and streams. Its two principal towns were Shiloh and Shechem. </p> <p> Ephraim had the place of the first-born ( Jeremiah 31:9 ), the birthright being taken from Reuben and given to Joseph. 1 Chronicles 5:1,2 . Also the place of the tabernacle was in the tribe of Ephraim, hence we find in the time of the judges this tribe asserting its own importance. They were angry with [[Gideon]] for not calling them to the war sooner than he did; but a soft answer appeased their wrath. Judges 7:24; Judges 8:1-3 . Again they complained to [[Jephthah]] that he had gone without them to fight the Ammonites, though Jephthah declared that he had called them, and they had not responded. They also haughtily said of the [[Gileadites]] that they were fugitives of Ephraim, implying that they were not a tribe, but belonged to Ephraim, from whence they had escaped. The conflict was sharp; the Gileadites seized the ford of the Jordan, and then by putting all who wanted to pass to the test of pronouncing [[Shibboleth]] (which the Ephraimites could only call Sibboleth) they slew 42,000 of the men of Ephraim. Judges 12:1-6 . Thus was this proud and envious tribe punished for molesting their brethren, whereas they had not driven out the heathen inhabitants of the land, as they should have done. Judges 1:29 . Type of many in the church who in pride contend with their brethren, but do not fight God's battles against spiritual wickedness. Later on the Lord forsook Shiloh, and chose, not the tribe of Ephraim, but that of Judah both for the place of royalty and for the sanctuary. </p> <p> In the kingdom under David and Solomon we read very little of Ephraim, but it is twice called in the Psalms 'the strength (or defence) of mine head.' Psalm 60:7; Psalm 108:8 . At the division of the tribes Ephraim took the most prominent place; Shechem and Samaria being in their territory naturally contributed to this, and accounts for the ten tribes being constantly called 'Ephraim' by the prophets. In the same way the two tribes are called 'Judah.' Hosea 5:3,5,13,14 , etc. Isaiah prophesied that in sixty-five years Ephraim should be broken and should not be a people. Isaiah 7:8 . This was in B.C. 742, and Samaria was taken and Israel carried into captivity in B.C. 721, so that the prophecy doubtless referred to [[Esarhaddon]] planting a colony of foreigners in Samaria in B.C. 678, which fulfils the sixty-five years. This also agrees with the prophecy saying 'the head of Ephraim ' is Samaria. </p> <p> In the prophecies also that refer to the future blessing of the twelve tribes Ephraim is regarded as representing the ten tribes. Ezekiel 37:16-22 , where the twelve tribes are to become one nation in their own land, with one king over them: a prophecy which clearly has never yet been fulfilled, but which will surely be accomplished in God's own time. </p>
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| == People's Dictionary of the Bible <ref name="term_70048" /> ==
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| <p> [[Ephraim]] ( ''Ç'Fra-Ĭm'' ), ''Double Land, Two-Fold Increase, Very Fruitful.'' The second son of Joseph, born in Egypt before the famine, Genesis 41:50-52, and therefore upwards of 20 at Jacob's death. Joseph, when he was apprised of his father's sickness, was anxious to obtain the recognition of his sons Manasseh and Ephraim. Jacob adopted them as patriarchs, or heads of tribes, equally with his own sons. But he placed the younger, Ephraim, before the elder, Manasseh, "guiding his hands wittingly," in spite of Joseph's remonstrance, and prophetically declaring that the posterity of Ephraim should be far greater and more powerful than the posterity of Manasseh. Genesis 48:1-22. The territory of Ephraim lay in the centre of Canaan, south of Manasseh and north of Benjamin and Dan, extending from the Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea. It was about 55 miles long, and about 30 miles in its greatest breadth. It was well watered and fertile, fulfilling the blessing of Moses in Deuteronomy 33:13-16. </p> <p> Ephraim, Gate of. One of the gates of ancient Jerusalem, 2 Kings 14:13; 2 Chronicles 25:23; Nehemiah 8:16; Nehemiah 12:39; probably on the north side, as the present [[Damascus]] gate is. </p> <p> Ephraim, Mount. A name applied to the hill-country of Ephraim, extending from [[Bethel]] to the plain of Jezreel; called also the "mountains of Israel," R. V. "hill country of Israel," Joshua 11:21, and "mountains of Samaria." Jeremiah 31:5-6; Amos 3:9. </p> <p> Ephraim, Wood of. A forest in which the great battle was fought when [[Absalom]] was killed. 2 Samuel 18:6. It lay east of the Jordan, in Gilead, near Mahanaim. [[Thick]] woods of oaks and terebinths still exist in that region. </p>
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| == Smith's Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_72490" /> ==
