Tribe of Manasseh

Biblical Text

Manasseh was the firstborn son of Joseph, born to him in Egypt (Genesis 41:50-51). His name comes from Joseph's confession, "For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house," and is connected to a Hebrew verb meaning "to cause to forget." Jacob adopted Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, as his own (Genesis 48:5). When Jacob blessed them, he crossed his hands and laid his right hand on Ephraim, the younger, so that the younger was given precedence over the elder (Genesis 48:13-20). As a result, the house of Joseph was divided into two tribes, each taking its place among the twelve tribes of Israel.

In the censuses taken in the wilderness, the men of the tribe of Manasseh numbered 32,200 in the first count and 52,700 in the later one (Numbers 1:35; 26:34). Zelophehad, a descendant of Manasseh's son Machir, had five daughters and no sons. Their request to inherit their father's portion led to regulations governing inheritance by daughters (Numbers 27; 36).

Land Allotment and History

In the time of Moses, half of the tribe of Manasseh, together with the tribes of Reuben and Gad, received Gilead and Bashan east of the Jordan River (Numbers 32:33; Joshua 13:29-31). The other half, after entering the land of Canaan, received its inheritance in the central hill country west of the Jordan, north of the territory of Ephraim (Joshua 17). For this reason, Scripture frequently refers to the tribe as "the half tribe of Manasseh." Scholars differ on the precise boundaries and locations.

The judge Gideon came from the Abiezrite clan of the tribe of Manasseh (Judges 6:15). After the division of the kingdom, the tribe of Manasseh belonged to the northern kingdom of Israel. The half tribe of Manasseh east of the Jordan is recorded as having been carried into captivity by Assyria along with the tribes of Reuben and Gad (1 Chronicles 5:26). Scripture also records that some men of Manasseh came up to Jerusalem when King Hezekiah of Judah kept the Passover (2 Chronicles 30:10-11). King Manasseh of Judah is a different person who merely shares the name of the tribe's ancestor.

Broader Biblical Significance

The precedence of the younger Ephraim over the elder Manasseh fits the pattern in Genesis in which God reverses the order of birth, as with Isaac and Ishmael and with Jacob and Esau, and it is frequently discussed in treatments of the birthright. In his blessing, Moses said, "they are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh" (Deuteronomy 33:17). Manasseh also appears in the allotment of the restored land in Ezekiel 48. In the New Testament, Manasseh is named in Revelation 7:6 as one of the tribes that were sealed. This list includes both Joseph and Manasseh and omits the tribe of Dan.

Interpretation and Debate

Interpretations of the tribal list in Revelation 7 differ. Dispensationalists generally read the list as referring to the literal, ethnic people of Israel. Many in the Reformed tradition hold that it symbolizes the whole people of God. There are also various conjectures about why the tribe of Dan is omitted, but the text does not give the reason. The account of Zelophehad's daughters is sometimes cited in discussions of female inheritance in the Bible.

In the Korean Church

The meanings of the names of Joseph's two sons, Manasseh ("causing to forget") and Ephraim ("causing to be fruitful") (Genesis 41:51-52), are used as sermon material to describe God as the One who causes His people to forget their suffering and makes them bear fruit.