Genesis 48 · Verse 18

Genesis 48:18

And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.
Genesis 48:18, King James Version

Genesis 48:18 in other translations

BSB“Not so, my father!” Joseph said. “This one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.”
WEBJoseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head.”
ASVAnd Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father; for this is the first-born; put thy right hand upon his head.
YLTand Joseph saith unto his father, ‘Not so, my father, for this is the first-born; set thy right hand on his head.'
DARBYAnd Joseph said to his father, Not so, my father, for this is the firstborn: put thy right hand on his head.
BBEAnd Joseph said to his father, Not so, my father, for this is the older; put your right hand on his head.
WebsterAnd Joseph said to his father, Not so, my father; for this is the first-born; put thy right hand upon his head.

What does Genesis 48:18 mean?

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 18 Joseph said - Not so, my father - Joseph supposed that his father had made a mistake in laying his right hand on the head of the youngest, because the right hand was considered as the most noble, and the instrument of conveying the highest dignities, and thus it has ever been considered among all nations, though the reason of it is not particularly obvious. Even in the heavens the right hand of God is the place of the most exalted dignity. It has been observed that Joseph spoke here as he was moved by natural affection, and that Jacob acted as he was influenced by the Holy Spirit.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Genesis 48:8-22

The two good men own God in their comforts. Joseph says, They are my sons whom God has given me. Jacob says, God hath showed me thy seed. Comforts are doubly sweet to us when we see them coming from God's hand. He not only prevents our fears, but exceeds our hopes. Jacob mentions the care the Divine providence had taken of him all his days. A great deal of hardship he had known in his time, but God kept him from the…

Read the full comment on Genesis 48:8-22 →

Genesis 48:18 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֧אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
יוֹסֵ֛ףyo.SefJosephH3130
אֶל\־'el-toH413
אָבִ֖יו'a.Vivfather hisH1
לֹא\־lo'-notH3808
כֵ֣ןkhenthusH3651
אָבִ֑י'a.ViO father myH1
כִּי\־ki-forH3588
זֶ֣הzehthisH2088
הַבְּכֹ֔רha.be.Khor[is] the firstbornH1060
שִׂ֥יםsimputH7760
יְמִינְךָ֖ye.mi.ne.Kharight [hand] yourH3225
עַל\־'al-onH5921
רֹאשֽׁוֹ\׃ro.Shohead hisH7218

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Genesis 48:18

  • Genesis 49:3

    Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power:

  • Genesis 27:15

    And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son:

  • Acts 11:8

    But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth.

  • Matthew 25:9

    But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

  • Genesis 19:18

    And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord:

  • Genesis 29:26

    And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn.

  • Genesis 43:33

    And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another.

  • Exodus 10:11

    Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the Lord; for that ye did desire. And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.

  • Acts 10:14

    But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Not so.
19:18; Ex 10:11; Mt 25:9; Ac 10:14; 11:8
for this.
27:15; 29:26; 43:33; 49:3

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Genesis 48:17

    And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father’s hand, to remove it from Ephraim’s head unto Manasseh’s head.

  • Genesis 48:18

    And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head.

  • Genesis 48:19

    And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.

Read all of Genesis 48

Genesis 48:18 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y dijo José á su padre: No así, padre mío, porque éste es el primogénito; pon tu diestra sobre su cabeza.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Joseph dit à son père: Pas ainsi, mon père; car celui-ci est le premier-né; mets ta main droite sur sa tête.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Joseph sprach zu seinem Vater: Nicht also, mein Vater! Denn dieser ist der Erstgeborene; lege deine Rechte auf sein Haupt.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dixitque ad patrem: Non ita convenit, pater: quia hic est primogenitus, pone dexteram tuam super caput ejus.