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| <p> '''E'phra-im.''' ''(Double Fruitfulness).'' </p> <p> 1. The second son of Joseph, by his wife Asenath. (B.C. 1715-1708). The first indication we have of that ascendancy over his elder brother Manasseh, which at a later period, the tribe of Ephraim so unmistakably possessed, is in the blessing of the children by Jacob. Genesis 48:1. </p> <p> 2. That portion of Canaan named after Joseph's second son. Genesis 41:50-52. The boundaries of the portion of Ephraim are given in Joshua, Joshua 16:1-10. The south boundary was coincident for part of its length with the north boundary of Benjamin. It extended from the Jordan on the east, at the reach opposite Jericho, to the Mediterranean on the west, probably about Joppa. </p> <p> On the north of Ephraim and Manasseh were the tribes of Asher, [[Zebulun]] and Issachar. The territory thus allotted to the "house of Joseph" may be roughly estimated at 55 miles from east to west by 70 from north to south. It was one at once of great richness and great security. Its fertile plains and well-watered valleys could only be reached by a laborious ascent through steep and narrow ravines, all but impassable for an army. </p> <p> Under Joshua. The tribe must have taken a high position in the nation, to judge from the tone which the Ephraimites assumed on occasions shortly subsequent to the conquest. After the revolt of Jeroboam, the history of Ephraim is the history of the kingdom of Israel, since not only did the tribe become a kingdom, but the kingdom embraced little besides the tribe. </p> <p> 3. In "Baal-hazor, which is by Ephraim" was Absalom's sheepfarm, at which took place the murder of Amnon, one of the earliest precursors of the great revolt. 2 Samuel 13:23. There is no clue to its situation. </p> <p> 4. A city "in the district near the wilderness," to which our Lord retired, with his disciples, when threatened with violence, by the priests. John 11:54. </p>
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| == Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary <ref name="term_80649" /> ==
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| <p> was the name of Joseph's second son, by Asenath, Potiphar's daughter. He was born in Egypt, A.M. 2294. Ephraim, with his brother Manasseh, was presented by his father Joseph to Jacob on his death bed, Genesis 48:8 , &c. Jacob laid his right hand on Ephraim the younger, and his left on Manasseh the older. Joseph was desirous to change his hands, but Jacob answered, "I know it, my son; Manasseh shall be multiplied, but Ephraim shall be greater." The sons of Ephraim having made an inroad into Palestine, the inhabitants of [[Gath]] killed them. Ephraim their father mourned many days for them, and his brethren came to comfort him, 1 Chronicles 7:20-21 . Afterward, he had a son named Beriah, and a daughter Sherah. He had also other sons, Rephah, Resheph, Tela, &c. </p> <p> His posterity multiplied in Egypt to the number of forty thousand five hundred men capable of bearing arms. In the land of promise, Joshua, who was of this tribe, gave them their portion between the Mediterranean west, and the river Jordan east. The ark and tabernacle remained long in this tribe at Shiloh; and after the separation of the ten tribes, the seat of the kingdom was in Ephraim, and hence Ephraim is frequently used to denote the whole kingdom. The district belonging to this tribe is called Ephratah, Psalms 132:6 . Ephraim was led captive beyond the Euphrates, with all Israel, by Salmaneser, king of Assyria, A.M. 3283. </p> <p> <strong> 2. </strong> EPHRAIM was also the name of a city, into which Christ retired with his disciples a little before his passion, John 11:54 . It was situated in the tribe of Ephraim, near the river Jordan. There was also the wood or forest of Ephraim, situated on the other side Jordan, in which Absalom's army was routed and himself killed, 2 Samuel 18:6 . </p>
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| == American Tract Society Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_15955" /> ==
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| <p> The second son of Joseph, born in Egypt, Genesis 41:52 . Although the youngest, he yet had the chief blessing of his grandfather Jacob, and the tribe was always more distinguished than that of Manasseh, Genesis 48:8-20 Numbers 2:18-21 . The portion of Ephraim was large and central, and embraced some of the most fertile land in all Canaan. It extended from the Mediterranean across to the Jordan, north of the portions of Dan and Benjamin and included Shiloh, Shechem, etc. A range of mountainous country, which runs through it, is called "the mountains of Ephraim," or "mount Ephraim." This extends also farther south into the portion of Judah, and is there called "the mountains of Judah." Samaria, the capital of the ten tribes, being in Ephraim, this latter name is often used for the kingdom of Israel, Isaiah 11:13 Jeremiah 31:6 50:19 . </p> <p> The FOREST of Ephraim, where Absalom lost his life, was on the east side of the Jordan, near Mahanaim, 2 Samuel 18:6-8 . </p> <p> The TOWN called Ephraim, to which the [[Savior]] withdrew from his enemies, John 11:54 , was probably the same place mentioned in 2 Chronicles 13:19 , and called [[Ophrah]] in Joshua 18:23 1 Samuel 13:17 . See also 2 Samuel 13:23 . It is supposed to be the present Taiyibeh, on a hill overlooking the Jordan valley, five miles northeast of Bethel. </p>
