Biblical Hebrew Forum

[jimstinehart AT aol.com]

Something seems askew here.  In chapter 35 of Genesis, Jacob calls Rachel’s 
second-born son BN-YMYN, “Son of my Right Hand”.  And we have an entire 
chapter of Genesis, chapter 48, which is all about on which one “son”/BN of 
Rachel’s firstborn son Joseph that Jacob will place Jacob’s “right 
hand”/YMYN.  Yet to the best of my knowledge, no analysis of the name BN-YMYN 
that Jacob gives to Rachel’s second-born son at Genesis 35: 18 ever mentions 
how Jacob uses his “right hand”/YMYN in chapter 48 of Genesis to select one 
“son”/BN of Rachel’s firstborn son Joseph to have the finer inheritance.  Why 
is the name BN-YMYN/“Son of my Right Hand” never connected to the placing by 
Jacob of his “right hand”/YMYN on one “son”/BN in chapter 48 of Genesis?

Here are the relevant verses from chapter 48 of Genesis: 

[13]  “And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand/YMYN toward 
Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right 
hand/YMYN, and brought [them] near unto him.  [14] And Israel stretched out 
his right hand/YMYN, and laid [it] upon Ephraim's head, who [was] the 
younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; 
for Manasseh [was] the firstborn. … [17] And when Joseph saw that his father 
laid his right hand/YMYN 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.  [18] And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this [is] 
the firstborn; put thy right hand/YMYN upon his head.  [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.  [20] And 
he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God 
make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.”

Why is it that none of the analyses of Genesis ever seems to mention the 
foregoing story of Jacob placing his “right hand”/YMYN on one “son”/BN of 
Rachel’s firstborn son Joseph in chapter 48 of Genesis in analyzing the name 
BN-YMYN/“Son of my Right Hand” that Jacob gives to Rachel’s second-born son 
at Genesis 35: 18?

Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois