Manasseh (1)
The Birth and Naming of Manasseh
Manasseh was born in Egypt to Joseph and his wife Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On (Genesis 41:50-51). He was Joseph's firstborn son, born during the seven years of abundance before the great famine. Joseph named him Manasseh, explaining, "God has made me forget all my hardship and all my father's house" (Genesis 41:51). This name captured a profound spiritual moment — after years of betrayal by his brothers, enslavement, false accusation, and imprisonment, Joseph could declare that God had brought healing so complete that the pain of his past no longer dominated his life.
Manasseh's younger brother was Ephraim, whose name meant "God has made me fruitful in the land of my affliction" (Genesis 41:52). Together, the two names tell the story of Joseph's transformation: first God brought forgetfulness of pain, then fruitfulness in a foreign land.
Jacob's Blessing and the Reversal of Birthright
One of the most significant episodes involving Manasseh occurs when the aged Jacob blesses Joseph's two sons (Genesis 48:1-22). Joseph brought his sons to his dying father, carefully positioning Manasseh at Jacob's right hand (the hand of greater blessing) and Ephraim at his left. But Jacob deliberately crossed his hands, placing his right hand on Ephraim's head and his left on Manasseh's.
When Joseph protested, Jacob replied, "I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he" (Genesis 48:19). This reversal of the natural birthright order continued a pattern seen throughout Genesis — Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau — in which God's sovereign choice overrode human expectations and cultural norms.
Despite being superseded by Ephraim, Manasseh still received a substantial blessing. Jacob declared that both grandsons would be reckoned as his own sons, giving them equal status with his other sons as tribal patriarchs of Israel (Genesis 48:5).
The Tribe of Manasseh
The tribe of Manasseh grew to become one of the larger Israelite tribes. At the first census in the wilderness, the tribe numbered 32,200 fighting men (Numbers 1:35), and by the second census this had grown to 52,700 (Numbers 26:34), making it one of the most numerically significant tribes.
Manasseh's most distinctive feature was its split territorial inheritance. The half-tribe of Manasseh, along with the tribes of Gad and Reuben, requested and received territory east of the Jordan River in the fertile lands of Bashan and Gilead (Numbers 32:33-42). The other half received territory in central Canaan west of the Jordan, between Ephraim to the south and Issachar and Asher to the north (Joshua 17:1-13).
This division meant that Manasseh's territory stretched across both sides of the Jordan, from the forests of Gilead in the east to the Mediterranean coastal plain in the west. The western half-tribe's territory included important cities and the fertile Valley of Jezreel.
The Daughters of Zelophehad
An important legal precedent arose from within the tribe of Manasseh through the daughters of Zelophehad. When Zelophehad died in the wilderness without sons, his five daughters — Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah — petitioned Moses for the right to inherit their father's portion (Numbers 27:1-11). God affirmed their claim, establishing the principle that daughters could inherit when there were no sons. This ruling was later refined to require that such daughters marry within their own tribe to prevent the transfer of tribal land (Numbers 36:1-12).
Manasseh in Later History
The territory of Manasseh played a significant role in later Israelite history. The eastern half-tribe was among the first to fall to foreign powers, being carried into exile by the Assyrians under Tiglath-pileser III around 732 BC (1 Chronicles 5:26). The western territories later became part of the northern kingdom of Israel after the division under Rehoboam.
The most notorious figure bearing the name Manasseh was King Manasseh of Judah, who reigned for 55 years and was remembered as one of the most wicked kings in Israel's history (2 Kings 21:1-18). According to 2 Chronicles 33:10-17, however, Manasseh eventually repented after being taken captive to Babylon, offering a dramatic example of God's willingness to forgive even the most grievous sins.
Biblical Context
Manasseh appears in the patriarchal narratives as Joseph's firstborn (Genesis 41:50-51), in Jacob's blessing where Ephraim receives the greater portion (Genesis 48), in the wilderness censuses (Numbers 1:35; 26:34), in the land allocation (Numbers 32; Joshua 17), and in the legal case of Zelophehad's daughters (Numbers 27; 36). The tribe is mentioned in the Song of Deborah (Judges 5:14) and in the northern kingdom's history through the Assyrian exile (1 Chronicles 5:26).
Theological Significance
Manasseh illustrates God's sovereign freedom in distributing blessing apart from human convention. Jacob's crossing of his hands to bless Ephraim over Manasseh continues the Genesis pattern of divine election overriding primogeniture. Manasseh's name itself testifies to God's healing power — the ability to bring such restoration that past suffering loses its grip. The case of Zelophehad's daughters, from this tribe, advanced the biblical principle of justice and fairness in inheritance law.
Historical Background
The tribe of Manasseh occupied territories in both Transjordan and central Canaan, controlling important trade routes and agricultural land. Archaeological evidence from sites in both the Gilead region and the western hill country confirms Israelite settlement patterns consistent with the biblical account. The eastern territories were among the first conquered by Assyria in the eighth century BC. The Havvoth-jair settlements attributed to Manasseh in Gilead reflect a pattern of semi-nomadic clan-based occupation typical of the Transjordan region.