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| == Holman Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_40009" /> ==
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| Genesis 41:52 Genesis 48:14 Joshua 16:1 Joshua 17:15 Judges 3:27 Judges 4:5 Judges 7:24-8:3 Judges 12:1 <p> Ephraim played an important role in [[Israelite]] history. Joshua was an [[Ephraimite]] ( Joshua 19:50 ). Samuel was an Ephraimite ( 1 Samuel 1:1 ). Jeroboam I was an Ephraimite ( 1 Kings 12:25 ). The important sanctuary at Shiloh was located in the territory of Ephraim. From the eighth century B.C., Ephraim was often used as a designation for Israel ( Isaiah 11:13; Jeremiah 7:15; Hosea 5:13 ). See Tribes of Israel; Patriarchs. </p>
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| == Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types <ref name="term_197789" /> ==
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| <p> Hosea 7:8 (a) This is another name for the nation of Israel, and was used about Israel when she turned her back on GOD to serve idols and live in rebellion. Israel as "Ephraim" is pictured as "a cake not turned." This refers to the fact that Israel or any individual for that matter might be splendidly related to the things of earth and to fellowmen, which would represent the lower side of the cake where it is well cooked. The upper part, however, which is raw, represents the state of Israel or an individual toward GOD, if that individual is an unsaved, self-righteous person. This is a type of the religious man of the world whose human attitudes are above reproach, but who has not a proper relationship to GOD. (See the thirty-five other times this name is mentioned in Hosea. See also Psalm 78:9). </p>
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| == Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary <ref name="term_47713" /> ==
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| <p> One of the sons of Joseph. The name is derived from Pharah, fruitfulness. In the after ages of the church, the Lord frequently speaks of the whole church of Israel by the name of Ephraim. (See Jeremiah 31:20; Hosea 7:1; Hos 12:1; Hos 13:1) I do not presume to say the cause was, because the ten tribes had the chief city in Ephraim; but I think it probable. The Psalmist, when speaking of looking out a place for the ark, saith, we found it in Ephratah. ( Psalms 132:6) </p>
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| == Easton's Bible Dictionary <ref name="term_31406" /> ==
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| Genesis 41:52 46:20 Genesis 50:23
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| == Webster's Dictionary <ref name="term_117749" /> ==
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| <p> (n.) A hunter's name for the grizzly bear. </p>
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| == Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature <ref name="term_15526" /> ==
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| <p> Ephraim, 1 </p> <p> E´phraim (fruitfulness), the younger son of Joseph, but who received precedence over the elder in and from the blessing of Jacob . That blessing was an adoptive act, whereby Ephraim and his brother Manasseh were counted as sons of Jacob in the place of their father; the object being to give to Joseph, through his sons, a double portion in the brilliant prospects of his house. Thus the descendants of Joseph formed two of the tribes of Israel, whereas every other of Jacob's sons counted but as one. There were thus, in fact, thirteen tribes of Israel; but the number twelve is usually preserved, either by excluding that of [[Levi]] (which had no territory), when Ephraim and Manasseh are separately named, or by counting these two together as the tribe of Joseph, when Levi is included in the account. The intentions of Jacob were fulfilled, and Ephraim and Manasseh were counted as tribes of Israel at the departure from Egypt, and as such shared in the territorial distribution of the [[Promised]] Land (;; ). </p> <p> At the departure from Egypt the population of the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh together amounted to 72,700 men capable of bearing arms, greatly exceeding that of any single tribe, except Judah, which had somewhat more. During the wandering their number increased to 95,200, which placed the two tribes much higher than even Judah. At the