When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?”
Parallel translations
- WEB Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?”
- KJV And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these?
- BSB When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, “Who are these?”
- NKJV Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?”
- NLT Then Jacob looked over at the two boys. “Are these your sons?” he asked.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The aged Israel sees Joseph's sons and asks who they are. His dim eyes set the stage for the blessing.
Overview
Jacob, nearly blind, notices the young men and inquires about their identity. The question opens the formal act of recognition and blessing. The detail of his failing sight recalls his own father Isaac's blindness, yet here, unlike then, the blessing proceeds according to God's clear intention rather than deception.
Cross-references & the web
No cross-references recorded for this verse.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
From the first promise that the seed of the woman would crush the serpent (3:15), through Abraham's blessing to all nations and Judah's coming ruler, Genesis sows every seed that flowers in Christ — the true offspring, the better Adam, the ram caught for Isaac.
How Genesis 48:8 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.