Exode, Ephraim singly had 40,500, and Manasseh only 32,200; but a great change took place in their relative numbers during the wandering. Ephraim lost 8000, and Manasseh gained 20,500; so that just before entering Canaan, Ephraim stood at 32,500, and Manasseh at 52,700. </p> <p> One of the finest and most fruitful parts of Palestine, occupying the very center of the land, was assigned to this tribe. It extended from the borders of the Mediterranean on the west to the Jordan on the east: on the north it had the half-tribe of Manasseh, and on the south Benjamin and Dan (, sq.; 17:7, sq.). This fine country included most of what was afterwards called Samaria, as distinguished from [[Judea]] on the one hand, and from [[Galilee]] on the other. The tabernacle and the ark were deposited within its limits, at Shiloh; and the possession of the sacerdotal establishment, which was a central object of attraction to all the other tribes, must in no small degree have enhanced its importance, and increased its wealth and population. The domineering and haughty spirit of the Ephraimites is more than once indicated (;; ) before the establishment of the regal government; but the particular enmity of Ephraim against the other great tribe of Judah, and the rivalry between them, do not come out distinctly until the establishment of the monarchy. In the election of Saul from the least considerable tribe in Israel, there was nothing to excite the jealousy of Ephraim; and, after his heroic qualities had conciliated respect, it rendered the new king true allegiance and support. But when the great tribe of Judah produced a king in the person of David, the pride and jealousy of Ephraim were thoroughly awakened, and it was doubtless chiefly through their means that [[Abner]] was enabled to uphold for a time the house of Saul; for there are manifest indications that by this time Ephraim influenced the views and feelings of all the other tribes. They were at length driven by the force of circumstances to acknowledge David upon conditions; and were probably not without hope that, as the king of the nation at large, he would establish his capital in their central portion of the land. But when he not only established his court at Jerusalem, but proceeded to remove the ark thither, making his native Judah the seat both of the theocratic and civil government, the Ephraimites became thoroughly alienated, and longed to establish their own ascendancy. The building of the temple at Jerusalem, and other measures of Solomon, strengthened this desire; and although the minute organization and vigor of his government prevented any overt acts of rebellion, the train was then laid, which, upon his death, rent the ten tribes from the house of David, and gave to them a king, a capital, and a religion suitable to the separate views and interests of the tribe. [[Thenceforth]] the rivalry of Ephraim and Judah was merged in that between the two kingdoms; although still the predominance of Ephraim in the kingdom of Israel was so conspicuous as to occasion the whole realm to be called by its name, especially when that rivalry is mentioned. </p> <p> Ephraim, 2 </p> <p> Ephraim, a city in the wilderness of Judea, to which Jesus withdrew from the persecution which followed the miracle of raising Lazarus from the dead . It is placed by Eusebius eight Roman miles north of Jerusalem. This indication would seem to make it the same with the [[Ephrain]] which is mentioned in , along with Bethel and Jeshanah, as towns taken from Jeroboam by Abijah. </p> <p> Ephraim, 3 </p> <p> Ephraim, a mountain or group of mountains in central Palestine, in the tribe of the same name, on or towards the borders of Benjamin (;;;;;; ). From a comparison of these passages it may be collected that the name of 'Mount Ephraim' was applied to the whole of the ranges and groups of hills which occupy the central part of the southernmost border of this tribe, and which are prolonged southward into the tribe of Benjamin. In the time of Joshua these hills were densely covered with trees , which is by no means the case at present. </p> <p> Ephraim, 4 </p> <p> Ephraim, the forest of, in which Absalom lost his life , was in the country east of the Jordan, not far from Mahanaim. How it came to bear the name of a tribe on the other side the river is not known. </p>
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| == Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature <ref name="term_38971" /> ==
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| <p> '''Bibliography Information''' McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Ephraim'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and [[Ecclesiastical]] Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/e/ephraim.html. [[Harper]] & Brothers. New York. 1870. </p>
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| == The Nuttall Encyclopedia <ref name="term_72518" /> ==
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| <p> One of the 12 tribes of Israel, the one to which Joshua belonged, located in the centre of the land; powerful in the days of the Judges, the chief of the 10 tribes that revolted under Jeroboam after the death of Solomon, and is found often to give name to the whole body of them. </p>
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| ==References == | | ==References == |
| <references> | | <references> |
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| <ref name="term_18570"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/bridgeway-bible-dictionary/ephraim Ephraim from Bridgeway Bible Dictionary]</ref> | | <ref name="term_35371"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/fausset-s-bible-dictionary/ephraim+(1) Ephraim from Fausset's Bible Dictionary]</ref> |
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| <ref name="term_55793"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-new-testament/ephraim Ephraim from Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_50905"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hastings-dictionary-of-the-bible/ephraim Ephraim from Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_65958"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/morrish-bible-dictionary/ephraim Ephraim from Morrish Bible Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_70048"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/people-s-dictionary-of-the-bible/ephraim Ephraim from People's Dictionary of the Bible]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_72490"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/smith-s-bible-dictionary/ephraim Ephraim from Smith's Bible Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_80649"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/watson-s-biblical-theological-dictionary/ephraim Ephraim from Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_15955"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/american-tract-society-bible-dictionary/ephraim Ephraim from American Tract Society Bible Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_40009"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/holman-bible-dictionary/ephraim Ephraim from Holman Bible Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_197789"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/wilson-s-dictionary-of-bible-types/ephraim Ephraim from Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_47713"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/hawker-s-poor-man-s-concordance-and-dictionary/ephraim Ephraim from Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_31406"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/easton-s-bible-dictionary/ephraim Ephraim from Easton's Bible Dictionary]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_117749"> [https://bibleportal.com/dictionary/webster-s-dictionary/ephraim Ephraim from Webster's Dictionary]</ref>
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|
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| <ref name="term_15526"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/kitto-s-popular-cyclopedia-of-biblial-literature/ephraim Ephraim from Kitto's Popular Cyclopedia of Biblial Literature]</ref>
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|
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| <ref name="term_38971"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/cyclopedia-of-biblical-theological-and-ecclesiastical-literature/ephraim Ephraim from Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature]</ref>
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| <ref name="term_72518"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/the-nuttall-encyclopedia/ephraim Ephraim from The Nuttall Encyclopedia]</ref> | | <ref name="term_3188"> [https://bibleportal.com/encyclopedia/international-standard-bible-encyclopedia/ephraim+(1) Ephraim from International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]</ref> |
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| </references> | | </references> |
Fausset's Bible Dictionary [1]
("doubly fruitful".) Joseph's second son by Asenath, named so, "for," said Joseph, "God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction." Born during the seven plenteous years; the "doubly fruitful" may refer to both the fruitfulness vouchsafed to Joseph and the plenty of the season. As regards Ephraim himself, he was doubly blessed:
(1) in being made, as well as Manasseh, a patriarchal head of a tribe, like Jacob's immediate sons ( Genesis 48:5); as Judah received the primary birthright (Reuben losing it by incest, Simeon and Levi by cruelty), and became the royal tribe from whence king David and the Divine Son of David sprang, so Ephraim received a secondary birthright and became ancestor of the royal tribe among the ten tribes of Israel ( Genesis 49:3-10; Genesis 49:22-26).
(2) Ephraim the younger was preferred to Manasseh the elder, just as Jacob himself was preferred before the elder Esau. Jacob wittingly guided his hands so as to lay his right on Ephraim and his left on Manasseh, notwithstanding Joseph's remonstrance; saying, "Manasseh shall be great, but his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations." Jacob called to mind God's promise at Luz, "I will make thee fruitful," a Hebrew word related to Ephraim and to Ephrath, the scene of the death of his darling wife, Ephraim's grandmother ( Genesis 35:11; Genesis 35:16; Genesis 48:4; Genesis 48:7; Genesis 48:13-19). Ephraim was about 21 when Jacob blessed him, for he was born before the seven years' famine, and Jacob came to Egypt toward its closing years, and lived 17 years afterward ( Genesis 47:28).
Before Joseph's death Ephraim's family had reached the third generation ( Genesis 50:23). The last notice we have of him is his mourning for his sons killed in the foray by the men of Gath, and naming his new-born son (See Beriah from the calamity, unconscious that that son would be the progenitor of the most remarkable of all his descendants, Joshua ( 1 Chronicles 7:20-23). Psalms 78:9 is referred in Smith's Bible Dictionary to this time; but the phrase is rather figurative for spiritual apostasy; "the children of Ephraim ... carrying bows, turned back in the day of battle." Ephraim's numbers in the wilderness of Sinai census were 40,500, Manasseh's 32,200. But at the eve of entering Canaan Ephraim had decreased to 32,500, while Manasseh had increased to 52,700; and at the conquest Ephraim was fewest in numbers after Simeon (22,200).
Still in Moses' blessing Ephraim stands pre-eminent over Manasseh; and he and Manasseh are compared to the two horns of the reem (not unicorn but the gigantic wild ox, now extinct, or urus); "with them he (Joseph) shall push the people together to the ends of the earth, and they are the ten thousands of Ephraim and they are the thousands of Manasseh." Moreover Joseph's land is "blessed of the Lord for the precious things of heaven ... the dew ... the deep beneath ... the precious fruits brought forth by the sun and ... put forth by the moon ... the chief things of the ancient mountains and ... of the lasting hills ... of the earth and its fullness, and the good will of Him that dwelt in the bush": a glorious issue to the afflictions "of him that was separated from his brethren" ( Deuteronomy 33:17). "His glory (is like) the firstling of his bullock," rather "the firstling of his (Joseph's) bullock (i.e. Ephraim made by Jacob in privileges the firstborn of Joseph's offspring; the singular 'bullock' being used collectively for all Joseph's offspring, and expressing their strength) is his glory."
Whereas Jacob dwelt on Joseph's trials, and prophetically the severe wars of his descendants, in which God would strengthen them as He had strengthened Joseph, Moses looks onward to their final triumph and peaceful enjoyment of all precious things in their land. The tribe Ephraim's territory. - The two great tribes of Judah and Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh) took their inheritance first. The boundaries of Ephraim are traced from W. to E. in Joshua 16:1-10. Ataroth Adar and upper Bethheron lay on the center of the southern border of Ephraim. The border on the N. side went out westward, i.e. seaward, to Michmethah, which was in front (W. or N.W.) of Shechem (Nablus), the latter being in Ephraim. From Michmethah the border went round to the E. at the back of mount Ebal, then S.E. toward Janohah (Yanun). It passed Taanath Shiloh (probably Salim).
From Janohah it touched Ataroth on the wady Fasail; then passing Naarath or Naaran ( 1 Chronicles 7:28) on the E. of Bethel, called Neara by Josephus, abounding in water, and so likely to be near Ras el Ain (five miles N. of Jericho), which pours a full stream into the wady Nawayimeh. From Naarath Ephraim's boundary reached Jericho, and struck into the line that forms the S. baseline of the tribe, running to the Jordan. From En Tappuah (Ain Abuz, five miles and a half S. of Shechem) Ephraim's boundary ran S.W. into the brook Kanah, which still retains its ancient name; thence the boundary ran out to the sea. The boundary between Ephraim and his brother Manasseh is not exactly defined; compare Joshua 17:14-18. Generally, Ephraim lay to the S., Manasseh to the N. But Manasseh, instead of crossing the country from E. to W. as it is often represented, occupied only half that space, and lay along the sea to the W., bounded on the E. by mount Carmel.
The territory of the twofold "house of Joseph" was 55 miles from E. to W. by 70 from N to S. The northern half of central Palestine was "mount Ephraim," hills of limestone material, intersected by wide plains with streams of running water, and therefore, clothed with vegetation. Travelers attest the increasing beauty of the country in going N. from Jerusalem. The "precious things of the earth," "flowers," "olive valleys," and "vines" are assigned to Ephraim ( Isaiah 28:1-4; Hosea 10:1). He is compared to a "heifer," whereas Dan, Judah, and Benjamin among their comparatively barren rocks are compared to lions and wolves. Ephraim lay near the highways from Egypt and Philistia to Galilee and from Jordan to the sea. Ephraim did not extend to the sea, but had separate cities assigned to it in Manasseh on the coast. In it were Shechem, Jacob's original settlement, "his parcel of ground" and well; Ebal and Gerizim, the mounts of cursing and blessing; and Shiloh, the seat of the sanctuary until the time of Eli.
Here too was the great Joshua's tomb, as also his patrimony. Jealous sensitiveness as to any exploit achieved without Ephraim's sharing in it betrayed at once their tribal self importance and their recognized high standing among the tribes. So toward Gideon, Jephthah and David ( Judges 8:1; Judges 12:1; 2 Samuel 19:41-43). In one instance they nobly interposed to clothe, feed, and restore in freedom their captive brethren of Judah ( 2 Chronicles 28:9-15). Psalm 78 was designed to soothe their tribal soreness at the transference of the religious capital from Shiloh to Jerusalem ( Psalms 78:60-70). They attached themselves to David after Ishbosheth's fall; 20,800 warriors of them "coming with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel." Among his state officers there was more than one Ephraimite ( 1 Chronicles 27:10-14); and after Absalom's rebellion they were probably foremost among the men of Israel in expressing jealousy of Judah in respect to the latter's greater share in promoting David's return.
From the time of the severance of the ten tribes from Judah, brought about by Rehoboam's infatuation and Jeroboam's ("ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph") rousing Ephraim's innate self-elation, Ephraim became the representative and main portion of the northern kingdom; for the surrounding pagan, the luxurious Phoenicians, the marauding Midianites, the Syrians and Assyrians from the N., and the Egyptians from the S., left to Israel little which was permanently, exclusively, and distinctively its own, beyond the secure territory of Ephraim with its hilly fastnesses. The plain of Esdraelon, to the N. beyond Ephraim, was the natural battlefield for Egyptian forces advancing along the seacoast plain from the S. and Syrians and Assyrians from the N. to operate in; but Ephraim could only be reached through precipitous ascents and narrow passes, where invaders could be easily repelled.
But her continually increasing moral degeneracy and religious apostasy rendered all her natural advantages unavailing. No temporary revival, as in Judah's case, relieves the gloomy picture, until the cup of her iniquity was full; and God, though His amazing love long forbore to judge her, at last swept her away permanently from her home and her abused privileges and opportunities. (Hosea 5; Hosea 6; Hosea 7; Hosea 9; Hosea 10; Hosea 11:1-8; Hosea 12; Hosea 13; Ezekiel 23; 2 Kings 17).
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia [2]
ē´fra - im , ē´frā̇ - im ( אפרים , 'ephrayim , "double fruit"):
1. The Patriarch
The younger of the two sons of Joseph and Asenath, born in Egypt. He and his brother Manasseh were adopted by Jacob, and ranked as his own sons, each becoming the ancestor of a tribe in Israel. In blessing his grandchildren, despite their father's protest, Jacob preferred the younger, foreshadowing the future eminence of his descendants ( Genesis 41:50; Genesis 48:20 ). In the Blessing of Jacob however, the two are included under the name of Joseph ( Genesis 49:22 f).
2. The Tribe
At the first census on leaving Egypt, Ephraim's men of war numbered 40,500; and at the second census they are given as 32,500 ( Numbers 1:33; Numbers 26:37 ). See, however, article Numbers . The head of the tribe at the Exodus was Elishama, son of Ammihud ( Numbers 1:10 ). With the standard of the tribe of Ephraim on the West of the tabernacle in the desert march were Manasseh and Benjamin ( Numbers 2:18 ). The Ephraimite among the spies was Hoshea (i.e. Joshua), the son of Nun ( Numbers 13:8 ). At the division of the land Ephraim was represented by prince Kemuel, son of Shiphtan ( Numbers 34:24 ). The future power of this tribe is again foreshadowed in the Blessing of Moses ( Deuteronomy 33:17 ). When Moses died, a member of the tribe, Joshua, whose faith and courage had distinguished him among the spies, succeeded to the chief place in Israel. It was natural that the scene of national assemblies, and the center of the nation's worship, should be chosen within the land occupied by the children of Joseph, at Shechem and Shiloh respectively. The leadership of Ephraim was further emphasized by the rule of Samuel. From the beginning of life in Palestine they enjoyed a certain prestige, and were very sensitive on the point of honor ( Judges 7:24; Judges 8:1; Judges 12:1 ). Their acceptance of and loyalty to Saul, the first king chosen over Israel, may be explained by his belonging to a Rachel tribe, and by the close and tender relations existing between Joseph and Benjamin. But they were never reconciled to the passing of the scepter to Judah in the person of David ( 2 Samuel 2:8 f). That Israel would have submitted to the sovereignty of Absalom, any more than to that of David, is not to be believed; but his revolt furnished an opportunity to deal a shrewd blow at the power of the southern tribe ( 2 Samuel 15:13 ). Solomon's lack of wisdom and the crass folly of Rehoboam in the management of the northern tribes fanned the smoldering discontent into a fierce flame. This made easy the work of the rebel Jeroboam; and from the day of the disruption till the fall of the Northern Kingdom there was none to dispute the supremacy of Ephraim, the names Ephraim and Israel being synonymous. The most distinguished of Ephraim's sons were Joshua, Samuel and Jeroboam I.
3. The Territory
The central part of Western Palestine fell to the children of Joseph; and, while the boundaries of the territory allotted to Ephraim and Manasseh respectively are given in Joshua 16:1-10; Joshua 17:1 , it seems to have been held by them in common for some time ( Joshua 17:14 ). The Canaanites in certain cities of both divisions were not driven out. It was probably thought more profitable to enslave them ( Joshua 16:10; Joshua 17:13 ). The boundaries of Ephraim cannot be followed with accuracy, but roughly, they were as follows: The southern boundary, agreeing with the northern border of Benjamin, started from Bethel, and passed down westward by nether Beth-horon and Gezer toward the sea ( Joshua 16:3; in Joshua 16:5 it stops at upper Beth-horon); it turned northward to the southern bank of the brook Kanah ( Wādy Kānāh ) along which it ran eastward ( Joshua 17:10 ) to Michmethath (the plain of Mukhneh ); thence it went northward along the western edge of the plain to Shechem. It then bent eastward and southward past Taanath-shiloh ( Ta‛ana ), Janoah ( Yanūn ) to Ataroth and Naarah (unidentified) and the Jordan ( Joshua 16:7 ). From Ataroth, which probably corresponds to Ataroth-addar ( Joshua 16:5 ), possibly identical with the modern et - Trūneh , the southern border passed up to Bethel. Along the eastern front of the land thus defined there is a steep descent into the Jordan valley. It is torn by many gorges, and is rocky and unfruitful. The long slopes to the westward, however, furnish much of the finest land in Palestine. Well watered as it is, the valleys are beautiful in season with cornfields, vineyards, olives and other fruit trees. The uplands are accessible at many points from the maritime plain; but the great avenue of entrance to the country runs up Wādy esh - Sha‛ı̄r to Nāblus , whence, threading the pass between Gerizim and Ebal, it descends to the Jordan valley. In this favored region the people must have lived in the main a prosperous and happy life. How appropriate are the prophetic allusions to these conditions in the days of Ephraim's moral decay ( Isaiah 28:1 , Isaiah 28:4; Jeremiah 31:18; Hosea 9:13; Hosea 10:11 , etc.)!
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